SCHOONER
70 YEARS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SAIL TRAINING
ABOUT SCHOONER BRILLIANT
Brilliant is an offshore classroom for the Museum’s education programs. This sailing program offers people of all ages the opportunity to learn about sailing on one of the finest wooden schooners ever built.
The schooner’s excellent condition is a testament to the designers and skilled craftsmen who built the vessel to the highest standards at the Nevins yard in 1932 and to the careful maintenance received ever since. Originally built for offshore cruising, Brilliant is the platform for the nation’s oldest sail education program.
Brilliant is owned and operated by Mystic Seaport Museum and inspected by the United States Coast Guard. Though traditional in operation and construction, Brilliant carries modern navigation and safety equipment. The vessel has been described by WoodenBoat Magazine as one of the 100 most beautiful classic boats in existence and as “one of the best maintained and sailed classic yachts in the country—if not the world.”
Over the past 67 years Brilliant has taken 11,000 students to sea, sailed the equivalent of five times around the globe, and has been commanded by seven captains.
Captain Adrian Lane (1953-1961)
• Captain Francis Bowker (1962-1983)
• Captain George Moffett (1984-2007)
• Captain Hamilton Moore (2008-2011)
• Captain Nicholas Alley (2012- 2018)
• Captain Dan McKenzie (2018-2021)
• Captain Sarah Armour (2021–present)
Schooner Brilliant arrived at Mystic Seaport Museum, donated by famed America’s Cup skipper and race car driver Briggs Cunningham. Briggs had owned Brilliant just under a decade, during which time he campaigned the schooner up and down the Eastern seaboard. He was also fond of taking young sailors out on Brilliant to help them broaden their sailing skills and learn what it meant to be a shipmate. When Brilliant was donated to Mystic Seaport Museum it was with the expressed intention that the vessel be employed in youth sail training.
“I always wanted her to do the job with children she is doing at Mystic Seaport Museum, as I felt she was so well built, they could hardly get into any trouble as they learned to handle her.”
1988
Captain George Moffett was asked to give some commentary as part of a video production highlighting Brilliant‘s programs. During the film, Moffett reflected on the fact that after 35 years at Mystic Seaport Museum more than 6,500 students had sailed aboard the schooner. Captain Moffett felt there was no reason that, under the care of Mystic Seaport Museum, Brilliant could not continue the mission for another 30 years and take an additional 6,000 students to sea.
1989
Briggs Cunningham sent a letter expressing his personal gratitude that the Museum was fulfilling his vision for Brilliant. He wrote: “I always wanted her to do the job with children she is doing at Mystic Seaport Museum, as I felt she was so well built, they could hardly get into any trouble as they learned to handle her.”
“We don’t teach people how to sail, we teach them character-building lessons that they can use throughout their lives.”
2020
Thirty-two years since Moffett made his forecast, Brilliant continues to serve as a wonderful platform for youth sail training. In fact, 11,000 students have now been taken to sea, thus proving Captain Moffett correct. The previous captain, Nicholas Alley, is fond of saying: “We don’t teach people how to sail, we teach them character-building lessons that they can use throughout their lives.”
Captain Alley harkens back to Alan Villiers, one of the early pioneers of sail education in America, who firmly believed in the tried and true adage of Ship, Shipmate, Self. Look after the ship first, and your shipmates second. They will ensure that you are also taken care of. Imagine if more people in society approached life with this in mind, what a different world we would be living in.
2023
The year 2023 marks 70 years of the schooner Brilliant serving as the Museum’s primary sail training vessel, introducing teenagers and adults to the thrill and challenge of life at sea. During this impactful 70th season with Mystic Seaport Museum, Brilliant sailed throughout New England waters, with trips to Maine and Martha’s Vineyard where we raced with student crews. Brilliant has taken thousands of students to sea, sailing the equivalent of more than five times around the globe, and impacting the self-confidence, self-esteem, and direction of many youth along the way.
New ProgrammingGirl Scout Mariners
In the spring of 2022 Sarah Armour, Captain of schooner Brilliant, Elizabeth Kristian, Supervisor of Working Waterfront Programs, Robin Nevins, Head Rigger, and Liz Sistare, Captain of steamboat Sabino, formed a Girl Scout Mariners troop. Girl Scout Mariners has been a part of Girl Scouts since it was founded in Rhode Island in 1934, and provides teen Girl Scouts, grades 8 to 12, an opportunity to engage deeply in water-focused activities. As Mariners, Girl Scouts develop skills in a variety of areas and explore careers related to water and the environment, fitting well with the youth development fostered on schooner Brilliant. Currently, there are ten girls in the Museum’s troop participating in water-based programming once a month throughout the school year. They have experienced sailing on a variety of boats, powerboating, marine science, knot tying, whaleboat rowing, and hands-on maritime trade programs in the Museum’s village. Many of them also attend Conrad Camp, sail on schooner Brilliant, or volunteer as a counselorin-training at the sailing center during the summer. The program aims to provide fun on the water as well as introduce girls to potential careers in the maritime industry.
UCONN Maritime Studies Program
In addition to the Girl Scout Mariners program, we are now offering an accredited Maritime Studies Program onboard Brilliant in partnership with the University of Connecticut. The program runs over 6 days in the spring. While onboard, students participate in all aspects of sailing the vessel, including sailing as crew during the Oyster Bay Classics Regatta and trying their hand at celestial navigation while onboard. Briggs Cunningham saw the value in using Brilliant as a teaching platform where young people can be exposed to what it really means to go to sea. Possibly ahead of his time in this regard, he can be credited with much of the success of our early sail training program.
The Future
As we look ahead toward the future of Brilliant, we continue to build on the vessel’s legacy of sailing excellence with student crews while we actively work to expand the reach of the vessel and programs in the coming years. We have sights set on ambitions and blue-water voyaging beyond New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Goals of this nature require preparation and thoughtful planning; therefore, significant repairs and upgrades are expected to take place over the next two winters. Equipment and systems will be updated as necessary, with particular attention given to gear that has reached the end of its expected usefulness. The vessel’s engine will be replaced. It is becoming increasingly hard to find necessary parts for the Detroit Diesel. While the engine is out of the vessel, the aging vessel structure that sits under the engine will be addressed, including the replacement of several frame heels and keel bolts, along with caulking and partial refastening. From Brilliant’s transatlantic record in 1933 to the schooner’s current role operating as one of the oldest sail training programs in the country, Brilliant has a storied legacy and remains extraordinary. As Brilliant completes the 10th decade of sailing, we will continue to care for the vessel that has taken such good care of the thousands of young sailors across thousands of miles at sea.
Cast your eyes to the far horizon some 30 years hence. It is still easy to imagine that Brilliant will be taking young people to sea under the Museum flag. It is conceivable that we will then count some 18,000 shipmates who have had the Brilliant experience. This will happen because of those who step forward to support Mystic Seaport Museum in our role as stewards of this wonderful vessel.
Testimonial
Memphis B. is a 16-year-old high school student who first came to the Museum as a Joseph Conrad camper at age 14 where he first heard of the Brilliant program. As a child, he struggled with anxiety and had never been away from home prior to attending the Conrad Camp. At the end of the week, we heard from Memphis’ mother that “he had the best week of his life and came back beaming and full of a confidence that she had never seen in him.” Since that first experience, Memphis started high school and took part in the Schooner Brilliant Summer Sailing Program. Following is an excerpt from a letter received from Memphis following his time on Brilliant:
It’s been almost half a year since I took my first steps on Brilliant, just long enough ago for it to be nostalgic, a now treasured memory. I started going to Mystic Seaport’s Conrad Camp a couple of years before and heard tell of the schooner Brilliant, this beautiful ship that took the “big kids” out to the open ocean. I asked more of the counselors, and most of them confided their own personal, magical stories of their trips. It was then that I made it a dream to sail on the crew of Brilliant.
“It was then that I made it a dream to sail on the crew of Brilliant. ”
The Brilliant experience is one I’ve trouble finding words to describe. It was awkward at first, not knowing any of the people I was supposed to live with for a week. And then it all went by like a blur. Before I could stop to catch my breath, I was friends with everyone on board. Captain Armour said it best: “You will bond with these other kids like no one else. It’s not just a normal friendship or one that someone would understand unless they’ve sailed with someone else. It can only be described as shipmates.” It sounds cliché, but I think in those five days I made a bond I’ve never made before. I would trust each of those kids, every single one, with my life. How couldn’t I, they were my shipmates! That week changed my life. It gave me a crash course on a skill I can use. I’m using those skills to try and secure a job as a dock hand on the lake I live on. After some time at home, I scraped up the money to buy an old sail boat from the 60s to try sailing on the lake. It’s not anywhere as fast or exciting as the schooner’s two giant masts, but it still feels like freedom.
I asked the adult crew of the Brilliant at the time what their schooling was and how they ended up here on the schooner. They all gave me different answers, but their stories inspired me. I figure a life working at sea wouldn’t be so bad, maybe even fun. It had never been a possibility to me before—a whole new world opened up for me! Now I’m looking into maritime colleges nearby, even career paths.
I cannot thank Mystic Seaport Museum enough for what they’ve done for me. I can’t help but wonder how much their generosity has changed the course of my life.
The impact of Mystic Seaport Museum is often profound, and it is only possible thanks to our donors.
“I cannot thank Mystic Seaport Museum enough for what they’ve done for me. I can’t help but wonder how much their generosity has changed the course of my life.”
“The first thing one notices about Brilliant is her classic beauty: her perfectly sculpted lines, the warmth of her wood, the gleam of her brass fittings. Those who know her well, however, love her for characteristics that are beyond skin deep. She is strong, resilient, and takes the sea with power and grace. At 88 years of age, Brilliant remains precisely what her original owner wanted: a craft that is fast, weatherly and as handsome as possible.”
Laura Souhrada Kyle
Schooner Brilliant stands as a testament to the virtue and character of the thousands of individuals who built, sailed, cared for, and befriended the vessel over the past eight decades. Brilliant exemplifies the age old truth of ship, shipmate, self. The schooner’s very existence is evidence of a virtuous circle of caring and support leading to more caring and support. There is an honesty in this simple idea that by looking after our vessel and caring for our fellow crew members, we in turn will be supported, appreciated and cared for. We invite your participation in the community of those who value what Brilliant is as an artifact and what she offers to those who sail upon her.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Chris Freeman Vice President of Advancement chris.freeman@mysticseaport.org 860.912.3121
Katie Keogh Director of Major Gifts katie.keogh@mysticseaport.org 302.354.1101
Kendall Guarneri Major Gift Officer kendall.guarneri@mysticseaport.org 845.337.0893
Jacqui Copp Major Gift Officer jacqui.copp@mysticseaport.org 860.202.8917