Sandbagger Sloop

This past week I’ve been writing extensively about some of the vessels found at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Until now, I had failed to mention the first Mystic Seaport acquisition: Annie. No, not the musical, Annie is the name of a sandbagger sloop donated to Mystic Seaport in 1931. Annie became the first vessel in the now extensive watercraft collection.

Annie was built in 1880 in Mystic by David O. Richmond. The ship was commissioned by Henry H. Tift to use for competitive racing. In 2004 the ship underwent restoration to return it to its former glory. Annie is definitely a sight to be seen. Perhaps this summer I’ll take my own family to Mystic. It might be nice for my kids to see what boats looked like before the advent of marine engine oil.