© Russell Kaye
Ready for Another “Brilliant” Sailing Season After Significant Restoration
By John Burnham
Rockport, Maine: June 24, 2025—Rockport Marine is pleased to announce the relaunching of the iconic schooner Brilliant after completing significant restoration work on behalf of its owner, Mystic Seaport Museum. After sea trials in Maine, Brilliant has sailed home to Mystic, Connecticut, in time for the 2025 sailing season and a public appearance at the WoodenBoat Show, June 27–29.
© Russell Kaye
Described by WoodenBoat magazine as “one of the best-maintained and sailed classic yachts in the country—if not the world,” the 93-year-old Sparkman & Stephens design came to Rockport Marine last year to capitalize on the company’s traditional wooden-boat building skills to replace aging frame ends, floor timbers, some planking, and driveline. The company has previously restored the likes of Adventuress, a 1924 William Fife III schooner, and the 1949 Sparkman & Stephen’s classic yawl, Bolero.
© Russell Kaye
“It would be an ordinary piece of work for us,” said Sam Temple, President of Rockport Marine, “but for the fact that Brilliant has such extraordinary qualities and history. It was a privilege to work on such a well-built vessel and in partnership with the Museum.”
© Russell Kaye
Built at the Nevins Yard on City Island in 1932 for Walter Barnum, Brilliant set a trans-Atlantic record in 1933 of 15 days, 1 hour and 23 minutes. She was subsequently owned by Briggs Cunningham, who donated her to Mystic Seaport Museum in 1953 for youth sail training and educational programs. Since then, Brilliant has sailed more than 100,000 nautical miles and provided more than 11,000 students of all ages with the
chance to learn traditional sailing aboard a fine classic schooner.
For those able to get to Mystic Seaport Museum from June 27-29, Brilliant will be a highlight among more than 100 fine examples of wooden boatbuilding on display at the WoodenBoat Show. Brilliant will be available for viewing during the show.
© Russell Kaye
Also on display at the show will be another recent Rockport Marine restoration, the beautiful L. Francis Herreshoff design Narwhal (63 feet length on deck). Her elegant and freshly painted black hull and varnished spars will make her a showstopper. Repair work at the Rockport yard last year included major structural, systems and interior work.
Visit the Wooden Boat Show for ticket information and the Mystic Seaport Museum page on Brilliant for more on the famous schooner. Visit the Rockport website, to learn more about the company’s restoration and new-build capabilities.
About Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
About Rockport Marine – Rockport Marine specializes in custom construction, restoration and design and has built and restored some of the world’s most renowned wooden yachts. Led by a third-generation boatbuilder and located on the coast of Maine, the yard is not only adept in traditional skills but a pioneer in cold molded and WoodComposite construction—innovative methods that produce vessels with the feel, smell, and sound attenuation inherent to the best wooden yachts while achieving excellent strength-to-weight ratios and enviable maintenance qualities.
With a culture of ingenuity and integrity since its founding in 1962, Rockport Marine offers exceptional value and attention to their clients. Every project is a collaboration grounded in communication, trust, and shared vision. The result: vessels that often surpass both designer and client’s highest hopes.
For more information, please visit rockportmarine.com and follow Rockport Marine on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
