Yep, avoided the theme park for the most part and stuck to the boats.
Got a lovely ride on the Breck Marshall-best $4.50 I ever spent.
Concentrated on the boatshed (genuflect?-you mean you don't crawl in?),
the boatyard, and construction details on the small boats.

Had I a week to spare, the "backstage" is where it would be. Even so,
for a "history theme park", Mystic is a cut above in my estimation. I'm
writing an article from my notes of the day (posting to the website in a
week or so) which will be making a comparison between Mystic and
Detroit's own entry in the field-Greenfield Village.

The most obvious difference is that Mystic lacks the "encased in Lucite"
feel. Wandering through the boatyard, I had to step around piles of
ceadr and live oak that were actually going to be made into boats-as
opposed to being simply set dressing. (Hmmm, would anyone notice if I
backed my truck up to this pile here?)

Dale

Jim Conlin wrote:
There's another side of Mystic Seaport Museum. In addition to the
'theme park' with interesting ships and larger boats, snack bars, gift
shoppes and people in costumes saying quaint things like 'blubber' and
'trunnel', there's a marvelous set of resources for builders of small
boats.

In no particular order, there a
- courses in traditional boatbuilding methods. The crafts won't be lost.
- A fine collection of small boats. I could spend hours studying NGH's
Alerion alone. The genuine article! (Please genuflect on entering the
shed). The whitehalls and canoes in the North shed are a religious
experience, too. The not-on-display collection is stunning in its
quality and diversity.
- A livery of traditional boats. Go sailing or rowing.
- Events for boatbuilders such as the John Gardner Small Craft Weekend
each June.
- The 'Ships Plans Department", a repository of documentation of the
collection and of the work of some very fine designers (LFH, Bill
Garden). I highly recommend the book "87 Boat Designs: A Catalog of
Small Boat Plans from Mystic Seaport", by Benjamin A. G. Fuller (ISBN
0-913372-97-8), published by Mystic.
- The Rosenfeld Collection of marine photgraphy. Enormous.

So, go where the crowds aren't and have a lovely time.

Jim


dale austin wrote:

Greetings all;

Got back from a trip East last week. Managed a day in Mystic,
Connecticut. Here are some shots from the trip:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrwiz...ic/mystic.html

Dale Austin