The Charles W. Morgan Sails Again

To follow up on Saturday's post about the Charles W. Morgan's 38th Voyage, here is a video film from The Day, the local newspaper in New London, where the Morgan is now, and will be for a month to load the ballast, get re-fitted and train the crew. Do not miss to follow the vessel during the summer and get updates via Mystic Seaport's website, here.

Bon Voyage, Charles W. Morgan

A 'Lucky Ship'* leaving Mystic for her 38th Voyage.

Today is a special day in Mystic, Connecticut, well, it is actually a very significant day in American maritime history, if not in the whole maritime world. This morning, at 9:15 a.m., the last remaining wooden whaleship in the world, the Charles W. Morgan, embarked on her 38th Voyage.

She arrived to Mystic Seaport - The Museum of America and the Sea in November 1941, looking ragged and crippled after having been beaten up at Col. Green's estate Round Hill, Massachusetts, by the 1938 Hurricane. The good people in New Bedford, where she was built in 1941, tried to raise funds to save her, but failed. Then Mystic Seaport - at this time called the Marine Historical Association - stepped in, and in November 1941, she was towed south to Mystic. The Morgan has gone through several restorations since she arrived to Mystic Seaport, but none as severe and important as the one which started in November 2008.

Now, more than five years later, after a multi-million dollar restoration, this morning she left the Museum to be towed to New London, where will be re-fitted. Her crew will be trained to sail there on day sails - remember no living soul has sailed a vessel like her, not even her experienced captain, 'Kip' Files of Rockland, Maine - before she embarks on her summer-long voyage to visit different ports along New England. Among the ports are Newport, New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard, and Boston, at the latter port, the Morgan will be docked by another famous vessel, the USS Constitution.

For days the weather forecast looked dreadful for this morning, pouring rain, strong winds, and unruly sea. But the rain stopped early, and in time for her departure, the sun had come out, the dark clouds had moved away, and it was just beautiful - just look at those pictures for this entry. Thousands and thousands of people had gathered along the Mystic River to see the 'old girl' off. Following her was a flotilla of vessels, both from the Museum and private boats. Among them were five of the newly built whale boats that have been built for her voyage.

Get more information about the Charles W. Morgan's 38th Voyage from Mystic Seaport's website here.

Here are some photographs from yesterday morning preparations for the voyage and from her departure this morning.

The crew carrying aboard the Morgan's new sails, made by sail maker Nat Wilson in East Boothbay, Maine.

The tryworks, the oven where the whale blubber was boiled into oil, is still on board the Morgan.

The small pantry forward on the Morgan's deck needs to be cleaned up before it can be used.

Getting ready for her first 'outing' in 73 years (when she arrived to Mystic). Last time the Morgan sailed was in 1921, her 37th voyage as a whaleship. As a matter of fact, she did 'sail' a couple of times after that, when she was a 'star' in some silent motion pictures during the 1920s, among them Down to the Sea in Ships (1922). Watch the movie here.

The Morgan has started her 38th Voyage, getting close to the famous drawbridge in Downtown Mystic. The lower yards are tilted to be able to let her go through the bridge.

Some of the whale boats escorting the Morgan downriver.

Farewell - see you back in Mystic in August!

Bon Voyage!

Read more about the Morgan and Mystic Seaport in these issues of the Mystic Seaport Magazine.

*A 'Lucky Ship' had the reputation of having survived storms, ice storms, fire, and other situations that were dire for a vessel.

A Rower's Invested Interest

A Rower's Invested Interest

In the pocket of his imagination,
the rower carried three coins
to be used
in the "stepping the masts" ceremony.*
On the days appointed,
he would row to the Morgan
and present the coins chosen
to be placed beneath each mast:

An 1841 U.S. Silver Dollar for the foremast,
a1941 U.S. Silver Half-Dollar for the main,
a 2013 U.S. Silver Dollar for the mizzen,
the years signifying
the ship's launch, the ship's arrival
at Mystic Seaport, the ship's
being launched anew,

three coins in the fountain of the voyage, ongoing,
of the Morgan, three coins
of luck to waive superstitions
of those who sail the oceans,
coins minted to seal,
in place, the fragments
of fate, pertinent
to the last ship extant
in the history of whaling,

the Morgan, the embodiment of history
connecting the whale oil lamp
to Edison's flash of insight
when the bulb lit up for the first time;
ship, electric,
sailing on the waves of time,
time, specifically, American.

To all this, the rower
would row the coins.

Philip Kuepper
17 October, 2013

*Note: On 17 October Mystic Seaport’s Shipyard staff stepped the first of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan’s three masts, the foremast - seen in the photograph on top (Courtesy Mystic Seaport, photographer Andy Price). The vessel was de-rigged and had her masts and spars removed at the restoration of the whaleship that started in November 2008. Re-installing the masts, known as “stepping” in nautical terminology, is an important occasion during a ship’s construction.

“Stepping a mast is one of those milestones that marks both a new stage in the ship’s construction—or in this case, restoration—and the observance of a maritime tradition,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport, at a brief ceremony held alongside the vessel on 17 October. “It is tradition to place a coin under the base of a mast to provide good luck.”

Today, the Morgan’s two remaining masts, the main and the mizzen, will be re-installed at the Museum’s Shipyard.

Making Row Locks

After a nearly five-year restoration, Mystic Seaport re-launched its crown jewel, the whaleship Charles W. Morgan on 21 July, 2013. When she has been fitted-out and re-rigged, the Morgan will go on a ceremonial 38th Voyage beginning in mid-May 2014 from Mystic to New London, Connecticut, where the crew is going to be trained before heading up the New England coast visiting some of the ports the Morgan went to during her whaling heyday. Ten organisations have built whaleboats for the whaleship - read a great article by the Morgan historian Matthew Stackpole about building these boats here (you will come to an electronic version of the Mystic Seaport Magazine, Stackpole's article starts on page 10).

The staff at the Museum's Shipsmith Shop (an original shipsmith shop which opened in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1882, and later was moved to Mystic Seaport) is working on making row locks - or, if you so like, oarlocks - for the whaleboats. On top is a wonderful video from the Museum's Film and Video Department on how to make row locks the old-fashioned way - enjoy!

The Good Omen

The Good Omen

While waiting for the Charles W. Morgan
to launch, I watched
a pair of cormorants fly north along
Mystic River,
curve east
toward where the Morgan stood,
and part in flight over her.

Philip Kuepper
(22 July, 2013)

Photo courtesy of Mystic Seaport

Ceremonial Row

Ceremonial Row

I imagine a ring of rowers
round the Charles W. Morgan*
as she makes her rechristening
voyage down Mystic River

into the Sound,
hence into the Atlantic,
the rowers round her
like a ring,

a ring signifying
a renewal of her vows,
her wedding vows
to the ocean.

Philip Kuepper
(July 2013)

*Today, after almost a five-year restoration, the last surviving wooden whaleship in the world, the Charles W. Morgan, will be launched at 2 p.m. in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. Wherever you are in the world, you will be able to watch the launch, more details here. In May next year, the Museum plans to take her to sea again, on her 38th Voyage to visit some of the New England ports where she anchored during her whaling heydays.

2013 WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport

Welcome to Mystic Seaport!

The first day of this year's WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut, looked as it was going to be a wet event, but the rain stayed away during the show which again offered all kinds of beautiful wooden watercraft. Below are some picture taken yesterday, Friday.

The Museum's sandbagger Annie.

The pride of Mystic Seaport, the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, which will be launched on 21 July this summer. This photo was taken a couple of days ago.

There they are, the whaleboat from the Apprenticeshop which left Maine on 16 June, coming up the Mystic River in the craft that these students have built to donate to Mystic Seaport's Charles W. Morgan. Despite all days out at sea and hitting bad weather at the last leg, the crew rowed up the river in good spirit and style. Photo: Dan McFadden.

The whaleboat is escorted in to Mystic Seaport by the Museum's own whaleboat crew, seen on the port side of the Apprenticeshop's boat.

Finally at Mystic Seaport.

Below are some of the whaleboats that were already at the Museum:

Great Lakes Boat Building

Independent Seaport Museum

Beetle Boat Shop

Lowell's Boat Shop

On a Whaleboat Expedition to Mystic

Today, summer begins at Mystic Seaport – The Museum of America and the Sea, Mystic, CT, as the 22nd Annual WoodenBoat Show kicks off. It is the seventh year in a row that the WoodenBoat Show is held at the Museum. As usual more than 100 exhibitors and vendors will have beautiful wooden boats on display, making it one of the largest wooden boat shows in the USA, drawing approximately 13,000 Museum visitors to the banks of the Mystic River during this three-day event, 28-30 June.

This year there are some special exhibitors, who are building whaleboats for the Museum’s 1841 whaleship, the Charles W. Morgan, which is the last of her kind in the world. During a five-year period Mystic Seaport has restored the Morgan in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. She will be launched into the Mystic River on her 172nd birthday, 21 July this year. Thereafter, she will be fitted and rigged so next May she will go back to sea for a ceremonial 38th Voyage, revisiting some of the New England harbours where she once anchored during her whaling heydays.

The Morgan will have seven newly built whaleboats on board. These boats are part of a ten-boat national project to construct replica whaleboats. The organisations building these 28-30-foot long open boats for Mystic Seaport are: the Independence Seaport Museum of Philadelphia, PA; Rocking the Boat of Bronx, NY; Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway of Vineyard Haven, MA; the New Bedford Whaling Museum/Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, MA; the Great Lakes Boat Building School of Cedarville, MI; The Apprenticeshop of Rockland, ME; Alexandria Seaport Foundation of Alexandria, VA; Lake Champlain Maritime Museum of Ferrisburgh, VT; Wooden Boat Factory of Philadelphia, PA; and Lowell’s Boat Shop of Amesbury, MA. The seven first organisations on this list will actually be displaying their whaleboats during the WoodenBoat Show.

The boat builders from the Maine based Apprenticeshop will arrive in style as they have rowed and sailed their whaleboat on a 350-mile voyage from Maine to Mystic, starting on 16 June and planning to arrive today. On board the boat is Captain Bryan McCarthy, Apprenticeshop director, at the helm, apprentices Rachel Davis, Daniel Creisher, Simon Jack, Garrett Farchione, Tim Jacobus and Pat Lydon. They have been accompanied by chase boat Advent. The crew has been sharing photographs, videos and daily updates on The Apprenticeshop’s Facebook page and blog.

HTBS welcomes all the whaleboat crews to Mystic!

For those who are interested in learning more about the ten-whaleboat national project, in the current issue of the Mystic Seaport Magazine, which is now available on-line, Mystic Seaport's Morgan Restoration Project historian Matthew Stackpole has written an article about building whaleboats for the Morgan, on pages 10-12 (on page 12 there is also an article about whaleboat racing!). Go to the on-line version of Mystic Seaport Magazine, here.

Photos above © John Snyder/Marine Media