After cleaning up, we walked to the CG office to see if they had any recommendations for touring the area. On Tuesdays you can go to the Mystic Seaport "museum" and show your car pass from the CG and get a 50% discount. Cindy and John had told us about that offer from when they stayed at this same CG in August. Unfortunately, it is supposed to be a very rainy day tomorrow with strong winds and possibly 2 inches of rain, not a great day for being outdoors and doing a lot of walking in and out of buildings! So, we decided to go their today with a 10% discount if you purchased tickets online ahead of time.
Cindy and John had told us this was a must see and how right they were. It is an amazing place with so much history regarding the whaling industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries! The employees who did the talks throughout the area were extremely knowledgeable and friendly - top notch! All day long there were demonstrations and talks that were so informative.
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| One of the two entrances! |
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| The second entrance! |
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| An interesting boat at the entrance to the museum! |
We really enjoyed the building that offered the history of the whaling industry. We learned so much and can't imagine the danger and hard work that was involved for the crew that could be at sea for 3 to 5 years - crazy!
This historic area is a recreated fishing village plus a huge shipyard for the repair and maintenance of old sailing vessels.
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| All kinds of shoppes and business type properties along the main streets of the recreated whaling village! |
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| The shop where they made all the kegs for storing the oil from the whales! |
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| An overview of the shipyard! |
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| The blacksmith shop. There was a print shop, bank, medical building, etc. The building reminded me somewhat of Williamsburg! |
We really enjoyed touring and learning about the Charles W. Morgan, the last of an American whaling fleet that numbered more than 2700 vessels. Built in 1841, she sailed on 37 whaling voyages and the Arctic was the only ocean she didn't sail in. She went through major renovations here at the shipyard that were completed in 2014 at a cost of 8 million dollars and then made a 4 month voyage along the New England coast! They also did a demonstration of how the sails would be hoisted, but it was too windy to hoist any of them.
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| A beautiful ship! |
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| One of the small whaling boats that was lowered when a whale was spotted! |
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| The captain's wife were often aboard the whaling ships. The crew felt it was good for them - the captain would be happier and easier on them. This little cabin was built as private quarters for one of the wives who was pregnant and very sea sick! |
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| The pots on the deck for heating the oil extracted from the whales! |
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| The captain's "parlor"..... |
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| and his private bedroom. |
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| Bunks for the crew! |
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| They have to climb the ropes to hoist the sails! |
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| Wow, they are way up there! |
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| Singing a "work" song to keep in rhythum for hoisting the sails! |
There was a traveling exhibition from Sweden with artifacts and the history of the Vikings that was amazing! Those Viking guys were a really tough bunch!
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| A Viking Boat.... |
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| ...fancy helmet.... |
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| ...another fancy helmet and shield... |
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| ...and beautiful swords! |
Currently a 1956 replica of the Mayflower II is here at the shipyard for a multi year and multi million dollar restoration. It is scheduled for completion in 2019 for the return to Plymouth for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620. As you can "read", we learned a lot today and found it extremely interesting!
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| Working to make replacement parts, including one of the masts, for the Mayflower II! |
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| Looks like a very major job!!! |
We returned to the CG by 5 tired, windblown, and a bit cool. Ken read and rested while I downloaded photos, did some devotions, and worked on this blog. Ken grilled for dinner and we had salads and fresh fruit for dessert. We watched the news and then The Voice. I hoped to switch and watch the Steelers game, but it wasn't available here! To bed by 10! Preparing for the heavy rain starting very early tomorrow morning and probably lasting all day!
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