For weeks I've wanted to go up to Mystic Seaport, because since hanging out with Doug I have become more and more interested in all things nautical. Besides being a former naval aviator, Doug likes to watch Master and Commander on DVD and he owns all of Patrick O'Brien's books. So up to Mystic we went.
The whole set of the field trip can be found here. If you're not into photos of ships and masts and captain's wheels, perhaps my large collection of wedding shots are more your flavor.
First off, there was a strange meeting going on of antique boat engine enthusiasts. Random, but there was this whole section of the shore where these older men were showing off their turn of the century boat engines. No boats, just engines, like this number from 1905.
People have the darndest hobbies.
Mystic has some really cool ships, like this scooner, which was used for fishing cod back in the 1800s.
Then there was the Whaler, which was my personal fave.
The Whaler had a presentation where people would climb to the top of the masts to put the sails down, just like they did back in Master and Commander times. (If you haven't seen the film, you're missing out on a filthy but hunky Paul Bettany as the doctor.)
There is no need to ever be that high, even if you are strapped in.
What goes up, must come down.
At least the lemonade was made from real lemons.
Here's a real man of the sea.
Write Your Own Joke for This One
The third ship was a Danish-made training ship. It was nice, but no one was hanging off the masts like they were on the whaler. We didn't spend much time on it.
Always Good Advice
Mystic Seaport also has a recreated village of how it would have looked in the 1600 and 1700s, complete with blacksmith, chemist, schoolhouse, chapel and several homes. However, with Mystic being a seaport, I did not see the the Mystic House of Ill Repute anywhere. Surely a port town would have had a brothel or two. Maybe it was just closed for renovations when we visited.
On the way home we got stuck in traffic for about two hours. I passed the time flipping through radio stations and taking Robert Palmer girl shots of myself.
I didn't mean to turn you on.
