New England Trip - Mystic!

Mystic is a pretty little seaport town in Connecticut.  We loved the church steeple on the hill and the ship weather vane on the Ancient Mariner.

We arrived in this pictuesque town early one morning, eager to spend the day at sea on a three-masted schooner.  We walked around until it was time to meet the crew and fellow guests at the dock. 

 Soon we were on board -- here's our very capable captain at the wheel.

We passed Captain's Row, where gentlemen sailors once waited in their stately homes for a call to captain a ship.

We passed other schooners and boats,

 some with crews busy at work.

 

As it would happen, the Charles W. Morgan had just been launched the previous week 

so we got to see her in the Mystic River!  She is a 172 year old whaling ship.  

You can read more about her history by clicking here.

Finally we were ready to pass through the bascule bridge and out into the Fisher Island Sound.  You know that saying, "You learn something new every day?"  We all assumed it was a regular old draw bridge, though I did notice the large weights when we walked across it earlier.  If you really want to know more about what makes it a bascule bridge, you can read more about it here.  

Lowering back down...

There was also a train track running across the water and as I watched an Amtrak train go over it, I wondered how that bridge worked!  

 

 It swivels!

Out in the sound, we saw islands

 and lighthouses

 and houses on the water...

 And then the wind picked up and the water began moving!

 It was time to raise the sails!

 

Then we just enjoyed the views -- like these three houses once owned by three monks.  The house on the very end has no electricity or plumbing and is little more than a shack.  It recently sold for $640,000, we're told!  Location, location, location.

We had packed a picnic lunch and kicked back! 

It was a little overcast, but that kept us a bit cooler than if the sun had been beating down.

We sailed around Fisher Island, crossing into New York waters and back again, and all too soon it was time to return back to the Mystic Harbor and through the bridges.  Back on land, we walked through a couple of antique stores, stopped for ice cream, and drove over to Stonington, Connecticut.

This post is getting quite long, so stay tuned for the rest of our day at Mystic!