It’s common to see boats leaving the Mystic Seaport under the Mystic River Bridge, but you might have done a double take when you saw the Mayflower II, a replica of the original vessel that brought pilgrims to American, sailing out toward the open sea today.
The ship, which has lost its ability to sail over the years, was pushed and pulled out of the Mystic Seaport dock by two tugboats.
Electrician Pete Procko worked on the ship, which has undergone restoration work at the Mystic shipyard over the last six months.
“It’s kind of ironic because back 400 years ago there was no such thing as electricity,” Procko laughed.
Still, being part of the restoration work has been a point of passion for Procko.
“I’m a boat fanatic any ways and it’s like a kid in a candy store,” he added.
Great effort went into keeping the Mayflower II as historically accurate as possible.
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“These are very very time consuming, careful restoration projects,” said Dan McFadden, the spokesperson for the Mystic Seaport.
It will spend Sunday night in New Bedford, before completing the 109 nautical mile journey to Plymouth, where it’s expected to land Monday afternoon, in time for the summer tourist season.
The ship is now 60 years old. The years have taken their toll. It’s spent the last two winters in Mystic for the start of a stem to stern restoration.
“Mayflower’s old enough now that she has become a historical ship in her own right,” McFadden said.
This time, the half-deck and mast rigging were replaced. The full restoration costs an estimated $12-million. So far, the Plymouth Plantation has raised 25%, putting a return trip to Mystic in jeopardy if more funds aren’t raised by the fall.
“The ship will be no longer. She will not be able to serve her educational mission, she will not be able to sail,” explained Plymouth Plantation Spokesperson Kate Sheehan. “It’s very important as a cultural, economic, and educational anchor Mayflower II is fully restored.”
“America’s a maritime nation, and if you don’t have the ships to tell the stories, that’s part of the American story that will be forgotten,” added McFadden.
The Plymouth Plantation’s goal is to have the ship fully restored and able to set sail by the year 2020, in time for the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower’s Atlantic voyage.
