Stunning, from bow to stern
When organizers promise that the WoodenBoat Show has every kind of boat, they ain’t whistling Dixie. They list the various vessels that will be on display, and it’s a eye-popping lot, from fishing boats to cruising yachts, dinghies to performance shells.
All in all, more than 100 traditional and classic wooden boats are expected to be at Mystic Seaport Museum this weekend for this popular annual event, hosted in partnership with WoodenBoat Publications.
Beyond ogling the pristine and handsome boats, there is plenty more for visitors to do: demonstrations and workshops, exhibitors’ booths, and vendors showcasing maritime art, antiques, nautical gear and more. Folks who are really ambitious can organize as a team to build their own canoe or skiff over the course of the three-day show. They can buy kits in advance, and those are opened at 9 a.m. Friday. Everyone gets to work, with the finish time being 3 p.m. Sunday, at which point the boats are usually done, save for some final finish work.
Authors will be on hand, including talks and signings by Ron Holland, “All the Oceans,” at 10 a.m. Sat.; Roger Taylor, “L. Francis Herreshoff,” at 2:30 p.m. Sat.; and Kaci Cronkhite, “Stories Behind Finding Pax,” at 4 p.m. Sat.
WoodenBoat Show, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic; museum admission $28.95 adults, $26.95 ages 65 and up, $24.95 ages 13-17, $18.95 ages 3-12, and free for kids 2 and younger; (860) 572-0711, www.mysticseaport.org.