Mystic, Connecticut -A Crown Jewel among New England's Coastal Destinations

August 6- 9

Let me begin by saying this entry will not do justice to describing the magical experience of docking in Mystic Seaport Marina and realizing this enchanting place would be our "home' for several days! However, I do hope my words pique your interest enough to include Mystic in your travel plans.

The living Museum of America and the Sea covers over 19 acres and includes a recreated 19th century seaport village, several restored historic ships as well as a preservation ship yard .As we walked around the village we saw a number of interesting activities taking place that were common to the time. There were several original New England buildings staffed with historians, musicians, storytellers and craftspeople e.g. barrel, rope, print and candle makers, etc. who through their stories and demonstrations bring to life the daily experiences of that era. We especially enjoyed listening to Mike, in the old printing shop. He was passionate about his role in "spreading the word" and taught us the origin of several phrases derived from the printing business. One of my favorites was "to coin a phrase." Quoin was the name of the small wedge printers used to hold lines of type together on a printing press. A quoin (pronounced "coin") was placed at both ends of the line (phrase) and tightened to lock it in place.

Of special interest to Captain Pete were the museum's four historic vessels. Within sight of our boat was the museum's signature vessel, the Charles W. Morgan. America's oldest commercial vessel, the Charles W. Morgan was first launched in 1841 and is the only surviving wooden whaling ship. While touring the ship we heard a shout and a horn blast coming from high on the mast. The lookout sailor had spotted a "whale"! The crew went into action, launching the long boats over the side of the ship. Once harpooned the whale would be brought back to the ship for processing. This informative role play was carried out by several enthusiastic young men and women. During the demonstration a gentleman in period costume appeared in the crowd of visitors singing a rowdy sea shanty encouraging the whalers. Music played a huge role in life on the sea.

Traditional shipbuilding is still done at Mystic. We saw Mayflower 2 being built to the original specifications using traditional methods.

These are a few examples of interactive attractions we saw. We were also very impressed by the Sea Change exhibit in the Collins Gallery where a range of striking, surprising, and unusual objects drawn from maritime collections are displayed. Each is a survivor of the past that speaks to notable transformation-in materials, technology, or the sea itself over the past 200 years. Artifacts include a collection of over 1,400 pieces of scrimshaw-elaborate engraving on the surface of bone or tooth originally done by whalers in their spare time. There were some exquisite pieces and it was too bad photos in the gallery were prohibited. Another exhibit highlighted innovative utilization of a modern medical instrument -an endoscope- to examine the internal construction of a decades-old, intricately made model ship.

Since Marco Polo was docked in the marina, it was especially neat to walk around the "seaport town" in the early morning and late evening when there were no visitors. Our stay in Mystic was even more enjoyable because we reunited with cruising friends- Vermonters Julie and Matt (MV Sea Bum) who we met in the Bahamas last year and also re-connected with several of our New Jersey boating friends from the Atlantis Yacht Club. It was great seeing you all.

Mystic stays in your heart!

After three captivating days we were on to our next destination- Branford CT.

Take care,

Barbara and Captain Pete