Mystic Cruzar Arrives at Channel Islands Harbor

Mystic Cruzar

There’s a new tall ship at the Channel Islands Harbor and she’s a beauty.

The Mystic Cruzar, an 83-foot-long, 110-foot-tall, steel-hulled schooner, arrived in early January and is currently located at the public docks adjacent to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. Public tours could be available in the late spring, early summer months.

Yacht brokers Bob Nahm of Seacoast Channel Islands, and Vicki Van Hook of Seacoast Santa Barbara, worked hard for their clients Roger and Sarah Chrisman of Montecito to acquire the tall ship. The Chrismans renamed the tall ship from Mystic Whaler to Mystic Cruzar.

The Chrismans are currently setting up a program through their non-profit Central Coast Ocean Adventures to allow the public and youth to tour the ship and learn about the history and science of sea trade. The ship will also travel to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and offer tours.

About the Mystic Cruzar

The ship was built in Florida in 1967 and that year began offering one- to five-day sailing cruises out of Mystic, Connecticut along with brunch, lunch, dinner and sunset cruises and environmental education programs. In 2006, the schooner moved to City Pier, Connecticut, where it has operated since and participated in various maritime festivals in the city.

The schooner historically carried 3,000 to 4,000 passengers each year from May to October. In 2018, both Connecticut and Yankee Magazine named it the best coastal cruise in Connecticut.

The ship is a reproduction of a late 19-century coastal cargo schooner with 3,000 square feet of sail and a diesel engine. It features Italian oak floors and fir wainscoting with mahogany accents along with six bathrooms with host showers. It was rebuilt in 1993.

The Mystic Cruzar is Coast Guard certified for 50 passengers plus 10 crew.

Editor’s Note: this story was published on Jan. 31, 2022.

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