PREPARE TO SET SAIL! WE ARE NOW BOOKING PASSAGE FOR SUMMER 2013

As you may know, we've been working to create a school ship for Connecticut families. To get the season rolling we will begin booking group events. Whether its school groups, corporations, church groups, or individual families, this boat can be used for any number of functions and we're aiming to get everyone out on the water. So if you would like to sail aboard the Mystic this summer, now is the time to begin booking passage. These first bookings will be non-binding until we are sure the ink will dry on the loan package, but just in time for Memorial day, the Mystic is ready to sail and its first come first serve.

Click here to download a Brochure for events aboard the Mystic

Saving the Mystic: Update

In early 2013, Capt Chris German learned that a 171-foot schooner built in 2007 was located here in Connecticut and was being offered for sale. The vessel built of steel, boasting 34 berths, a 500-horse diesel engine and a full complement of sails sat unused after being foreclosed upon in 2009. Having such a state of the art vessel located in our waters being left to deteriorate at the dock when so many children and families would otherwise never get the chance to enjoy our State’s greatest natural resource was a prospect German could not stand for.

German had an idea of creating a facility that would welcome all residents to the waters of Long Island Sound regardless of where they lived or how much money they made. A Vessel that could act as a live aboard facility where those residents who could not make it down to the sea for a day, could come and spend a night, a weekend or a week at a time learning about and enjoying our waters while gaining the many benefits the water provides. This vessel would not merely give them a boat ride, but give them a life changing experience where they would be introduced to and taught the art of sailing and boating. It was important that these people be given time to learn because a day trip was akin to giving a man a fish and it was the mission of  CCB to sustain people for a lifetime.

German set forth an effort to raise the $1.8 Million in funds to purchase the vessel for this purpose and for the last three months he has worked to identify the financial resources to make this vision a reality. We now sit ready to bring these resources together and set forth the plan to create a school ship for Long Island Sound that will welcome all residents from across the region to the water so that they may not just have a day to enjoy the Sound, but the tools to enjoy a life with the skills derived from our State’s greatest natural resource.

We have prepared a proposal that outlines the vision for this plan including the financing, the revenue model and the operational plan begin to serve the community for generations to come. This document explains our plan for short-term funding as well as long term sustainability and gives a brief history of Connecticut Community Boating, a description of the organization and an introduction to our leader and founder, Capt Chris German, who has devoted his life to serving Connecticut and Long Island Sound and has most recently been nominated a National Maritime Hero for his work with Connecticut Community Boating. We hope that this will give you a full understanding of our missions and work and will give you the confidence to believe that together we can work to create this valuable resource for our region. 

If you would like to read the full proposal, please email us at Info@ctcommunityboating.org to request a copy including a 2013 Budget and Five years of cash flow for the project. Our aim in making this information public is to demonstrate how this project will become a self-sustained effort free of tax payer resources and provide full transparency to our supporters. Thank you. 

A Green School Ship for the People

This image is from an article about making schools more environmentally friendly. We spend so much time and money figuring out how to make square pegs fit in round holes, rather than use the lessons we already know. The Mystic will aim to open the world eyes to those lessons with the Sea, the sun and the windThe week ahead has a few exciting missions for us. Find Three Sponsors before weeks end so that we can put to sea by June 1.

But last week the funding for the Mystic presented itself, but with the caveat that in order to access it, we need to prove we will be an economic success. How can we prove that? By getting to work!

We are certain that when the message of this vessel gets out to the world, the funding will come through because it is just that good of an idea. 

Imagine, a BEAUTIFUL Sailing ship, that is state of the art in design, that can sail around the world, that can carry a message of Ocean awareness, clean waters, sustainability, community and demonstrate the power of wind, waves and sun all rolled into one as it sails from Connecticut, down the East River to the open seas and back a half dozen times a season? Not too bad a message to align with your corporate brand is it? 

Andf what about those who would like to come aboard? This vessel can tuck into any of Connecticut's "deep water" ports as well as any of its rivers, channels and harbors because it draws only 10 Feet. Imagine everything I just said, but parked off Milford or New Haven or Groton? 

And imagine if when this vessel pulls into Bays and Harbors from Miami to Boston it has a flag of Connecticut and calls its home port New London. Why that would say to XYZ Corporate CEO, "Connecticut is progressive in its aim, motivated in its methods and on its way to success in the 21rst Century" 

Dont you see how much more attractive that vision is for a vessel than propping up a replica of a 1800's artifact dedicated to keeping the message of what once was alive but died because of its unsustainabilty? 

I hate to compare the wooden tall ship to dinosaurs, but the reason why you dont see a Brontosaur walking through Central Park is they could not be sustained in this world we now know. And that is the same reason why countless tall ships are sitting at the dock, quietly rotting away and tragedy is striking cash-strapped vessels who fail to keep up with maintenance. They are not sustainable and cannot do what the Mystic can do for education, service and the people. 

And so this week ahead, it is our job to spread the word of the Mystic- from its sustainabilty to its beauty, from its seaworthiness to its future plying the waters of Coastal Connnecticut, New York, Rhode Island and beyond. We need to tell everyone that she is ready to sail, if only we can get the funding to unfurl her sails, hire her captain and fill her tank with Bio-Diesel and top her salons with solar panels. 

The Mystic is ready to begin her new life as a Messenger Ship for the East, an ambassdor for the State and a mentor for the youth. Lets make it happen!

Now Booking Passage Aboard the Mystic (or whatever you'd like to call her)!

Ships of State from years ago used to carry the image of their benefactor with them to sea. We see no reason why that cant hold true once again when we carry the brand of one corporate benefactor past the windows of NYC on way to the Atlantic each summer and up the channels in Harbors all along the East CoastWeird title huh? Well its over due. We spoke with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development yesterday about our plans for the Mystic and the $400,000 loan/grant package we applied for back in April. They didnt say no, but then again they didnt say yes either. 

In short, The DECD said IF we could prove that the Mystic could be economically viable, THEN they would write the deal. We didnt know you had to PROVE you could make money to do good deeds in this State but so be it- thank goodness no one asked to prove that the US Postal Service was economically viable or the George Washington Bridge or I-95 could make a buck. Public projects are public because of the good they provide not the bang for the buck. As a 501c3, we dont judge what we do based upon how much money it will make- we do it because its the right thing to do. Apparently that is not the case for a State-run and funded organization that is dedicated to improving the community????

Ok rants aside, we've never relied on tax dollars to do what we do at CCB and we're not about to start now. If the State doesnt think Long Island Sound, children and a cultural resource like a Regional School Ship are worth standing behind without strings, then we wil use the best economic resource we can think of in these United States to make it happen- the free market. 

Nascar does it. The NFL does it- Heck even UCONN, Southern and Yale do it- Sponsorships, revenues and branding!

The Mystic will be a highly visible, economic engine that will go from Bar Harbor to Bermuda and Madison to Montego Bay- Imagine this big ol girl steaming up the East River past the windows of the Freedom Tower or past the shores of Long Wharf or under the bridges of Newport?  

Companies pay vans to drive the streets of Norwalk for weeks at a time to get their brand out? Why cant we do it with a Ship that boats State of the Art amenities, a completely green foot print and is dedicated to serving low income kids and families? Can you see the Starbucks Mermaid over the heads of smiling young faces as they haul in the main sail of a beauty like the Mystic? 

And then theres the name. Many have suggested we ought to rename the lady Mystic. Poseidon does not look kindly on those vessels who wish to shed one name in favor of another- Many a vessel sits at rest on the bottom of the Atlantic for such violations of maritime tradition. But then again, when one name has fallen out of favor with his salty highness, it is often wiser to put on a new face rather than try to remediate a persona that has gone sour. So a new name for the Mystic when we get her might be in order.

But whoa there tiger- you didnt think we would do it just like that? 

Rechistening a vessel requires an offering to Poseidon, the gentle hand of lady to warm his cold heart so that he may open the books of the Sea and admit a new name to one his children. He also requires an offering of spirits to brighten his mood and it never hurts to ply your passage past the annuls of Davey Jones locker with a capital investment. And so to do so, we will need a capital partner. An underwriter for the Seas as it were. 

As a thank you, we will give one lucky benefactor a host of benefits for the summer including brand placement on the full compliment of sails, title sponsor of all our events this summer and the cherry on top, we will etch your name into the traditions of the Sea and give that most coveted real estate on the ship's hull to you along with the full pomp and circumstance involved with re-christening a vessel- Your wife, daughter, Mom or favoritest lady in the land will be asked to crack a bottle of bubbly over her hull when we give her your name. 

That sounds pretty cool huh? Well it is, but its not cheap. We need to "prove our economic viability" after all. So we wont be so vulgar as to put a price tag on such an honor, but as any good boater will tell you, if you have to ask how much it costs, you cant afford it. 

Who can afford it? Well we have looked at the top 15 Greenest Companies in America and the Top 15 WORST companies for the Planet in America. This honor will go to one company that either wants to cement their brand in the Zeitgeist as a a top corporate neighbor on the scene in the Northeast or has a substantial need to do a little spring cleaner of their corporate image. We don't discriminate at CCB so either is welcome. 

Some of the ideas we have been given and some of the calls we are making include Google, Starbucks, Sprint and LEED. Others could include PSEG, the NRA, BP or Exxon. We don't judge at CCB, but Poseidon has a dark sense of humor- so if you are one of the ones who needs a little help in the public imag department, we will ask that you reflect reflect that in your bid. 

CCB asks CCB to eye another Ship of State for ideas on how to put the Magic Back in the Mystic

The Baltimore Clipper II, a replica of the original which sank off Puerto Rico was built in 1988 for the State of Maryland to commemorate the pivotal role clipper ships of the era played in winning the War of 1812. Dont know if it is appropriate to call it destiny, but there has to be something in the winds when a non-profit in Connecticut calls a loan company in Florida about a boat called the Mystic and both companies are called CCB. 

CCB in Florida (Commercial Capital Bancorp) and CCB in Connecticut (Us) are both in the boating business and both now eyeing the Mystic as an investment. But that is pretty much where are similarities stop. 

Earlier this week, we called CCB Florida after seeing their website and recalling the early days of Save the Mystic when we aimed to finance another vessel and were in need of capital. Now that we are on the edge of summer, its time to get the Mystic moving and being still short of the goal, it was time to look at new options. 

The latest plan to put the Magic back in the Mystic is to finance the $1.8 Million price tag using the money we have leveraged so far as a down payment towards the full purchase. This would likely draw out our monthly payments to a less dramatic level and could make this project happen by as early as June 1. 

Here's the rub though- CCB Florida has a few requirements of their own. 

The commericial shipping finance company would like to model the deal after another Ship of State from years past that they also financed- The Baltmore Clipper. 

In the case of that vessel, The State of Maryland acted as a co-signer for the company that ran the B.C., thereby guarunteeing that the loan made by CCB Florida would be repaid. Sailing has always been a risky venture and finance companies like to see big pockets behind the mission in case all hell breaks loose. Columbus had Spain as his benefactor, our hope is that Connecticut will be ours. 

But if the model that worked before can work again this time for a school ship in Long Island Sound, we could be on track to make our May 24 date in New London and start booking passage next week. 

But for it to happen, we need some help from our State leaders and leadership from our State. 

As always, we have come up with a way to make this happen, without costing the tax payer any money and if all works out, be able to create a self sustaining model that will last for the ages. If we were creating a liability that would cost upwards of $350,000 annually to the tax payer as some other vessels of recent fame do, this would be a lousy idea. But this project would create as many as 15 jobs, serve at least 240 kids a season and provide another 1000 kids and families with access to the water and maritime eduaction annually as well as take two stories of the Great Recession and put them in the win column. 

This project is a no brainer for the State of Connecticut and we're ready to get to work if our State is ready to work with us. The question is will they?