OLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. – “Splendid Voyage: Life on a Long Island Whaler,” an exhibition that traces the two and a half year pacific whaling voyage of the Cold Spring Harbor whaleship Splendid, is on view at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum through June 2001.
The exhibition is a view into the extraordinary world of the Nineteenth Century whalemen as they sailed the world’s oceans in search of whales. Enduring extremes of weather, dangerous work and close confinement, these men went to sea year after year serving an industry that lasted for over a century. “Splendid Voyage” will show what the daily life of the whalemen was like and how their shipboard world was carefully organized to meet the challenges of their unique industry.
The experiences of actual Long Island whalemen will be brought to life through logbook entries and other manuscripts from the Museum’s archival collection. Visitors will be able to trace the route of the Splendid on a mural-sized map display and learn about the people and places encountered along the way.
The exhibit will stress family learning through hands-on interactive displays, images and reproduction objects. A reconstruction of a sailor’s bunk, an interactive whaleship cross-section, and the contents of a whaleman’s sea chest are some of the displays that will be appropriate for all ages.
The Whaling Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm year-round, and additionally on Mondays Memorial Day through Labor Day. For information, 631/367-3418.
