MYSTIC — The Charles W. Morgan is now scheduled to depart for Newport, RI, from New London, CT this Sunday, June 15. The ship will cast off at 6:30 a.m.
The delay is due to conditions expected off of Point Judith, RI, on Saturday.
“The cold front that is passing through will most likely leave the sea state in the area quite agitated, more so than we feel is appropriate for the Morgan. By delaying a day, we give the waters time to calm down,” said Dana Hewson, the vice president for watercraft preservation and programs at Mystic Seaport.
The decision to postpone the sail was made in consultation with meteorologists at the National Weather Service.
In a change from previous plans, there is a possibility that the Morgan will pass through Watch Hill Passage between Watch Hill, RI and Fishers Island, NY, on her way to Block Island Sound, and not through The Race as previously announced. The decision of which passage to take will be made by the captain on Sunday morning.
For the latest updates and to track the Morgan‘s position live, please visit our 38th Voyage page.
Mystic Seaport staff and guests don Jacques Cousteau’s red watch cap in honor of the explorer and his work.
MYSTIC — Happy birthday to Jacques Cousteau!
The ocean explorer would have been 104 today. To honor the man and celebrate his work, those on board the Charles W. Morgan donned his iconic watch cap today.
Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author, and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He made an indelible impression of the importance of protecting our planet and its oceans.
Through his 120 documentaries and 50 books, the man made a lasting impact that still endures today.
The captain’s red watch cap symbolizes his success as a personality that paved the way for generations to care about the oceans. Mystic Seaport’s partner in the Morgan‘s 38th Voyage, NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries, encourages everyone to put on the cap and take a pledge to help protect our oceans by doing the following:
Recycle used motor oil
Put garbage and recyclables in their proper place
Carry and use non-disposal bags
Use reusable coffee cups and water bottles when possible
Volunteer for community and coastal clean-ups
Respect vulnerable marine life
Conserve water and use it responsibly
Make smart seafood choices
Learn more about the ocean and how it impacts your life everyday
Tell 10 people you made the pledge and encourage them to do the same
National Historic Landmark Vessel Completes Sea Trial
Mystic, Conn. (June 7, 2014) — The 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan sailed for the first time in almost a century on Saturday, June 7, on the first day of sea trials for her 38th Voyage. The ship cast off from City Pier in New London at 9:30 a.m. and proceeded out onto Long Island Sound, where she spent the day conducting sail training drills and maneuvers. She returned to New London at 3:30 p.m.
“The ship exceeded all expectations and performed wonderfully. She is faster than we thought she would be, she turns easier, and she handles really well. We could not be more pleased,” said Capt. Kip Files, the 22nd master of the Morgan. “There is no one alive today who has sailed one of these whaleships who can tell us how they perform, so we really learned a lot today. We have a great voyage ahead of us.”
The National Historic Landmark vessel has been a static exhibit at Mystic Seaport since 1941 and has not sailed since the early 1920s. Her last whaling voyage, her 37th, ended in 1921. The sea trials are to prepare her to sail to historic ports in Southern New England on a 38th Voyage.
Sea trials will continue on June 8, 11, and 12.
The ship embarks on her voyage, with a scheduled transit to Newport, RI, on Saturday, June 14. Following that stop, the ship will then visit Vineyard Haven, Mass.; New Bedford, Mass.; and Boston, where she will dock next to the USS Constitution. She will also anchor off of Provincetown, Mass. for day sails to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, where the Morgan will team up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to observe whales in their natural environment and call attention to mankind’s changing relationship with the natural world.
Downloadable Media
High resolution photos and broadcast-quality HD video of the ship’s journey will be available for download and use by news media on the Mystic Seaport press page.
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, the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum is located one mile south of exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
The Charles W. Morgan on her first sea trial on June 7, 2014.
MYSTIC — For the first time in nearly a century, the Charles W. Morgan was underway under sail as she completed the first day of sea trials for her 38th Voyage.
The ship cast off from City Pier in New London at 9:30 a.m. and was towed out onto Long Island Sound. Once where she spent the day conducting sail training drills and maneuvers. She returned to New London at 3:30 p.m.
“The ship exceeded all expectations and performed wonderfully. She is faster than we thought she would be, she turns easier, and she handles really well. We could not be more pleased,” said Capt. Kip Files, the 22nd master of the Morgan. “There is no one alive today who has sailed one of these whaleships who can tell us how they perform, so we really learned a lot today. We have a great voyage ahead of us.”
The National Historic Landmark vessel has been a static exhibit at Mystic Seaport since 1941 and has not sailed since the early 1920s. Her last whaling voyage, her 37th, ended in 1921. The sea trials are to prepare her to sail to historic ports in Southern New England on a 38th Voyage.
Musicians from Around the Globe Gather to Celebrate Maritime Traditions
Mystic, Conn. (May 30, 2014) – Musicians from around the world will come to Mystic Seaport to celebrate the musical traditions of the Golden Age of Sail at the 35th annual Sea Music Festival, Thursday through Sunday, June 12-15. The Festival is the premier sea music event in North America.
This year’s roster includes music from Great Britain, The Netherlands, Portugal, Canada, and the Caribbean, along with singers from across the United States. The weekend’s festivities include daytime and evening concerts, special performances for children, instructional workshops, a scholar’s symposium, and a unique opportunity to witness sea music at work aboard the Museum’s historic vessels.
More than 20 individuals and groups will perform at the Festival. A highlight for 2014 will be the Barrouallie Whalers from the island of St. Vincent, who still sing the songs sung as islanders rowed whaleboats to hunt blackfish (pilot whales) 50 years ago. The Whalers are the last practitioners of a unique Eastern Caribbean musical tradition that accompanied their whaling activities.
All workshops and daytime concerts in the Festival are included in regular Mystic Seaport admission. Museum admission is good for two days upon ticket validation (visit must be made within one week of purchase date). Special tickets are required for evening concerts and can be purchased by calling 860.572.0711, or at the Museum’s main entrance. Weekend passes are also available. College students will be admitted into the Festival for the youth rate upon presentation of a current student ID.
For more information, including ticket packages, musicians’ bios, and a schedule of performances, visit mysticseaport.org/seamusicfestival
Returning this year is an evening sea music “contra dance,” a style of partnered folk dancing traditional to New England. The dance will be held Saturday evening from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Mystic German Club’s Frohsinn Hall, located directly across the street from the Museum’s main entrance on Route 27. There is an $8 admission fee for the dance.
In addition, the annual Music of the Sea Symposium, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 13-14. The Symposium, which features presentations of themed papers by some of the country’s leading maritime music scholars, explores the interaction between sea, music, and song. The first day of the symposium will be hosted Friday, June 13, on the maritime campus of the University of Connecticut at Avery Point in Groton, Conn. Admission is free. The Symposium continues Saturday, June 14, at Mystic Seaport in the Greenmanville Church. Museum admission is required. For further details and a list of Symposium presenters and topics, visit mysticseaport.org/smfsymposium
This event is made possible by the Friends of the Sea Music Festival, who raise funds each year to generously support sea music at Mystic Seaport.
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, the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
During its historic 38th Voyage, the Charles W. Morgan finds its way to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary as an ambassador from whaling to watching. The official painting for the voyage, created by Thomas W. Freeman, is on display at the USS Constitution Museum throughout the summer.
BOSTON — On May 14, the USS Constitution Museum in Boston and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) unveiled a set of paintings commemorating the historic 38th Voyage of the whaleship Charles W. Morgan and its journey to the whaling grounds in Stellwagen Bank.
Created by Thomas W. Freeman, NMSF artist-in-residence, one painting depicts mother and calf humpback whales and other elements relating to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary’s efforts to protect whales. The second Freeman work is the official 2014 painting for the Morgan’s unprecedented voyage next month to historic ports on the New England coast.
The Morgan, a National Historic Landmark built in 1841, is the oldest American commercial ship still afloat. Over an 80-year whaling career, the ship sailed on 37 voyages to the remote corners of the globe. The Morgan’s voyage to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary represents the vessel’s full-circle transformation from being a hunter of whales to one bearing a message about their conservation.
“A Sanctuary Protects Stellwagen Bank” by Thomas W. Freeman, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Artist-in-Residence
“Taking the Charles W. Morgan onto Stellwagen Bank where she can sail amongst the whales will be the highlight of the 38th Voyage,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “The mission of the ship is to help us understand why our forebears hunted whales, what that industry did for this country, and why ultimately we have chosen to cease that activity in lieu of preservation. The juxtaposition of the old and the new in the sanctuary will bring that message into focus for all of us.”
“The USS Constitution Museum is excited to welcome the Charles W. Morgan to Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard this summer,” said Anne Grimes Rand, president of the USS Constitution Museum. “After she passes through Stellwagen Bank, the Morgan will berth in the Boston National Historical Park adjacent to ‘Old Ironsides.’ Seeing the world’s oldest whaling vessel adjacent to the U.S. Navy’s oldest frigate will be an inspiring sight.”
“Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary offers some of the best whale watching in the world,” said Jason Patlis, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. “Tom’s paintings represent not only this special place and the iconic whales that depend on it for survival, but also a larger message of national whale conservation. NMSF is proud to be a part of the Morgan’s exciting voyage this summer.”
Freeman is a nationally and internationally recognized artist whose paintings hang in many galleries around the nation as well as in the White House. He is best known for his portrayals of heroic American maritime events and subjects.
Freeman said his goal in creating the paintings is to raise awareness about the various human and natural threats facing humpback and other whales and highlight the innovative research the sanctuary conducts in order to better understand how whales use the water column relative to human activities. Despite their impressive size, humpbacks and other whales face considerable threat from vessel strikes, underwater noise and marine debris – particularly lost or abandoned fishing lines and nets.
“Whales are some of the most magnificent creatures on earth and they have been around for millions of years,” Freeman said. “As stewards of the planet, we have an obligation to protect these majestic creatures so that current and future generations learn to understand and appreciate the need to keep the ocean productive and healthy.”
Both paintings will be displayed at the NMSF Ocean Awards Gala in DC on June 10. After the gala, the Stellwagen Bank painting will be moved to the Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum and the Charles W. Morgan painting will be brought to Mystic Seaport.
Spouter the whale greets visitors to the CHARLES W. MORGAN in New London on May 24, 2014
MYSTIC — Mystic Seaport opened the traveling exhibition that accompanies the historic whaleship Charles W. Morgan on her 38th Voyage for the first time in New London on Saturday. The public could experience the exhibition and board the ship, which just completed a five-year restoration and was moved to New London last week.
The Morgan is berthed at City Pier near the New London town center as she completes her fitting out for the voyage.
Visitors to the pier were able to learn about the Morgan, whales, and whaling and their importance to American history in the 22,000 square-foot exhibition. There is a video on the history and significance of the 173-year-old vessel plus a series of panels that explain the role the American whaling industry had in this country’s history; how the Morgan and whaleships were an early connector of different cultures; and how America’s perception of the natural world has changed since the Morgan’s whaling career. Hands-on activities include knot-tying, handling samples of wood used in the restoration, and searching the ship’s crew lists for familiar names or hometown connections.
A focal point is Spouter, a 46-foot-long, life-sized inflatable model of a sperm whale. Visitors can participate in a “What Bubbles Up?” activity by writing down their whale-related memory, question, or sketch and attaching it to a humpback whale sculpture.
Mystic Seaport crew members prepare a whaleboat for rowing in New London.
People could watch Mystic Seaport interpreters demonstrate a number of 19th-century maritime skills, including those of a cooper, shipsmith, ropemaker, and whaleboat rower. There were live performances including sea chanteys, the interactive “Tale of a Whaler” play, and a condensed rendition of Moby-Dick – “Moby-Dick in Minutes.” Visitors even had the opportunity to try their hand at rowing a whaleboat under the instruction of a skilled boatsteerer.
Voyage partner, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, was present with an exhibit booth to explain how the National Marine Sanctuaries interpret America’s maritime past, promote ocean conservation, and engage in cutting-edge research. People could learn how whales feed and what they feed on, and watch videos that feature information on the National Marine Sanctuary System, whales, whale research, and whaling heritage. Kids were able to create their own whale hat. In July, the Morgan will sail to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off Provincetown, Mass., as part of her voyage. Stellwagen Bank is a popular feeding ground for whales in the summer months.
Of course, the high point of the experience is boarding the newly-restored Morgan. With the new crew in place to show people around, visitors can explore the deck and go down below to see what it was like to sail on a whaleship in the age of American whaling.
The ship and dockside exhibition will be open on May 24, 25, 31, and June 1 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. There is a suggested admission of $5 per person for those ages 6 years and older. Children ages 5 years and younger are admitted for free, as are current Mystic Seaport members with their membership card
In addition to the Mystic Seaport exhibit, New London Landmarks, the Custom House Maritime Museum, the New London County Historical Society, and Flock Theatre have created a schedule of events to celebrate New London’s whaling heritage. Events include walking tours, exhibit and house tours, a parade, a “chowda fest,” and several Flock Theatre performances of the one-act play “Ile,” by Eugene O’Neill. For more information, please visit www.newlondonlandmarks.org/events.html
The Morgan will be in New London until June 14, when she departs for Newport, the next destination on a voyage across Southern New England that will include stops in Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, the Cape Cod Canal, Provincetown, and Boston.
The LCMM whaleboat shortly after her launch in Vergennes, VT, on May 22, 2014.
VERGENNES — On Thursday morning at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) in Vergennes, Vermont, a crowd gathered to celebrate the launch of the final whaleboat–whaleboat #10–for the Charles W. Morgan‘s 38th Voyage.
The boat was slid into the water and the audience heard from the student boat builders who related what the experience of constructing a traditional wooden boat and rowing as a team has meant in their lives.
“This project built much more than a whaleboat,” LCMM Executive Director Erick Tichonuk pointed out. “Working together, you have built community, confidence, skills, healthy lifestyles, respect for the environment, and a deeper understanding of history.”
The new whaleboat will remain at the museum for a few weeks, and in June, it will travel to join up with the Morgan in the ship’s former homeport of New Bedford, Mass.
After the launch, Mystic Seaport’s Morgan historian Matthew Stackpole gave a presentation using words and pictures – and a single plank from the world’s last wooden whaling ship – to transport the audience through time and space. Stackpole began with the ship’s beginning at her launch in 1841 in New Bedford, continued through her 80-year whaling career across the globe in pursuit of whale oil and bone (baleen) to provide the fuel for light, lubricants, and American fortunes. He concluded with the ship’s years in Mystic and her recent restoration and immanent 38th Voyage to ports across Southern New England.
Stackpole shared a perspective from Pulitzer-prize winning historian David McCullough:
“The story of the American Whaling industry, which the Charles W. Morgan so powerfully represents, is a rousing chapter in our nation’s history. I think to have no sense of the story of your country is like having no sense of the history of your life. It’s a form of amnesia and can be as detrimental to a country as it is to an individual. . . the important work Mystic Seaport is doing on the Morgan’s restoration will ensure we remember this vivid chapter of our country’s history.”
