Mystic Seaport does a number of demonstrations each day, but I only got a chance to watch one. In this case, I got to see how they the prepared a freshly-caught Cod back in the day. There's some really,
really mild gore in the next few pictures, so if you're super-super sensitive, you might want to skip ahead to the pretty boats.
Splitting the Cod lengthwise. The head has always been removed.
Slicing off the inedible bits around the tail.
Breaking the spine.
Loosening the spine.
And finally, removing it and chucking it overboard. The curator pointed out that until recently, final fluid from Cods was used as a thickener in clam chowder. Um...yum?
The meat on the Cod's cheeks apparently makes a good substitute for scallops, which is what she's cutting right now.
This is the Danish lighthouse tender
Gerda III. In 1943, this boat was used to smuggle 300 Jews from Denmark to Sweden, presumably not all at the same time. Surprisingly, I haven't been able to find out much about this particular boat.
Three 27 foot whale boats on display. A design that's stood the test of time.
Interior of the whaleboat.
The
Emma C Berry, a fishing sloop built in 1866, is one of the oldest crafts in the seaport's collection. Amazing that even the most purely utilitarian boats of time time would have elaborate scrollwork.
