23 July to 26 July 2023 - Clinton CT to North Stonington CT
We spent a couple of days in Mystic, Connecticut. Long, long ago, Mystic played a key role in the whaling industry. Many of the more than 2,000 whaling ships were built here and the port served as the home for many of those ships. Today, Mystic has the largest maritime museum in the country, including a working shipyard which restores wooden ships from around the world. We wandered a bit around the town and enjoyed dinner at Mystic Pizza (of the movie fame.) We also spent some time at the Mystic Aquarium. Unfortunately, once you have seen others like the Monterey Aquarium, you're kind of spoiled. This aquarium was dated and very small.
Leading into downtown Mystic (which is only about 4 blocks long), is the Bascule Bridge. Those counterweights were impressive.
The bridge lifts every hour to allow boats to pass through.
This fish sculpture was outside a restaurant in Mystic. It is made of forks, knives and spoons.
One night, we ate at a fish shack on the bay. We were entertained by a class of soon-to-be sailors.
The last existing wooden whaleship in the world, the Charles W. Morgan has been restored and recently took its 37th voyage. It was originally launched in 1841, making it the oldest commercial ship in the U.S.
We watched them launch this boat from the Morgan. The crew gave a talk about the process of whaling and demonstrated the use of the harpoons and spears. The whaling industry changed dramatically at the beginning of the 20th century, when more sophisticated and powerful methods of killing whales were created. Even though the demand for whale oil diminished due to the discovery of crude oil, the whale population plummeted. It took many more decades to implement protections for the whales and the population is slowly climbing. But it is nowhere near what it was estimated to be before whaling.
There were many exhibits to explore, many of them with docents who demonstrated the skills on display or explained the contents of the exhibit. Many of the model boats in this exhibit actually can sail and are remotely controlled.
The L A Dunton, a fishing schooner, was pulled out of the water for restoration and repairs in 2022. You can tour the top deck and see how the restoration is going.
The museum has a fully functional shipyard, focused on repairs and restorations of wooden ships. This is a blacksmith shop which supports the shipyard.
This is a building dedicated to making rope for riggings and other uses.
There were several art exhibits, including an artist in residence. He was quite interesting - he had spent almost five years sailing around the world on a 27-foot sailboat. He had books with art that he created while on the journey. Another exhibit contained restored figureheads.
The museum included a restored village with a school, some homes and commercial buildings. These reflected the village life during the heyday of Mystic.
Jellies are always fun to watch. The aquarium had a good variety.
The obligatory Nemo tank.
This turtle was hit by a boat and lost the use of its back flippers. It also lost its buoyancy control. Thus, it is in a perpetually downward position. The marine biologists are trying to figure out a way to help it get around better. The aquarium is a marine animal rescue center for a fair amount of the northeastern seaboard.
There was a group of beluga whales in one tank.
These South African penguins were in a temporary home, while their home is being remodeled. They didn't seem excited about their surroundings.
