Mystic, Conn.

Hey Everybody,

I fully intended to post last night, but when I sat down to write I just didn't know what to say about whaling - specifically, about seeing, touching, and walking through the Charles W. Morgan (1841), the last American wooden whaling ship in existence. I still don't...but at least it helps me gather my thoughts and prepare for travel to a pro-whaling country (Norway) next month. The ship is undergoing major restoration at this time at Mystic Seaport's working shipyard. The ship is not in this photo, but some of its original wood might be....

When I walked onto the ship the first thing I encountered was this - it's where the crew "tried" (or boiled) the whale blubber for oil.

From here, the path leads down the stairs to the level of the ship where all the work (as in slicing and dicing) was done.

Scrimshaw is the art most associated with American whalemen. On long voyages, they would engrave or carve Sperm Whale teeth. These pie crimpers are a sample of their work.

Just FYI: this is the 2nd of 3 re-making steps. Here yarn is being twisted together to form a strand. This building is full of the strangest machines, but they got the job done!

Something I didn't know is that Mystic Seaport has an historically important vessel that is not one of those huge fishing ships, like the Joseph Conrad (1882). This ship was (and still is for youth) a Seamen's training vessel. Can you see the dude up on the ship's rigging?

 

The Gerda III was built in 1928 as a Danish lighthouse tender, but in 1943 it ferried both Jewish refugees and Danish Resistance fighters from Denmark to Sweden in the cargo hold. It is on display in the USA for the first time at Mystic Seaport.

This is a photo of Cangarda (1901). This is a privately owned steam yacht. Of the 600 of her type built, it is now one of the only 3 remaining in the world.

An interesting immigration story on exhibit right now is this one: The Analuisa is a 20ft fishing boat that brought 23 people to America in 1994. A Cuban family (19 people, including some friends and a dog) used it to try to get to America, but the engine flooded or something and they drifted for about 16 hrs before a cruise ship rescued them and took them to Miami. Strangely, a group of 4 people in need of a new boat came across the abandoned Analuisa. The engine started and they made it to Key West, Florida.

So, that's Mystic...I would definitely visit again - and not just for the pizza and ice cream! There's a lot to be learned here.