Mystic, CT

We took our time leaving our peaceful anchorage on Fishers Island on Sunday, July 13 and by 10:30 we pulled up anchor and took off for Mystic. It was a foggy morning which was one of the reasons we left a little later - to let the fog burn off.  This was another relatively short cruise and we arrived in Mystic by noon. Mystic is a beautiful town with lovely homes lining the shore.

We had to wait for a couple of bridges to open to arrive at the Seaport.

The MTOA Northeast Rendezvous was taking place at Mystic Seaport which is a fascinating place, an excellent recreation of a historic whaling village. We tied up at the marina which is actually inside the Seaport. This area is a major sailing and boating center filled with boats of all shapes and sizes.

Our group consisted of 60 people and 25 boats. We enjoyed three days of fun activities and interesting experiences.  The first night started off with docktails and apps on the dock followed by an excellent pot luck dinner.  On Monday morning there was a pancake breakfast and Jonny and I volunteered to be cooks. That day we also went to a private planetarium show at the seaport followed by a guided tour of the L.A. Dutton, a fishing schooner built in 1921 that is undergoing restoration. There are several of these historic boats at the Seaport.

Mystic Seaport is lined with several shops that recreate the services provided to seafarers of the past including a cooperage (barrel maker), a print shop, a drug store, a general store, a bank, and of course, a tavern. Many of them have guides who explain how things were done back then.

After another evening of docktails and apps, we went to dinner with a group of friends at AJ’s, an Italian restaurant.

On Tuesday, we had an interesting presentation by Bruce Lemkin, a retired US Navy Captain who shared his experiences commanding a nuclear powered submarine. Afterwards we visited the Mystic Aquarium which was fascinating, but extremely crowded with families and school groups on this hot summer day. We saw seals, beluga whales, penguins and lots of interesting sea creatures.

I was particularly fascinated by the amazing array of jelly fish, some of which were truly psychedelic!

We all had lunch vouchers for Mango’s, a delicious pizza restaurant, which was hopping but worth the wait. We sat with our friends Liz and Steve who we always love seeing. They drove all the way down from upstate NY where their boat is docked just to be here.

That evening we had an awards dinner followed by dancing to a fun band called Jen and Tonic that played all the favorite dance tunes of our youth. The next day everyone would be departing after breakfast. This group of MTOA members came from as far away as Florida and the Midwest, but most live and cruise along the beautiful coastline of New England. This is definitely one of our favorite cruising grounds and we love having friends like these throughout the region!