Category: Press Releases

Mystic, Conn. (May 31, 2017) — Mystic Seaport and the crew of the Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre announced today the ship will be open for public tours in Mystic this summer beginning June 30.

The reconstructed longship sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 2016 to explore and relive one of the most mythological sea voyages: the first transatlantic crossing and the Viking discovery of the New World, more than 1,000 years ago. After crossing the Atlantic, the ship sailed throughout the Great Lakes, down the Erie Canal to New York City, and concluded its voyage at Mystic Seaport where it spent the winter. At each stop along the way, thousands turned out to see this magnificent example of ancient seafaring.

“We are thrilled to partner with one of the leading maritime museums in the U.S.,” said Emanuel Persson, Draken Harald Hårfagre CEO and Expedition Director. “It is an honor to share our ship and story of the Vikings with visitors of Mystic Seaport as we prepare for the next leg of the ship’s American expedition and tour of the U.S. East Coast in 2018.”

“The Viking story and their voyages across the Atlantic are part of our shared maritime experience, and we are very excited to be able to partner with the Draken Harald Hårfagre, so they can tell that story firsthand at Mystic Seaport. There is no substitute for actually walking the deck of a ship to understand what it takes to venture across an ocean,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.

Guided deck tours will be available Tuesday and Thursday, 1-5 p.m., and Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The last tour each day is at 4:30 p.m. The ship will be closed Mondays and Wednesdays.

Tours will run every 30 minutes and will cost $6 per person (Children age 3 and younger are free). Tickets will be available at the ship and online at www.drakenshop.com . The ticket is in addition to regular admission to Mystic Seaport.

Draken Harald Hårfagre is a clinker-built Viking longship launched in 2012. She is not a replica of a known ship, but is a reconstruction of what the Norse Sagas refer to as a “Great Ship” based on historic documents, archeological findings, and Norwegian boatbuilding traditions. She is the world’s largest Viking ship sailing in modern times.

Draken Harald Hårfagre is an open wooden ship, 115-foot long (35 meters) with a beam of 26 feet (8 meters) and a mast height of 79 feet (24 meters). It carries one large, square sail, which has driven the vessel to a speed of 14 knots. The ship can be rowed by one hundred oarsmen and is equipped with 25 pairs of oars—each oar powered by two crew members. During its transatlantic Expedition America 2016, Draken Harald Hårfagre carried a crew of 32 sailors.

The ship will remain at Mystic Seaport until spring 2018, when the crew plans a tour of the U.S. East Coast. The tours will run through September 4, 2017.

For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org/Draken or www.drakenexpeditionamerica.com. Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.drakenshop.com.

About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibitions, beginning with the current show SeaChange. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $28.95 for adults ages 15 and older and $18.95 for children ages 4-14. Museum members and children three and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

About the Draken Harald Hårfagre
The Draken Harald Hårfagre is a clinker-built Viking longship launched in 2012. She is not a replica of a known ship but is a reconstruction of what the Norse Sagas refer to as a “Great Ship” based on historical documents — especially the Norse sagas — archeological findings, and Norwegian boat building traditions. She is the world’s largest Viking ship sailing in modern times. For more information, please visit www.draken.no/ and follow Draken Harald Hårfagre on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Mystic Seaport was proud to be named the most pet-friendly attraction in Connecticut in 2017 by GoPetFriendly.com. But our tails are really wagging now because the two- and four-legged friends behind the travel website are coming to visit!

Amy and Rod Burkert and their two dogs, Ty and Buster, will be at Mystic Seaport to meet fans and make friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday June 10. You will find their GoPetFriendly RV parked at the North Entrance and they will be outside the Thompson Building to greet people.

Being a pet-friendly museum has always been important to Mystic Seaport, and to celebrate both the GoPetFriendly designation and Amy and Rod’s arrival, Mystic Seaport is inviting dogs to bring their humans to visit that day! Every dog will receive free admission for one human between 9 a.m. and noon.

Later that day, Rod, Amy, Ty and Buster will be at Red 36 restaurant in downtown Mystic from 2-4 p.m., sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, for a meet-and-greet/fundraiser for CT Humane Society.  $2 from every Tito’s Handmade Vodka cocktail sold will go to benefit Connecticut Humane Society. Bring your pup (or a picture) and the cutest one will win a prize! Amy and Rod will be there to answer your most vexing pet travel questions, discuss the gear they use to keep Ty and Buster safe and happy on the road, do live product demos, hold drawings for some fantastic pet travel gear, and give away killer goodie bags to the first 50 pet lovers who stop by!

WHO: GoPetFriendly.com’s owners Rod and Amy Burkert and their two dogs, Ty and Buster.

WHEN: Saturday, June 10

WHERE: Mystic Seaport, 105 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, Thompson Building north entrance and Red 36 restaurant, 2 Washington St, Mystic.

WHAT: To celebrate Mystic Seaport’s designation as Connecticut’s most pet-friendly attraction, come to Mystic Seaport with your dog between 9 a.m. and noon, on Saturday, June 10, and one human will receive free admission to the museum. Meet GoPetFriendly.com’s owners Rod and Amy Burkert and their two dogs, Ty and Buster, at the Museum’s North Entrance (the Thompson Building) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Join Amy, Rod, Ty and Buster at Red 36 from 2-4 p.m. that day for a Tito’s Handmade Vodka fundraiser for the CT Humane Society.

Mystic, Conn. (May 11, 2017) — Mystic Seaport will present its 2017 America and the Sea Award to David Rockefeller Jr. and Sailors for the Sea. Given annually by the Museum, the prestigious award recognizes individuals or organizations whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.

Sailors for the Sea, which was co-founded by Rockefeller, works to engage the boating community in the worldwide protection of the oceans. Through its Clean Regattas and Ocean Watch programs and Green Boating Guide, the organization successfully motivates boaters to become environmental stewards.

“We are proud to recognize the tremendous contribution David Rockefeller Jr. and Sailors for the Sea have made to educate and activate the maritime community in the goal of conserving and protecting the health of our oceans.  By forging a connection between boaters and ways in which they can help conserve the environment, they inspire all of us to take better care of the world in which we live,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.

“Sailors for the Sea and I are incredibly honored to join the illustrious roster of America and the Sea Award recipients. Through this opportunity we look forward to fostering an even deeper collegial relationship with Mystic Seaport, broadening the scope and outreach of both organizations. It paves the way for our two organizations to collaborate more directly on projects that serve our shared ideals, and raise awareness of the issues both organizations hold dear, our maritime past and present and the future vitality of our oceans,” said Rockefeller.

David Rockefeller Jr., Chairman of Rockefeller & Co., is an active participant in the nonprofit arena, especially in the areas of the environment, the arts and philanthropy.  He served as a member of the Pew Oceans Commission from 2000-2003, and he founded Sailors for the Sea to educate the recreational boating community about significant challenges to ocean health and to motivate them to become ocean stewards. Sailors for the Sea is located in Newport, RI, with satellite offices in Japan, Portugal, and Chile.

Rockefeller is a Trustee of the Museum of Modern Art, the Asian Cultural Council and the David Rockefeller Fund.  He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Former foundation affiliations include service as Trustee and Chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, President of the Rockefeller Family Fund and Director of the Boston Foundation.  He is the former chair of the North American Nominating Committee for the Praemium Imperiale, the Japanese prize for outstanding international achievement in the arts.

He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and is married to Susan Cohn Rockefeller, an artist and filmmaker.

Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle, historian David McCullough, legendary yacht designer Olin Stephens, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley, philanthropist William Koch, former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson, yachtsman and author Gary Jobson, maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson, author Nathaniel Philbrick, and Rod and Bob Johnstone and their company J/Boats.

Rockefeller will receive the award Wednesday, October 11, at a gala held in his honor in New York City. This black tie affair is the premier fund-raising event for Mystic Seaport. For invitations, please contact advancement@https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or call (860) 572-5365.

About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibitions, beginning with the current show SeaChange. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $28.95 for adults ages 15 and older and $18.95 for children ages 4-14. Museum members and children three and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Sailors for the Sea
Sailors for the Sea was founded as a collective rallying cry for a community that loves and is passionate about protecting the ocean. Since its start in 2004 by lifelong friends and sailors David Rockefeller, Jr. and David Treadway, the non-profit organization has been inspiring and activating the sailing and boating community toward healing the ocean.  Sailors for the Sea is a movement and pragmatic voice for action that addresses current environmental challenges including plastic pollution, ocean acidification, climate change and toxic chemicals that threaten marine life, our health—and the health of our children for generations to come. Their programs have been created to empower boaters to become catalysts for change while working to restore our ocean to the vibrant and bountiful resource it once was. To learn more about their work visit www.sailorsforthesea.org.

Mystic, Conn. (April 25, 2017) — Quentin Snediker has been named the Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft at Mystic Seaport. His role will be to provide direction and leadership in the preservation and development of the Museum’s watercraft collection, which presently numbers more than 500 vessels of all sizes, ranging from small rowboats and kayaks to four National Historic Landmarks, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. This position is in addition to his role as Director of the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.

“This title is recognition of Quentin Snediker’s extraordinary knowledge and experience in maritime history and preservation techniques,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. ”He is a leader in the field with a worldwide reputation and the Museum is fortunate to have someone of his caliber on staff to lead our collection.”

As the Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft, Snediker will be tasked to evaluate the collection contents, maintain the highest levels of preservation practice, and develop an ongoing curation plan to maximize the collection’s contents for historical importance and cultural relevance.

He is only the second person to hold this title at the Museum. He succeeds Dana Hewson, who is retiring after 39 years at Mystic Seaport at the end of this month.

A graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College, Snediker spent the first 16 years of his career as captain of traditional sailing vessels in New England, Chesapeake Bay, and beyond. During this time he managed the construction and operation of a 140-ton schooner Mystic Clipper.

He arrived at Mystic Seaport in 1989 where he assumed the position of supervisor of vessel maintenance at the Museum. In 1990, he organized an effort to salvage 200 tons of live oak timber downed in South Carolina during Hurricane Hugo. He also led the Museum’s efforts to furnish the Morgan in a historically correct manner during the 1991 150-year anniversary celebration of the historic whaleship.

From 1993 to 1994, Snediker was Associate Director of Programs at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, where in addition to supervising museum programming he also supervised the preservation of the E.C. Collier, one of the few remaining Chesapeake Bay skipjacks.

Snediker returned to Mystic Seaport in 1995 to be project coordinator for the design and construction of the freedom schooner Amistad. Following the launch of the Amistad in March 2000, he was named the director of the Shipyard. Notable projects during his tenure include restorations of the fishing vessel Roann, the Morgan, and the steamboat Sabino, the last two of which are National Historic Landmarks in the collection.

In addition to his B.S. in Marine Transportation from SUNY Maritime, Snediker has a M.A. in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. He is a frequent lecturer and written numerous articles on a variety of maritime subjects. He is the co-author with Ann Jensen of “Chesapeake Bay Schooners” (Tidewater Publications: 1992).

Snediker is a resident of Mystic, CT.

About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibitions, beginning with the current show SeaChange. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $28.95 for adults ages 15 and older and $18.95 for children ages 4-14. Museum members and children three and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Exhibition and Sale of Original Art to Celebrate the American Maritime Experience

Mystic, Conn. (April 20, 2017) – The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is proud to open its 2017 season April 30 with “America and the Sea: Modern Marine Masters,” an exhibition and sale of original works of art by leading maritime artists.

This spring show presents exceptional works by national and international Maritime Gallery artists, who were asked to interpret the concept of America and the sea. More than 50 invited contemporary masters, including Russ Kramer, Paul Beebe, Jonathan McPhillips, and Geoffrey Huband, capture the timeless beauty of the sea in paintings, drawings, sculpture, and scrimshaw

Each of these masters continues the tradition of preserving and celebrating the art of the sea by transferring his or her experience into a vivid and visual expression, one that may evoke a mood, record an important moment in maritime history, or capture the enduring challenge of the sea.

“We are proud to present this invitational show as it represents such a talented group of artists who are creating some of today’s most exciting maritime art. Each piece truly portrays the American maritime experience,” says Monique Foster, director of the Maritime Gallery.

The public is invited to an opening reception from 5-7 p.m., Saturday, April 29. RSVPs are encouraged.

“America and the Sea” will be open through June 18. The Maritime Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, please call the Gallery at 860.572.5388 or email gallery@https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/

About the Maritime Gallery
The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is the nation’s foremost gallery specializing in contemporary marine art and ship models. For more than 35 years, the Gallery has been privileged to exhibit the works of leading international maritime artists. Located at historic Mystic Seaport, the Gallery overlooks the beautiful Mystic River attracting art lovers and collectors from around the world. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org/gallery.

Mystic, Conn. (April 17, 2017) — Mystic Seaport has named Christopher Gasiorek Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Programs. Gasiorek will be responsible for the operation, preservation, and programming of the Museum’s watercraft collection, and oversee management of the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.

A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point, Gasiorek is a professional mariner with more than 25 years of experience in a diversity of maritime positions. He holds an unlimited tonnage master’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard, and he has served on tugs, bulk carriers, research ships, training ships, and racing yachts. He has circumnavigated the world twice.

Gasiorek was the Director of Watercraft Operations and Training at the USMMA from 2007 to 2014, where he oversaw the operation of more than 100 vessels ranging from the 224-foot Kings Pointer to sailing dinghies. He was responsible for maintenance, cadet training, shore support, facilities improvements, and the command of cadet-crewed training voyages.

As a maritime educator, Gasiorek has served as classroom and underway instructor for numerous Safety at Sea Seminars, including training for NOAA’s shipboard officers and USCG-approved instruction in Bridge Resource Management, Leadership and Management, and Safety of Life at Sea. He is involved with Tall Ships America and is a past relief captain and mate of South Street Seaport’s 1893 schooner Lettie G. Howard. He currently serves on the board of the USMMA Sailing Foundation, where he has been intimately involved in their yacht donation program.

“Chris Gasiorek brings to the position demonstrated experience and expertise in strategic planning, budgeting for a multi-million dollar waterfront operation, personnel management, and close work with government and civilian stakeholders at all levels,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “We believe his extensive maritime experience, proven leadership, and knowledge of sail education and waterfront management will place us firmly in the forefront of 21st-century museums.”

Gasiorek is a resident of Mystic, CT. He will assume his duties in early June.

About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibitions, beginning with the current show SeaChange. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $28.95 for adults ages 15 and older and $18.95 for children ages 4-14. Museum members and children three and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.