Mystic Seaport Museum Magazine | Spring/Summer 2023

SPRING/SUMMER | 2023

Exhibition Opens May 27

A kid's-eye view of maritime adventure.

For more info, visit www.mysticseaport.org/summercamps or call 860.572.5331.

MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM MAGAZINE is a publication of Mystic Seaport Museum.

PRESIDENT Peter Armstrong

CONTENTS

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Michael Hudner EDITOR Sherri K. Ramella editor@mysticseaport.org DESIGN Susan Heath CONTRIBUTING DESIGN Heather McGuigan CONTRIBUTORS Walt Ansel Peter Armstrong Christina Connett Brophy, PhD James Carlton, PhD Libby Daly Chris Freeman Chris Gasiorek Scott Gifford Akeia de Barros Gomes, PhD Gary Jobson Brian Koehler Arlene Marcionette Heather McGuigan Margaret Milnes Kevin O'Leary Brenna Pelletier Krystal Rose

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE.................................. 4 MUSEUM NEWS ............................... 6

PHOTOGRAPHY Joe Michael Mystic Seaport Museum Archives Andy Price

Launch of Mainsheet New Shipyard Logo Ancestor of the Morgan’s Last Captain Visits Catherine M. Wedmore 100th Birthday Sabino Returns to the Water Photogrammetry of Watercraft Collection Cuffe Fellowship Munson Institute America and the Sea Society Memorial Garden Williams-Mystic Opens Doors Thanks to our Donors The Museum Honors ADM. James Stavridis Treworgy Planetarium: a NASA Community Anchor

ON THE COVER Alexis Rockman, Vectors and Pathways (detail), 2021. Watercolor and acrylic on paper, 52 x 76 inches (132.1 x 193 cm).

MEMBERSHIP .................................15

CONTACT US Visitor Information: 860.572.5315 Administration: 860.572.0711 Advancement: 860.572.5365 Membership: 860.572.5339 Program Reservation: 860.572.5331 Museum Store: 860.572.5385 Volunteer Services: 860.572.5378 Please go to the Museum’s website for information on summer and fall schedules.

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FEATURES

16 A New Role for Ship Models.......................................21 Blue Technology and the Blue Economy .................... 22 Alexis Rockman: Oceanus............................................

EXHIBITIONS................................23

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Introduced Species Tsunami Boat Entwined Fish & Forrest

SHIPYARD

25 L.A. Dunton Restoration........................................... 26 Schooner Coronet Arrives........................................

75 Greenmanville Avenue Mystic, CT 06355-0990 www.mysticseaport.org

CAPITAL PLANS

28 Delamar Mystic.......................................................30 Change Surrounds the Museum................................

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A Message from the President Welcome to our spring edition of the Museum magazine. Like the Museum, the pages are packed with maritime stories that are diverse and as broad as the oceans themselves. From glass models to galas, from plankton to the stars, the Museum by its very nature has something for everyone. I remember on my first day asking about the collection and being told we are interested in collecting anything connected with the sea and therefore we are interested in everything.

Where else would I have witnessed the 131-foot wooden-hull schooner, Coronet, being lifted by a giant crane from the land to the sea and then 10 days later witness two giant cranes lift the 123-foot L.A. Dunton from the sea to the land? And where else could you and I observe them both being restored “up close and personal” by some of the finest shipwrights in the world?

Important work that preserves our knowledge of the past is performed here, and as a museum, we will undoubtedly always be perceived as keepers of that past; something in which we take great pride, particularly the maintaining of our historic vessels. But we are a maritime museum, not strictly a maritime “history” museum, and we also take the same amount of pride in educating our audience about the new “blue economy” and the exploitation of our seas today and in the future.

Our newest exhibition, Alexis Rockman: Oceanus, opening this month in the Collins Gallery does just that. This exhibition is comprised of vast paintings that show the effects of maritime activities on our waters today and focus our attention on tomorrow.

Please enjoy looking through these pages and keep at the back of your mind how the past and the present come together both below and above the water. It is no surprise to me that the word “astronaut” is derived from the Greek words for “star” and “sailor.” From the seas to the stars, the past informs the present and the future, and we must take note.

Peter Armstrong

4 / View from the Bridge

June 23-25, 2023 Image © Tyler Fields

TICKETS ON SALE NOW. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.mysticseaport.org/woodenboat

SUBSCRIBE TO MAINSHEET In September 2023, Mystic Seaport Museum is launching Mainsheet, a biannual peer-reviewed interdisciplinary maritime studies publication, which will be available online and in print. While Mainsheet will be globally focused, each issue will be tied with annual institutional initiative themes at Mystic Seaport Museum that drive exhibitions, programming, symposia, lecture series, and the Frank C. Munson Institute for American Maritime History during that year and/or the year proceeding. Therefore, the first issue will highlight maritime social history to align with our major upcoming exhibition Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea. The following issues will focus on the connections of marine science with maritime history in regards to ocean health and the impact of maritime activity on the world’s oceans, historically and currently.

In addition to the peer-reviewed articles by scholars, Mainsheet will include poetry, fiction, and the arts that connect to the related journal themes. There also will be a section highlighting the research of upcoming scholars in maritime studies as well as reviews of publications, exhibitions, and important events for the coming season.

To subscribe, visit mysticseaport.org/mainsheet.

NEW LOGO FOR THE HENRY B. du PONT PRESERVATION SHIPYARD Last Winter Mystic Seaport Museum unveiled a new logo for the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard, the first visual graphic identity in the Shipyard’s fifty-one-year history. This branding is a celebration of the Shipyard’s commitment to traditional wooden boat and historic ship restoration.

The new logo incorporates two iconic silhouettes: the Shipyard’s main shop, which serves as the heart of the Shipyard, and the Emma C. Berry, one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America, which has called the Museum home since 1969. A National Historic Landmark vessel, Berry served as an active fishing vessel for nearly 60 years from 1866 to 1924 and is the world’s last authentic Noank oyster smack. Berry’s story, much like the Shipyard itself, is a Connecticut story and serves as the embodiment of Mystic’s deep connection to the sea.

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Descendant of the Morgan’s Last Captain Visits Captain John Theofilo Gonsalves was the last Master of the last surviving wooden whaleship, our very own Charles W. Morgan. His career in whaling began at age eleven when he was a cabin boy on the bark Roman. Captain Gonsalves made twenty-four voyages on twelve different whaling vessels in his long career. He experienced so many exciting maritime tales (for example, a mutiny and nearly being sunk by a German U-boat!) that the 2022 Mystic Seaport Museum Internship program focused on the life of Captain Gonsalves for their interactive experience To Brava and Back, a campus-wide adventure that explores his life, his Cape Verdean culture, and his voyages. Captain Gonsalves’ grandson, Daniel Rodrigues, who has worked diligently to keep his grandfather’s story alive, assisted the interns by sharing his grandfather’s life story. Ninety-five-year-old “Danny” visited Mystic Seaport Museum in November to see the Charles W. Morgan once again and to participate in the interactive experience he helped the interns create! While here, he enjoyed a seat in the Captains quarters—the same place his grandfather sat and slept over one-hundred years before.

100th Birthday Refresh for the Catherine M. Wedmore The Catherine M. Wedmore was built in Mystic in 1924 as a powered oyster-dredging boat and has been harvesting and planting oysters ever since; most recently as part of the eighteen vessel oystering fleet at Copp’s Island Oyster Company owned by Captain Norm Bloom in Norwalk, Connecticut. In recent years the maintenance of the Bloom fleet was done at a small shipyard in New Jersey, but as the vessel approaches the one hundred year mark the Bloom family thought it apropos to have the vessel return to Mystic for necessary repairs.

The Catherine M. Wedmore came to the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard for the replacement of the shaft log and horn timber, two of the main components that make up the stern area of the vessel’s backbone. Once the Blooms visited the Museum’s Shipyard and met the staff, they decided to move forward with replacing a number of her deteriorated frames on the port side as well. A large portion of the white oak that is being used to repair the hull has been locally harvested in Connecticut and milled on our own sawmill. Work on this active historic vessel fits well within our commitment to preserve historic vessels and the skills required to keep them around for future generations. This project is available to view in the Shipyard into the early summer.

Sabino Returns to the Water

Steamboat Sabino is scheduled to resume operation on the Mystic River in early June as the conversion to diesel electric drive comes to completion. A team of three shipwrights and two engineers are adapting the engine room and forepeak to accommodate the new machinery. The forepeak space previously contained the boiler’s fresh water tank and the battery banks. Two 25 kw Caterpillar diesel electric generators, a diesel fuel tank, and a reduced volume boiler water tank are being installed. Shipwrights are installing a deck hatch for the engines and a sub deck to support the generators. This includes mounts for a large Timken thrust bearing and a double roller chain. A new steel tail shaft was fabricated on a lathe to accept the bearing and chain sprocket. The design includes an air-powered whistle that will sound similar to the steam whistle and a removable coupling shim that will allow the vessel to be powered by the original steam power on occasion. While preparing the hull to receive the new equipment, areas of rot were found requiring replacement of planks, covering boards, and guardrails. This area of the vessel has always been vulnerable as rain drives onto the open deck. Premium replacement timber is being used and fan ventilation of the space should ensure longevity. Look for Sabino back in the water this summer!

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PHOTOGRAMMETRY OF THE WATERCRAFT COLLECTION Deep in the confines of the Collections Research Center is a team working on a monumental project: documenting the Museum’s watercraft collection through photogrammetry.

What exactly is photogrammetry? In short, photogrammetry is the science of extracting reliable information about three-dimensional objects from photographs. The process involves taking hundreds of overlapping photographs of an object and converting them into 3-D digital models.

According to Robert Andrle, a Museum volunteer and member of the team working on this project, the primary goal is to use 3-D photogrammetry to accurately and fully document the Museum’s extensive watercraft collection in a way that is much more immersive and informative than traditional photography. As an example, the large amount of data collected by photogrammetric methods, reflected both in the numerous photographs and in the resultant 3-D model, greatly exceeds that collected through the use of traditional methods of measuring hull shape. This detailed recording will ultimately allow any builder to create a historically accurate replica and provide researchers around the world access to valuable data to study all aspects of the watercraft in the collection.

There are many ways by which the data from photogrammetry can be used, including the development of traditional boat plans (sections, waterlines, etc.) by importing a 3-D model into a CAD program and fairing the lines; cutting boat parts directly from the digital data by CNC machines; analyzing and comparing hull performance across historic vessels; even printing 3-D scale

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“ My soul feels free to travel for the welfare of my fellow creatures both here and hereafter.”

— Paul Cuffe

models for the Museum Store!

The photogrammetry efforts are consistent with the Museum’s overall efforts to expand access to our collections to educators, researchers, enthusiasts, and the greater, connected world. As Andrle sees it, artifacts ultimately deteriorate over time so it is imperative we capture, preserve, and share as much data as possible.

In this case, the full, three-dimensional details of every last boat in the cherished collection at Mystic Seaport Museum.

Kevin O’Leary, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing

CUFFE FELLOWSHIP

Born in 1759 to an African father and Wampanoag mother, Paul Cuffe became a sea captain, shipowner, landowner, and respected community leader. In his honor, since 1989, the Mystic Seaport Museum Paul Cuffe Memorial Fellowship has provided funds to researchers from universities, colleges, and museums. The fellowships are offered to encourage research that highlights Black and Indigenous participation in the nation’s maritime activities. Fellowships support research and writing, a portion of which are carried out in the Mystic area. While there is a rolling application process, summer 2023 Paul Cuffe Memorial Fellows have the option of performing their research in addition to a Munson Institute Fellowship and build their research and writing into the Munson Institute residency. Or, Cuffe Fellowship awardees may do a stand-alone Cuffe Memorial Fellowship which

supports their research and writing project. Cuffe Memorial Fellowship awards of up to $2,400 are made possible through the generosity of the AndersonPaffard Foundation.

Philip Tankard, Museum volunteer.

MUNSON INSTITUTE

Hundreds of overlapping photos of an 1870s Vermont-built pulling boat, creating a 3-D digital model.

For more than 60 years, the Frank C. Munson Institute at Mystic Seaport Museum has drawn graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars to its residential, five-week-long summer programs in maritime studies. During June and July of 2023, Munson Institute fellows, faculty, and guest speakers will interrogate the region’s maritime past as a part of the multi-institutional Reimagining New England Histories: Historical Injustice, Sovereignty and Freedom project funded by the Mellon Foundation and in collaboration with Williams College and the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice at Brown University. Munson fellows will participate in almost two dozen guest lectures and seminars given by leading maritime historians, including many Black and Indigenous scholars. They will also attend five off-site field seminars and have opportunities to present and refine their own work for publication. 2022 Munson fellow Marina Wells states, “The waterfront experiences we had during the Munson Institute invigorated my scholarly approach, broadened my knowledge base, and created important connections among all of the fellows that will endure for years to come.”

We plan to continue that tradition in the 2023 Munson Institute!

Museum News / 9

AMERICA AND THE SEA SOCIETY The wellspring of the Museum’s growth and success over the past nine decades has been the steadfast interest and loyal generosity of our members and donors. The partnerships that our members and donors forge with the Museum are vital in supporting our role as a vibrant cultural center in our community.

The America and the Sea Society is the Museum’s premier annual giving society.

Through leadership gifts of $1,000 and higher to the Annual Fund, this group of like-minded philanthropists has a profound impact on every aspect of the Museum.

Donors at the America and the Sea Society level develop deep personal connections with the Museum, our staff, and our collections. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes tour of the Collections Research Center, a

“ I have met so many wonderful people through the

America and the Sea Society. I love having the opportunity to preview new exhibits and attend all of the wonderful events throughout the year. ”

–Ginny Wydler VIP preview of the Museum’s newest exhibitions, or the opportunity to lead the Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous parade aboard steamboat Sabino, America and the Sea Society patrons are at the forefront of all we do to share knowledge and understanding of the past so we can be prepared for the future.

Mystic Seaport Museum strives to offer high-quality, experiential programs while keeping America’s maritime heritage relevant and accessible to this and future generations. The impact of our programs on learners of every age can be seen in the

transformative effects on those who experience the Museum in person and online. The long-term sustainability of the Museum depends on the commitment of our America and the Sea Society participants and their generous Annual Fund support.

To learn more about the Annual Fund and the America and the Sea Society, please call 860.572.5365 or email us at advancement@mysticseaport.org.

THE MEMORIAL GARDEN: COMMUNITY, LEGACY, MEMORY It is a hallmark of the Mystic Seaport Museum community that so many families develop enduring, multi-generational connections to the Museum. It is quite common that when parents or grandparents bring their children, those children in turn bring their own families to introduce them to this wonderful place that is the source of so many special memories.

The deep passion for the Museum felt over generations creates lasting legacies of interest, enthusiasm, and support for our mission to inspire future generations. Each of us who work so tirelessly to sustain this community feel deeply privileged that so many families choose Mystic Seaport Museum as a place to memorialize and remember their loved ones.

The spirit of Rhoda Hopkins Root, who for a time served Mystic Seaport Museum as the Director of Volunteer Services, inspired the remodeling of the Memorial Garden in 2018. Emulating her “can do” attitude, friends, volunteers, and staff members came together to create a space where this generation and those who follow can visit the Museum and find a quiet space of solace where they can recall and share fond memories of those they love.

If you would like to memorialize a beloved family member or friend here at Mystic Seaport Museum, please contact the Advancement Office at 860.572.5365.

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WILLIAMS-MYSTIC OPENS DOORS FOR

FUTURE TRIBAL CHIEF “If you show Devon a door, he opens it.” —Professor Ronadh Cox

Born in Houma, Louisiana, Devon Parfait grew up on the bayou with his close-knit family along what he refers to as the water highway because of the many boats and shrimpers that traveled through. He reflects fondly on his early childhood although it was at times tumultuous.

In 2005, when he was eight years old, first hurricane Katrina and then hurricane Rita devastated Louisiana causing his family to evacuate the bayou twice.

They were able to return after Katrina, but not immediately after Rita due to the long-lasting storm surge. Their home was filled with mold and they lost everything.

In the aftermath, Devon and his family moved several times in search of a new home during what became the largest housing shortage in FEMA’s history. Devon, who was in second grade at the time, attended schools in four different districts prior to entering high school, and he struggled to perform well academically.

However, during this period, when Devon was twelve years old he had a chance meeting with Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar, Tribal Chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw. A conversation ensued resulting in Devon being asked if he would one day like to be the tribal chief. From that point on, Devon saw himself as the future Chief.

After graduating from high school with a 1.8 GPA, his college aspirations seemed bleak; however, another chance meeting set Devon’s life on course.

While attending a conference in Seattle, Washington, on coastal land laws and environmental justice issues he met Ronadh Cox, the Edward Brust Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, who was speaking about the plight of southern natives. Devon’s intense interest in the important work being presented was noticed by Professor Cox, who invited Devon to speak about his community and their personal experience with the effects of climate change. For the first time, Devon felt his “voice had power and I can use it to help move the dial forward in some way.”

Professor Cox suggested that Devon consider attending Williams College, but his past academic performance prevented him from being accepted. Cox then suggested the Williams-Mystic program, and Devon immediately applied. The experiential education that the Williams-Mystic program provided grounded Devon as he gained an insight into the lives of people in the past. He traveled back to Louisiana with the program where he was able to experience his home community through a new academic lens and discover the deeper issues affecting the area. After the successful completion of the Williams-Mystic program, Devon spent a semester auditing Williams College classes and was then accepted into the College where he studied Earth Sciences. Katy Robinson Hall, Associate Professor of Marine Policy, Williams-Mystic, summed up: “Devon's intense curiosity combined with his passion for his tribal community inspired him to care deeply about getting the most out of his education.”

Students in the Maritime Adventure Program learning about boats and marine carpentry.

Ultimately, it was his experience at Williams-Mystic, the Coastal and Ocean Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport Museum, that helped clear the path for Devon to fulfill his destiny. Devon Parfait has become the Tribal Chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe in Louisiana as well as a coastal resilience analyst with the Environmental Defense Fund. He is working on Restoring the Mississippi River Delta and developing effective plans to mitigate land loss and have those plans included in the larger Coastal Master Plan to save the coast of Louisiana.

For more information on Williams-Mystic visit mystic.williams.edu.

Sherri Ramella, Editorial Director and Associate Director of Advancement

Devon Parfait, Tribal Chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-ChitimachaChoctaw tribe in Louisiana

Museum News / 11

The Museum’s 41,000 square-foot Collections Research Center houses more than two million artifacts ranging from marine paintings, scrimshaw, models, tools, ships plans, an oral history archive, extensive film and video recordings, and more than one million photographs— including the Rosenfeld Collection. The CRC is also home to the G.W. Blunt White Library, a 75,000-volume research library where scholars from around the world come to study America’s maritime history. Staff provide for both physical and electronic access to this diverse collection of maritime history, which is used in a variety of ways.

The impact of the Museum’s collection is as vast and varied as the collection itself. We recently heard from Gary Jobson—sailor, broadcaster, producer, lecturer, and author—about his production of the documentary Unfurling the World: The Voyages of Irving and Electa Johnson using original footage archived at Mystic Seaport Museum. Gary had this to say about the importance of access to those historic moments: There is a long-held belief that we can learn from the past. The lessons of yesteryear often provide a template for how to deal with the future.

I was honored to produce a film on the seven around-the-world voyages made by Irving and Electa Johnson between 1933 and 1958. Mystic Seaport Museum is the custodian of the Johnson film collection along with important artifacts and memorabilia from the circumnavigations. The film, Unfurling the World, recounts the invaluable life lessons bestowed on the young people that completed each voyage. We can see how technological advances were used to improve speed, sea-worthiness, and safety. Innovative yacht design and construction methods tell the story of dreams becoming reality.

It is a miracle these historic films, Electa’s extensive journals, and so many exceptional moments from the past are preserved in the Mystic Seaport Museum archives and were available for the production of this film. These collections deserve to be kept for researchers to better understand the past and prepare future generations for the challenges of tomorrow.

THANKS

to our donors.....

Thanks to the Museum’s many dedicated and generous donors, these historical snapshots will continue to be preserved for future scholars and history enthusiasts to study past inspirations, the evolution of technology, and the resulting influences on each rising generation.

Sherri Ramella, Editorial Director and Associate Director of Advancement

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Electa and Irving Johnson, on their second World Cruise

2023 America and the Sea Award Gala

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2023

MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM HONORS

Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret)

Mystic Seaport Museum is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 18th annual America and the Sea Award is Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), a decorated sailor, author, educator, consultant, and businessman contributing to the American maritime culture through his nearly four decades of service and numerous books and articles on related subjects. The award will be presented at a black-tie gala on October 4 at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.

In the early pages of his book Sea Power Admiral Stavridis speaks of his first voyage on the Pacific: “As I emerged from the dark passageway of the ship, I was simply stunned by all the sunshine, the salt air and vast ocean in front of me. . . . The Pacific grabbed me by the throat and said quite simply, ‘You are Home’ and I have never looked back.”

Adm. Stavridis spent 37 years in the US Navy achieving the rank of 4-Star Admiral, earning over 50 medals, and spending four years as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. He is currently the Managing Director

and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs, at the Carlyle Group, and chair of the Board of the Rockefeller Foundation. In addition to attending the US Naval Academy, he received an MA and PhD from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is the author of twelve books—published in over twenty languages—on leadership, character, risk, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. Admiral Stavridis’s acclaimed writing, accomplished career, and leadership positions as a man of the sea demonstrate the engagement with the sea that the America and the Sea Award seeks to honor.

Museum President Peter Armstrong said, “Admiral Stavridis is a kindred spirit with all of us at Mystic Seaport Museum who share his devotion to the maritime world. The breadth and depth of his varied accomplishments throughout his career represent the America and the Sea Award.”

For more information about the gala and Admiral Stavridis please visit mysticseaport.org/gala. This affair is the premier

fundraising event for Mystic Seaport Museum. For invitations, please email advancement@mysticseaport.org.

Sherri Ramella, Editorial Director and Associate Director of Advancement

PAST RECIPIENTS

2022 Captain Bill Pinkney 2021 Terry Hutchinson 2020 Tom Whidden 2019 Wendy Schmidt 2018 Dawn Riley and Oakcliff Sailing 2017 David Rockefeller, Jr., and Sailors for the Sea 2016 Bob and Rod Johnstone, J/Boats 2015 Nathaniel Philbrick 2014 Charles A. Robertson 2013 Gary Jobson 2012 Jon Wilson and WoodenBoat 2011 The Honorable John F. Lehman 2010 Sylvia A. Earle 2009 William I. Koch 2008 Thomas B. Crowley, Jr., and the Crowley Maritime Corporation 2007 David McCullough 2006 Olin J. Stephens, II

Museum News / 13

TREWORGY PLANETARIUM IS A NASA COMMUNITY ANCHOR The Museum’s Treworgy Planetarium was delighted and honored to be one of only 21 organizations to be selected by NASA to receive the designation of “Community Anchor.” This honorary title recognizes the recipient as an important community resource for broadening student participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) within their communities.

The first series of six STEM programs was unveiled in the fall of 2022 and shared with 270 students, including 48 bilingual students, from two partner schools: St. Martin de Porres Academy in New Haven and Windham Middle School in Willimantic. Over the course of two in-school lessons, two virtual programs, and two on-site visits to the Museum, students immersed themselves in the subject of space science. Activities included making scale models, discovering different ways that objects in space are classified, and taking on the role of exoplanet hunter to search for Earth-like planets in the far reaches of our galaxy. A favorite activity was designing a heat shield from simple household materials that could withstand exposure to extreme temperatures.

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These heat shields needed to keep “chocolate bar astronauts” from melting, and the students enjoyed the challenge of designing, testing, and improving their creations.

The second series of six STEM programs aligns with NASA’s Moon to Mars program highlighting the upcoming Artemis Missions back to the Moon. Students were tasked with new engineering challenges, such as model rocket building, designing and testing a compartment that protects astronaut figures from drops and impacts, and thinking and working spatially to pack valuable cargo for a trip to the Moon in a small enclosure.

The experiences offered by the Treworgy Planetarium to community schools would not have been possible without the support of NASA, the enthusiasm of partner school teachers, and the eager engagement by students in the various programs and activities.

We are excited to show students that there is a place for them in the world of STEM at Mystic Seaport Museum.

Brian Koehler, Planetarium Supervisor

Students from St. Martin de Porres Academy viewing a video about the James Webb Telescope projected onto the Treworgy Planetarium dome.

Members Enjoy a Summer Full of Celebrations and Special Access!

For more information on Member events, to become a Member, or to give a gift of membership, contact the Membership Department at 860.572.5339, membership@mysticseaport.org, or visit mysticseaport.org/join.

DID YOU KNOW? The Member Lounge, located in the Membership Building, is a great place to cool off on a hot summer day. Visit and enjoy complimentary lemonade, coffee, or tea in a relaxed, parlor atmosphere. The lounge is also where you can stock up on exclusive Member merchandise! Our friendly staff will welcome you and can help with any questions you may have about the Museum or your membership. Open daily 12:00-4:00 pm.

SUMMER OF THE SHIPYARD! The Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard and our skilled shipwrights continue to preserve the traditions of wooden boatbuilding for generations to come. If you haven’t yet discovered what all the buzz is about, join us as the Membership Department celebrates the Shipyard with unique tours and cruises throughout the summer!

MEMBER EVENINGS! Launch into summer with the Summer Evening Celebration on Saturday, June 10, and ease into fall with the Member Appreciation Night on Saturday, September 23. These free events offer Members and their guests an opportunity to experience the Museum after hours, which is magical as the sun sets over the Mystic River. Pack a picnic and enjoy access to select exhibitions, special programs, and activities including boat rides, tours, games on the green, toy boat building, live music, and more!

MEMBER WEEKENDS! During Member weekends, July 8-9 and August 5-6, Members are invited behind the scenes for fascinating tour opportunities. To sweeten the deal, your Member discount will be doubled in Greenmans’ Landing, Spouter Tavern, Propeller Café, and the Museum store.

SABINO CRUISES! Sabino downriver music cruises are back! On July 27, August 24, and September 7, tap your feet and sing along as we cruise down the Mystic River on the historic steamboat Sabino, originally built in 1908. Members can register early by calling the Membership Department before tickets go on sale to the public June 1. Order early before they sell out!

SEPTEMBER IS MEMBER APPRECIATION MONTH! Members are celebrated throughout the month of September with special programs and treats! Bring one friend for FREE Monday through Friday, all month long. If your friend becomes a Member, we'll extend your membership by one month! If you have a PLUS feature on your current membership, you may bring an additional friend for free Monday through Friday all month long!

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Exhibits Alexis Rockman

“Art takes science beyond the visual and the pictorial by adding imagination. In the case

of Rockman it makes his paintings arresting.”

—Thomas Eugene Lovejoy, III 18 / Feature

Detail from the central work, Oceanus.

By Christina Connett Brophy, PhD, Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs

American maritime heritage as historically presented at Mystic Seaport Museum has largely focused on the surface of the world’s ocean, that which is most accessible and visible to the terrestrial audiences we serve. However, the Museum has begun augmenting its exhibitions, holdings, and scholarship to look toward the undersea world. This shift in perspective is to raise awareness and inspire conversations around the critical global issues that face our oceans due to the impacts of maritime activities as part of our collective cultural, social, and economic heritage. As an institution we are rethinking what our traditional interpretation of maritime heritage means for the future as blue economies, technologies, and innovations reinvent the way we preserve and protect, exploit and explore our oceans.

One of the strategies to engage dialogue and reach a broader audience on these issues is through contemporary art. For decades, the internationally renowned artist Alexis Rockman has filtered his enormous curiosity and study of science and history into exquisitely immersive experiences that are breathtaking in technical skill and stunning in composition and color. In 2021, the Museum commissioned Rockman to create Oceanus, a series of eleven paintings, including the monumental 8-by-24-foot central work also titled Oceanus (seen in part on the previous page) and ten large-scale watercolors. In the tradition of natural history museums, Rockman provides a key to the species and important objects represented to illustrate the real science behind the paintings. Rockman had conversations with every contributor to the companion publication, from scientists to historians to

explorers, thus providing the authenticity which forms the baseline for this remarkable series. The beauty of Rockman’s approach is the circularity of his strategy: science gets creativity and art gets data, a co-creation in the shared space of imagination and knowledge, connecting emotion with facts.

In Oceanus, Alexis Rockman covers themes related to the undersea world that are essential to understanding our place and role in the current and future health of our oceans. The central painting in particular is a time capsule of our legacy in this regard. He addresses critical environmental and social justice issues of our past, present, and future, including climate change and sea level rise; both the forced and intentional ocean passages of people; the introduction of marine species through human activities, now exacerbated by climate change; maritime commerce and industry; and the cultural mystery and fascination of this last largely unknown part of our world. Using the Mystic Seaport Museum ship model collection and our unique position on a river teeming with introduced species, this new series brings attention to our largely alien ocean and our impact upon it. Rockman’s sincerity, passion, and attention to detail draw you into the scene but then allow a twist, a sequence of compressions that belie reality and reveal his critical interpretation. In the central work, Oceanus, Rockman has brought together a line of maritime vessels moving along the ocean surface which culminates in a tsunami wave of epic proportions and luminescent colors. While few of these ships were historically concurrent, in their presentation here we are able to

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see the succession of technologies that allowed profitable and destructive exploitation of the seas. This exploitation has led to disaster for many species.

The tuna, cod, shrimp, squid, and others have each been heavily harvested. Some species, like the oyster, have suffered terrible decimation only to be brought back by sustainable methods of aquafarming.

Rockman’s watercolors are by their nature more loosely rendered and abstracted than the oil on panel painting. Their juxtaposition with the central painting provides a visual shift from their immensely detailed larger companion work. They elicit an exquisite visceral response with their large swaths of intense fluid colors, engaging

compositions, and over-size format.

Rockman’s brilliant method of creating sensorial pleasure at first glance makes the effect of the secondary response to their darker themes of biological invasions, mass extinctions, coastal destructions, loss of biodiversity, and others all the more profound. For example, in Transient Passage (pictured this page), one is drawn to the glorious oranges and greens of the composition’s infrastructure of buoy and sea, followed by the sea creatures—the jewel-like yellow butterfly fish and the blue colony of sea anemones. However, what the image really portrays is these animals’ transit to places they are not meant to be, where they may wreak havoc on native species in a new environment, supported and protected on their journey by a man-made ecosystem of plastics.

The future is our choice to make.

20 / Feature

There is hope for a sustainable and healthy ocean, thanks to thousands of solutions-based ocean health remediators and innovators, several of whom are represented in the exhibition. But even with these extraordinary investments in the future blue economy, the urgency and destruction that reverberate throughout Rockman’s Oceanus series are very real. As we look at our global maritime heritage, which Mystic Seaport Museum is committed to preserving, these paintings will spark critical discussions on a crisis that faces us all. It is very much our hope that this groundbreaking series of paintings inspires productive conversation and a rethinking of what has been and shall be our maritime legacy.

Transient Passage, 2022, highlighting coastal animals that have adapted to survive in the open ocean by colonizing plastic pollution.

“ Alexis Rockman has

A New Role for Ship Models

a rare gift . . . as if in dreams, he transforms knowledge about the nature of the sea and our impact on it into inspired—and inspiring— visual poetry. ”

-Dr. Sylvia Earle

Visitors to Alexis Rockman: Oceanus might notice some familiar watercraft gracing the ocean’s surface in the central work, Oceanus. Sixteen of the twenty-two vessels featured were painted from models in the Museum’s collection. The vessels, painted in chronological order, help to tell the story of the complex relationship between humans and the oceans.

LIMITED COPIES AVAILABLE

Each vessel or vessel type in the painting represents a story: the skin boats of the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, built to maneuver through icy waters; fishing vessels representing different types of fisheries and fishing methods; passenger vessels harkening to past voyages; and the global work of a container ship. Other vessels symbolize the crimes of the slave trade or the treacherous journey of modern refugees. Some watercraft the artist depicted were painted from models or vessels at other institutions. For example, the dugout featured is based on the Pequot muhshoon, Nookumuhs (Grandmother), on display at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.

Rockman worked extensively with the curatorial staff to select the models for Oceanus. His vision was to represent a variety of different types of vessels that have impacted our waterways. In the process, staff carefully retrieved models that fit the artist’s criteria for painting, and Senior Museum Photographer and Digital Imaging Specialist Joe Michael photographed each one to Rockman’s specifications. The job involved Michael shooting from unusual angles, often on the floor. With the help of multiple staff members, he was able to get the perfect shots for the artist while keeping the models, often with their delicate rigging exposed, safe and secure.

One of the most recognizable and striking vessels in the painting is the seven-masted schooner, Thomas W. Lawson. Built in 1902 and famous for being the largest schooner and sailing vessel without an auxiliary engine ever built, it was converted to a bulk tanker in 1906. The Lawson wrecked in the Isles of Scilly during a 1907 storm, and more than two million barrels of paraffin oil were released into the Celtic Sea from the disaster, making the wreck of the Lawson one of the first recorded petroleum-cargo spills from a ship. The Lawson model (ca. 1923), built by Thomas Rosenkvist, along with several others will be on display during the run of the exhibition, telling just one of the many stories of Oceanus.

Krystal Rose, Curator of Collections Alexis Rockman: Oceanus, published by Rizzoli, is a beautifully produced 160page exhibition catalogue in which our expert contributors examine Rockman’s Oceanus series through the lens of their respective disciplines, which range from activist to scientist to artist to historian to global sea explorer. Many of the authors had discussions with the artist during the process to lend guidance and advice on relevant elements to include and explore within the paintings. $50.00

To order your copy, visit mysticseaport.org/oceanus

Feature / 21

Blue Technology

and the Blue Economy

What does “maritime” mean in the 21st century? What is the future of our industrial, economic, nutritional, social, and cultural connections to the ocean from a maritime perspective? Mystic Seaport Museum is laying the groundwork with new scholarship, research, collections, partnerships, exhibitions, and programs to connect our rich maritime heritage of the past with emerging maritime industries of the present and future. When the Charles W. Morgan was launched in 1841, the vessel represented the height of maritime technological advancement for the industry, purpose-built for the exploitation of whales, the first blue economy at a global scale. As the Museum approaches its centennial, what does blue economy look like now?

Entrepreneurs are working with scientists and policymakers throughout the world to explore technology innovations that support a range of maritime industries, including aquaculture of kelp and oysters, improved ship design and propulsion solutions for global shipping, unmanned robotics for data collection and undersea resource management, and cosmetics and pharmaceuticals derived from seaweed and fish byproduct.

The markets benefiting from these blue technology innovations make up the blue economy.

Aquaculture is a major regional industry in southern New England. GreenWave is a Connecticut-based incubator nonprofit devoted to encouraging and developing a regenerative sugar kelp industry. Sugar kelp is a fast-growing superfood that absorbs carbon and nitrogen from the water and provides a base for food, beauty, and health products. The kelp industry is one of the most promising industries worldwide towards a sustainable global economy and ocean health, bringing new opportunities to coastal communities around the world with low-cost entry.

In rethinking the fish industry, the Iceland Ocean Cluster provides incubator opportunities for new start-ups for research and development, and the organization itself has launched an economically sustainable project called 100% Fish. According to its research, the average raw material utilization rate of cod, one of the most overly exploited fish in the world’s oceans, is only a little over 50 percent. By connecting fishers with investors and innovators in new product development and technologies, they are already averaging 80 percent use of each fish. This means fewer fish for greater economic value and less waste.

BioFeyn, a biotechnology innovator, creates customized nutrient-dense aquafeed for fish farming, increasing efficiencies and drastically reducing carbon emissions inherent in more traditional methods of production. Beta Hatch uses biotech to produce enormous numbers of insects as a base for aqua and other animal feed, which uses only 2 percent of the water needed to produce other forms of protein. In a fascinating use of what is no longer futuristic technology, facial recognition software is being implemented in salmon farming by aquaculture company Cermaq Global to better evaluate the individual health of their stock.

There are hundreds of examples of blue technology innovations worldwide that include regionally based Jaia Robotics’ micro-sized autonomous marine vehicles and Flux Marine’s electric outboards. On a more global scale, there are incredible new technologies for radical shipping container design and propulsion strategies; wave energy; and massive state-of-the-art research vessels like OceanXplorer, an 87-meter research vessel with an incredible array of media technology and outreach.

Mystic Seaport Museum is exploring new partnerships and opportunities to expand our interpretation of what maritime industry, application, policy, and design mean as we move forward in the 21st century. We invite rising blue economy innovators to be part of history.

Christina Connett Brophy, PhD, Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs

22 / Feature

Waterfront Exhibit: Introduced Species

Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea Mystic Seaport Museum is a collaborating partner in Reimagining New England Histories: Historical Injustice, Sovereignty and Freedom, a Mellon Foundation-funded Just Futures

Installed this spring to accompany Alexis Rockman: Oceanus are nine colorful outdoor exhibit panels telling the story of some of Mystic’s many introduced (non-native) species. For centuries ships have been bringing marine life from overseas to New England, resulting in many of the most common species in the Mystic River Estuary hailing from Europe or the Pacific Ocean. Look for these exhibit panels along the riverfront.

Research was completed by former intern Katherine Hynes in consultation with Dr. James T. Carlton, Director Emeritus, Williams-Mystic, The Coastal & Ocean Studies Program of Williams College & Mystic Seaport.

project with Brown University and Williams College. Some

highlights of the project include publications and educational programming; however, the culminating event of the project will be an exhibition hosted at Mystic Seaport Museum. The

exhibition titled Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea will tell the maritime history of New England through Black

and Indigenous peoples, voices, and perspectives. Scheduled to open in early 2024, this exhibition has been a collaborative effort with local tribal nations, Indigenous professionals and

scholars, Black institutions, Black professionals and scholars,

and Indigenous and Black artists. We endeavor to foreground these voices in the telling of New England’s maritime history

and plan to continue to actively engage with Black and Indigenous communities beyond the scope of the project.

Tsunami Boat

Mystic Seaport Museum has added a noteworthy vessel with a miraculous story to its collection. On March 11, 2011, a tsunami that followed one of the largest and most devastating earthquakes in Japan's history sent more than 1,000 small fishing boats from the Tōhoku coast of Northern Honshu out to sea.

Nearly 200 of these boats were subsequently either seen adrift in the North Pacific Ocean or were washed ashore in North America and the Hawaiian Islands. Remarkably—a decade later—on March 21, 2021, one of these tsunami fiberglass vessels, 25 feet in length, came ashore in central Oregon. It was preserved for Mystic Seaport Museum by the Oregon State Parks Department and was successfully transported to Mystic in November 2022.

In good condition and still with much of its original paint, this vessel and its extraordinary story will be featured on the Benet Deck during the Alexis Rockman: Oceanus exhibit.

Exhibitions / 23

FISH

A little over a year ago I stumbled across The Last Trap Family, a 2019 short film documenting a small commercial fishing business operating out of Sakonnet Point, Rhode Island. The visuals and interviews were beautiful, raw, and authentic, offering a candid account of the history, challenges, and deep, personal gratification of operating a trap fishing business. In this case, the LAST trap fishing operation in New England. I later discovered the star of the film, Corey Wheeler Forrest, had continued to document her life on the water through beautiful photographs on her Instagram account (@fishandforrest). I was moved to reach out.

Fast forward one year . . . at a recent lunch Corey, her daughter Isley, and I discussed Fish & Forrest, Corey’s first-ever show, and her growing reputation as a photographer. She remarked, “I never thought in a million years this would happen, and I’ve never had to think about my photos in these terms. I’m usually just capturing a moment in the middle of work!”

When asked how and why she does it, she explained, “I didn’t initially take pictures with the idea they would end up on social media, there are just so many cool things to see out there you can’t NOT take a picture. Having a smartphone in my pocket is great.”

[ Through the lens of a commercial Fishermom ]

Isley sat quietly during lunch, taking it all in, and when asked what she thought about her mother’s first exhibit and growing celebrity, she didn’t hesitate to respond: “She’s cool. Not many people fish the way that she does.”

Kevin O’Leary, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Fish & Forrest: Through the Lens of a Commercial Fishermom is on view in the Meeting House through June 18 and made possible, in part, by the generous support of Filson and Xtratuf.

24 / Exhibitons

The 1885 schooner Coronet has been described as the last of its kind, a description that makes it right at home at Mystic Seaport Museum. Launched in Newport, Rhode Island, in December of last year, the vessel was towed to Mystic for completion of the hull, rigging, interior, and systems. Coronet had been undergoing restoration of the hull at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport since 2006.

As Coronet was housed inside a building with a marina surrounding the pier, arrangements had to be made to remove the building, move the marina, ensure the vessel was watertight, and procure the largest operating floating crane on the east coast to maneuver into Newport

Schooner Coronet Arrives

Harbor and lift the vessel into the water. The Mystic Seaport Museum watercraft and shipyard staff, working with IYRS, naval architects, rigging experts, and lifting experts were able to develop a plan that launched the vessel safely and economically. From the first conversation about completing Coronet to launching the hull was just shy of 14 months. That may seem like a long time, but given the level of logistics required, this was quite an undertaking. With the rigging and spreader bars for thelift weighing in at sixty-eight thousand pounds, just the setup was quite an experience for the Museum team, akin to assembling a giant erector set with nearly every component needing to be lifted with a forklift.

Once all was ready and the 1000-ton floating crane was in place, it came down to the proper calculation of the center of gravity. When lowered into the water would Coronet float on an even keel without leaking? With a sigh of relief and a feeling of accomplishment for the team, Coronet lifted effortlessly and floated gently in Newport Harbor.

After a few days of preparation for ballasting, Coronet was towed to Mystic by the tug Jaguar.

With Coronet safely moored at the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard the next stages have begun. Designing propulsion, interior systems, deck, and rigging is currently ongoing. Once those plans have been finalized, installation of engineering systems and interior will begin . . . and a classic will take shape in Mystic.

Chris Gasiorek, Senior Vice President of Operations and Watercraft

Shipyard / 25

Restoration of th

Early photos of the beloved L.A. Dunton show the vessel appearing as gracefully sheered as a seabird. Today at the age of one hundred, the Gloucester fishing schooner is in need of a major restoration. The Dunton was economically built in 1921 of working vessel timbers that had an expected life of 25-30 years. A sign of a weakened vessel’s structure is the loss of shape resulting in the dropping of the ends, known as hogging. The Dunton has hogged 3 feet, 6 inches in her life, but we are committed to restoring the vessel's lovely appearance and full strength.

sidetracking restoration spot, we were faced with the question of where to place the Dunton for a long-term restoration. While planning the Coronet crane launch in Newport, Rhode Island, in December of 2022 it became apparent that we could use the same lift gear and method for hauling the Dunton, which has been placed at the north end of the Shipyard alongside Hobey’s Dock.

The added bonus of placing the Dunton in this spot is re-creating the appearance of a 19th-century shipyard with very large vessels placed onshore for major work.

The Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard is humming with activity. The ship lift is in constant use short hauling our own and visiting vessels. With the steamboat Sabino and the oyster dredger Catherine M. Wedmore currently occupying the long-term

We reached out to Astro Crane in Boxborough, Massachusetts, to handle the Dunton lift and placement onshore. They proposed two mammoth 600-ton Liebherr cranes to do the lift. Preparation required the Museum to design and construct a concrete pad

26 / Shipyard

e L.A. Dunton

for the Dunton’s keel blocking to support the vessel’s weight.

Engineered drawings adapted from old docking plans were used to build the hull support system. The rigging for the lift—cables, spreader pipes, and heavy straps—were rented from Holloway of Houston, Texas. Crane setup took three days and by December 20 we were ready. The day was bright, clear, and cold with a NNW wind of 10 knots, an ideal day to move a large ship from the river to land. All went well as the talented crane operators “flew” the 123-foot L.A. Dunton between the cranes, threading through a gap of 59 feet.

The Dunton now rests ashore while we plan the next steps in the restoration. The Museum received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to remove and document the

vessel’s interior joinery work. The deck and hold will be accessible via a stair tower. There will also be access to the hold via a limited mobility lift. A greenhouse cover will be constructed over the Dunton’s deck to keep out the elements. A National Park Service Save America's Treasures grant is supporting materials acquisition for the restoration; a National Maritime Heritage Grant from the National Park Service helped to underwrite initial survey and documentation work. Visit the Museum’s Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard to view the progress.

Walter Ansel, Director, Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard

Shipyard / 27

Change Surrounds The Museum

1. Watercraft Hall 2. Temporary Exhibition Banners 3. Temporary Restrooms 4. Membership Patio 5. Performance Stage 6. Print Shop ADA Ramp 7. Toy Boats Building ADA Ramp 8. Youth Team Building Area 9. Water Taxi 10. Dunton Restoration Area 11. Main Entrance Ingress/ Egress Improvements 12. Anchor Bake Shop Outdoor Tables 13. Seaport Pocket Park 14. Paid Parking and Shuttle 15. Roof Replacement There is a saying that “change is the only constant” and that is certainly true about the Museum campus. Covering 50 acres and consisting of 170 buildings, including a 125-year-old velvet mill, and 4,415 feet of river frontage, the Museum is an extremely diverse and complex property to manage. It also needs to be

28 / Capital Plans

Plan authored by KentFrost Landscape Architects, Mystic, CT

fit for purpose be it historic houses, working docks, or modern exhibition space. That is why every two years or so the Museum team brings master plan changes to the town’s planning and zoning board to seek both permission and public review of changes it intends to make. This is exactly what happened this January when the Museum presented the plan you see here along with 14 potential physical changes. These potential capital changes include the very small, like the 192-square-foot stage area to the very big 37,000-square-foot Rossie Velvet Mill, but all were driven by the same commitment, to develop Mystic Seaport Museum for the future and to ensure that everyone who wishes to can enjoy this amazing place.

Perhaps the most important and certainly the largest potential change is with the historic Rossie Mill, housing the watercraft collection of over 450 small crafts spanning 182 years of American craftsmanship from the 1824 dugout canoe to the modern-day Mini Transat racer. The proposed plan reimagines

the space into a new Watercraft Hall (1) with a new entrance to welcome visitors, and for the first time providing public access to the vessels and stories that embody the human desire to move, survive, work, travel, create, enjoy, innovate, and compete on the water.

On the main campus of the Museum, the Membership Patio (4) will receive a much-needed reconstruction to provide a larger, ADA-compliant, shaded area connected to adjoining buildings and surrounding amenities for our Members to enjoy!

The Performance Stage (5) has been replaced and rotated for optimum view of both the Mystic River and the many performances held outside the re-energized Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern. Here visitors can relax and have a drink and a meal while watching our ever-changing program of entertainment.

SPINELESS A Glass Menagerie of

Marine Invertebrates

In our continuing initiative to partner with the Town of Stonington to help alleviate vehicular traffic, the southern half of the South Parking Lot has been converted to a Paid Parking and Shuttle (14) service. New this summer is the Water Taxi (9). A game changer, this will create a public water docking location for taxi service to downtown Mystic. Just around the corner from the Museum you will soon find the Seaport Pocket Park (13). The Museum has always owned this little plot of land and although we always kept it tidy this new project will create a pocket park on the corner of Greenmanville Avenue and Isham Street, providing a wayfinding node and place of respite for pedestrians between the Museum and Downtown, further reducing the number of cars on the streets.

Visitors entering the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard will be greeted by the beloved L.A. Dunton, one of our most historic ships, in the new Dunton Restoration Area (10). Come watch her restoration firsthand in our historic shipyard. Full article on page 26.

Improving accessibility for everyone, the Print Shop and Toy Boats Building ADA Ramps (6 & 7), the Main Entrance Ingress/Egress Improvements (11), opening up the vista to the Museum at the South entrance, and Anchor Bake Shop outdoor tables (12), providing outdoor seating, have been completed. The Youth Team Building Area (8) creates a ground-based skills challenge course used by visiting school groups.

We hope you will visit the Museum this summer and year-round to enjoy the many improvements to the Mystic Seaport Museum experience!

Peter Armstrong, President

Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, MCZ:SC:288 Glaucus lineatus. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

OPENING OCTOBER 21, 2O23 C.D. Mallory Building Member Mornings October 20 9:00 am­—11:00 am Capital Plans / 29

DELAMAR MYSTIC

Renderings of the Delamar Mystic Hotel provided

by Greenwich Hospitality Group.

I

n the fall of 2024, Mystic Seaport Museum will welcome the opening of Delamar Mystic, a new luxury boutique hotel, spa, and restaurant by Greenwich Hospitality Group. Construction began this spring on the site of the former Latitude 41° Restaurant at the north end of the Museum’s campus.

Built in 1963, Latitude 41° (formerly Seamen’s Inne) has been leveled and cleared in preparation for the new construction. The building’s condition made necessary improvements cost-prohibitive. Specifically, the location of the commercial kitchen below the river level and the construction of the building itself were not compatible with current sea level rise—an issue the Museum is dealing with more and more across the campus.

30 / Capital Plans

Developed in partnership with the Museum, the new hotel will feature 33 guest rooms and suites, a stunning waterfront restaurant and a 2,600 square-foot ballroom with a waterfront event lawn, including a guest-only pool. The guest rooms and suites will boast floor-to-ceiling windows and unparalleled views of the Mystic River and Mystic Seaport Museum. The restaurant will have seating for 90 guests inside and an additional 100 guests outside.

The ballroom and lawn with sweeping waterfront views will host weddings, corporate events, private parties, and other functions.

The hotel guest-only swimming pool will be surrounded by lounge seating and an outdoor bar. And, transient “dock and dine” capabilities will be available to guests traveling by boat.

Community engagement is a cornerstone of Mystic Seaport Museum and the Greenwich Hospitality Group philosophy. Through this partnership with the Museum, hotel guests will be welcomed into the Mystic community and introduced to its wealth of historic, cultural, shopping, dining, and nature-inspired experiences. Look for the grand opening in the fall of 2024.

Sherri Ramella, Editorial Director and Associate Director of Advancement

CHARTER A CRUISE OF A LIFETIME

Do you dream of cruising on a classic yacht? Mystic Seaport Museum can make that dream come true.

Little Vigilant, a 1950 Abeking and Rasmussen yacht built for navigating the canals of Europe and exploring the Mediterranean coast, and Rebecca of Vineyard Haven, a 2000 Gannon and Benjamin schooner inspired by the lines of the beloved Brilliant, are available separately or together for day, dinner, sunset, or extended cruises.

For more information visit mysticseaport.org/charters

MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM 75 Greenmanville Avenue PO Box 6000 Mystic, CT 06355-0990

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

Riverfest

5th CT Regiment Encampment (rain date: July 2)

Model Yacht Regatta

3-4 10

Member Evening: Celebrate Summer

11, 19

Juneteenth Programming

1

8-9

5-6

9

11-12

Member Weekend Sharkfest Swim

14

22

23-25

22

Naturalization Ceremony WoodenBoat Show/ Small Craft Workshop

5-6

Woodies are here!

Member Weekend Mystic Outdoor Arts Festival Performing Arts at Mystic Seaport Museum

19-20

Antique Marine Engine Expo

Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous

29-30

Sea Glass Festival

31-August 1

Moby-Dick and Melville Celebration

FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS VISIT

www.mysticseaport.org/events