Vineyard-Built Vessel Joins Mystic Seaport Museum Collection

The Sheldrake, a 19-foot gaff sloop designed by Nat Benjamin and built by Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, has been inducted into the Connecticut museum's permanent collection.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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The Sheldrake, a 19-foot gaff sloop designed by Nat Benjamin and built by the renowned Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, has been inducted into the permanent collection of the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. The vessel will be featured in the museum's 'Wooden Boat Revival Neighborhood' exhibit.

Why it matters

The addition of the Sheldrake to the Mystic Seaport Museum's collection is a significant recognition of the enduring work and craftsmanship of Gannon & Benjamin, a highly respected boatbuilding operation that has called the Vineyard Haven waterfront home since the 1980s. It also highlights the continued importance of preserving traditional wooden boat-building techniques.

The details

The Sheldrake was built in 2015 for Steve and Maureen Corkery of Shelter Island, New York, who commissioned the vessel that year. The boat is traditionally built with white cedar planking fastened to steam-bent white oak frames, and features a stem, backbone, and rudder made of white oak and black locust, as well as a raked transom built with wana, a tropical hardwood from Suriname. The vessel has no auxiliary motor, making it 'nimble and quick' according to designer Nat Benjamin.

  • The Sheldrake was built in 2015.
  • The Mystic Seaport Museum's watercraft operations committee unanimously voted to induct the Sheldrake into the museum's permanent collection in late February 2026.

The players

Nat Benjamin

The designer of the Sheldrake, a 19-foot gaff sloop.

Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway

A highly respected boatbuilding operation that has called the Vineyard Haven waterfront home since the early 1980s and built the Sheldrake.

Steve and Maureen Corkery

The owners of Shelter Island, New York who commissioned the Sheldrake in 2015.

Mystic Seaport Museum

The largest maritime museum in the United States, located in Mystic, Connecticut, which has inducted the Sheldrake into its permanent collection.

Dana Hewson

The former vice president of watercraft preservation and programs and the Clark senior curator for watercraft at the Mystic Seaport Museum.

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What they’re saying

“We are honored that Mystic Seaport Museum has accepted Sheldrake into their permanent collection. We are grateful for the recognition and delighted that one of our favorite boats will be represented in America's finest maritime museum.”

— Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway (Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway press release)

“They have been true to a style of building that has all but disappeared in our times. All of this [was] made possible due to the knowledge and experience of the principles. I have heard there is a movement afoot to preserve their yard along the waterfront. In the past[,] the collection has included representative boats of significant designers/owners/builders[,] and I suggest that be done in this case.”

— Dana Hewson, Former Vice President of Watercraft Preservation and Programs and Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft, Mystic Seaport Museum (Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway press release)

What’s next

The Mystic Seaport Museum plans to feature the Sheldrake in its 'Wooden Boat Revival Neighborhood' exhibit as part of the vessel's induction into the museum's permanent collection.

The takeaway

The induction of the Sheldrake into the Mystic Seaport Museum's collection is a testament to the enduring craftsmanship and traditional boat-building techniques of Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, a renowned Vineyard Haven boatbuilder. It highlights the continued importance of preserving this specialized skill set and the vessels that embody it.