New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
AN EVENT SURE TO FLOAT YOUR BOAT.
Mystic Seaport Museum is expecting the largest gathering of wooden boats and enthusiasts from throughout New England Friday through Sunday, June 22-24, for its 27th annual WoodenBoat Show.
Hosted in a partnership with WoodenBoat Publications, the event will feature more than 100 traditional and classic wooden boats of every type, from hand-crafted kayaks to mahogany runabouts, to classic daysailers and schooners, museum spokesman Dan McFadden said.
“The sheer variety and number of boats at the show is one of its most popular qualities as you can wander along our waterfront and take in everything from a small runabout to an oceangoing schooner — all in stunning condition,” McFadden said in an email interview. “People tell us they just like to check out all the boats and ‘kick the tires’ if you will. You can’t do that anywhere else in New England like you can here.”
Visitors also can find everything they need to outfit their own watercraft and learn new skills at demonstrations and workshops throughout the weekends, he said, adding that a variety of exhibitors will be selling items, including maritime art, antiques, tools, books and nautical gear.
Throughout the weekend, McFadden said Mystic Seaport Museum staff and guest experts will conduct demonstrations of a variety of boatbuilding skills, including wood-epoxy boat building, caulking, laminating wood, using an adze and rigging the reproduction galleon Mayflower
II. There will also be daily tours of the Mayflower II in the museum’s shipyard. McFadden said most of those watching the demonstrations “have a boat or are thinking of getting one and the presentation is a rare opportunity to see a craft done in person, learn key details, and ask questions from someone who really knows their stuff.”
Other popular features include the “I Built It Myself” display of home-built boats, where home boatbuilders show off their creations, and then there’s Family Boat Building, where families and teams work to build their own pre-purchased kits during the weekend. The kits open at 9 a.m. Friday and tools are put down around 3 p.m. Sunday, leaving, in most cases, a boat awaiting only final finish work.
“Building a boat is no small achievement and the participants are so proud and excited to be here you can’t help but get caught up in the enthusiasm,” McFadden said.
He said visitors can also try their hand at rowing or sailing a small boat at the museum’s boat livery, or in one of the boats participating in the John Gardner Small Craft Workshop, which is run concurrently with the show by the Traditional Small Craft Association.
“This is always one of the best weekends of the year at the museum,” McFadden said. “The grounds are full of wooden boats and people who love boats and you can feel the energy.”