Friends recommended Mystic and specifically this marina. More on that in a bit.
Our timing for the day's travel wasn't the best. We left during an incoming tide. Yesterday, that cost us about a knot, and when the tide shifted we gained that and more back. Today, however, probably because the channel is narrower here, we were sorely penalized. The tide against us was 2 to 3 knots. Our 2 1/2 hour trip took 3 1/2, which still isn't long, but a small setback. We also had to dodge the New London Ferry. Don't want to be in those guys's way!
Coming into Mystic. Darling place!
We purposely left for Mystic's bridges. There are 2 you have to get through, the first being railroad which is usually open. Side note: we got lucky there... just after going through it closed. The second is about 15 minutes after, the Mystic River Highway Bridge. It only opens at 40 minutes after the hour. If you miss it, you wait. If you're there and you fail to let them know that, you wait. We arrived about 10 minutes early but got through without incident.
Ever diligent about what we'll find in various marinas Russ read that boats dock against pilings that are along granite block walls. He inflated our blue fenders to be ready -- granite sounds harsh. But when we got there we were put on a lovely floating dock. Turns out it was only 3 weeks old.
What we thought we'd dock against.
But, spankin' new piers for us!
Main Street of the museum
We're in the Mystic Seaport Museum Marina. We've stayed in boat museum marinas before. This, however, is so much more. Yes, there are a number of boats along the port you can walk onto but there's an entire small seaport town that's part of the marina. And once the place closes, as a visiting vessel, you have the run of the place. We plan on exploring it further tomorrow.
What do you do with the old town bank? Turn it into a brewery, of course.
Today we walked the town center, ate and drank and a local brewery, and saw the business that started it all, Mystic Pizza. A local docent here said when she was a girl this was a dying town. Now it's always busy. She believe the movie, Mystic Pizza, saved the place.
My stout, and Russ's flight from the Bank and Bridge Brewery.
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