Mystic Seaport Presents 32nd Annual Antique &
Classic Boat Rendezvous
Mystic, Conn. ~ Nearly 50 classic boats – both power and sail – will tie up
along Mystic Seaport’s waterfront July 28-29 for the Museum’s 32nd Annual
Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous.
The featured vessel at this year’s event is Fawan, a rare 40-foot canoe
stern aft cabin launch. Built in 1911 for John Jacob Astor IV, Fawan was
used by Astor at his estate Ferncliff on the Hudson River. In 2003, the late
Bob Tiedemann and his wife Elizabeth of Newport, RI, restored Fawan and
added her to the Tiedemann Collection of Historic, Antique and Classic
Yachts. Fawan’s Honduras mahogany with ebony and holly inlays, beveled glass
windows and three spider-web design windows make her a popular luxury ferry
in wedding ceremonies, tours and special events.
The vessels are on display at Mystic Seaport all day Saturday and Sunday
morning. They leave the Museum Sunday at 12:30 p.m. for the three-mile
parade down the historic Mystic River, led by Sabino, Mystic Seaport’s 1908
coal-fired, wooden steamboat, which is also a National Historic Landmark.
Each boat is announced from the shore on the Stonington side of the river as
it passes through Mystic’s famous Bascule Bridge on to Noank. Townspeople
and tourists line the parade route to catch a glimpse of these boats, many
with costumed crews.
During the weekend, an award competition recognizes excellence in
restoration, authenticity and workmanship, among other criteria.
Mystic Seaport – The Museum of America and the Sea – is the nation’s leading
maritime museum. The Museum is located one mile south of exit 90 off I-95 in
Mystic, CT. For more information, call 888.973.2767 or visit
www.mysticseaport.org.