Mystical Coincidence: 06 - 08 Sep - Close Encounters of the Seafaring Kind

Arion and Kerry Deare finally got underway Monday morning, 06 September, from New Bedford after the remnants of Hurricane Earl were well to the east. We started early and decided to take advantage of conditions and aim for Stonington CT, some 58 NM west and the same number of miles closer to home. The ride was uneventful as we motored along, passing successively the Sakonnet River, Newport RI, and Point Judith Harbor of Refuge. Then suddenly ahead I spied a familiar shape on the horizon, a vessel unlikely to be mistaken for any other. It was the scow schooner Nina (photo left) out of Baltimore sailing west just off the Rhode Island shore, with Captain Dayton and First Mate Ingrid on board. Nina was designed by Joel White and built in 1985 in Brooklin ME, but her chronological age is no measure of how well she reflects ageless seafaring traditions. She is sailed using methods and procedures that would pass muster aboard any 19th century coastal vessel.

I have known both Ingrid and Dayton (photo right) for several years and Nina has spent a considerable amount of time in the same New Jersey boatyard where Kerry Deare winters, so the coincidence of unexpectedly encountering her at sea is noteworthy. At the same time the encounter serves to remind me that coincidences like this become commonplace after one has spent a bit of time afloat. There is no need to embroider sea stories: reality does the work for you. The Nina was bound for Mystic CT, just west of Stonington, and we agreed to stay in contact to determine how we might rendezvous and catch up on doings.

Arion and Kerry Deare passed a quiet night together in Stonington, if indeed the harbor at Stonington is ever really quiet. There are at least 2 reasons Stonington never rests. First, it's a major yachting center and yachts of all sizes and pedigrees are constantly coming and going. Second, the harbor itself is at the mercy of the prevailing southwest winds and the motion never ceases, especially when the wind pipes up each afternoon. So next morning when Susan and Kirk decided to continue west to meet commitments at home, I decided to join up with Nina at nearby Mystic Seaport to catch up on old times and also to enjoy a quiet harbor setting.

Nina and Mystic Seaport Museum make a perfect couple. The Seaport is dedicated to preserving and honoring the seafaring traditions of the nineteenth century, and Nina herself perfectly exemplifies these traditions. While I was making arrangements for our visit I only half-jokingly suggested to Donna, Mystic's Assistant Dockmaster, that the Seaport should be paying Nina to visit rather than the other way around. As it turned out, we did indeed get a pretty sweet deal, but more about that later (Ingrid and Dayton checking in at the Mystic Seaport Dockmaster's Office, photo right).

Shortly after arriving we changed into our Tourist First Class garb and explored the Seaport (photo left). There is much to see and learn at the Seaport's 19 acre site and we didn't intend to waste time. I was particularly struck by the expansion of Mystic's facilities and exhibits since my last visit about 25 years ago. The number of classic vessels maintained by the Seaport has increased dramatically (a New England sharpie, photo upper right), and an entire 19th century maritime village now exists (photo lower left)where one can investigate the commercial and technical activities that kept the various maritime business enterprises running. There is also a wide array of exhibits designed specifically for children that permits interactive learning experiences. Facilities for visiting yachts are much more elaborate and include improved dockage, showers and restrooms, a Visiting Yachtsmen's Lounge, etc. The photo at lower right shows Nina at rest at the Seaport.

The Seaport staff conducts daily demonstrations that explain in detail procedures and techniques that kept commercial vessels of the period running. We participated in hauling yards aloft (photo left), barrel making (cooperage), knot tying, and so on. There are complete facilities for all types of ship building and repair (photo right), and during our visit we toured the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan to observe her undergoing a complete refit, a procedure that will take many years to complete.

Ingrid is herself a talented musician and we were able to meet and hear many of the Seaport's own musicians perform period music. Sailors of the period had little free time, but when they did get to relax they made the most of it playing music, practicing the sailors' arts (net making, photo lower left), and keeping up communications with their families back home.

It is safe to say that the music and demonstrations were well enjoyed by all present, including Ingrid (photo right) and the many visitors who enjoyed the daily Dog Watch music sessions held on the main deck of the Charles W. Morgan (photo below).

Too soon was the visit over, but not before the staff did us the very large favor of allowing us to stay 3 nights while charging only for one, and that at the members rate. The staff could not have been more pleasant, and I suspect that a part of their largess was due to the presence of Nina and her crew, who provided as much inspiration to them as they did to us. And for those doubters out there who think Hollywood is only a fantasy, there really is a "Mystic Pizza."