Sail Away with Argia Mystic Cruises
In this 'Chamber Spotlight' blog series, we highlight the businesses and attractions that make eastern CT unique. This week, we chat with Captain Amy Blumberg and learn about Argia Mystic Cruises, sailing from Mystic daily between May and October. Learn about this remarkable business in the interview below, and be sure to sail with them this summer!
Argia Mystic Cruises Address: 2 Steamboat Wharf, Mystic, CT 06355 Phone: (860) 536-0416 Website: www.ArgiaMystic.com Email: Sales@ArgiaMystic.com The sailing ship Argia sails daily from the beginning of May through mid-October.
Tell us a little about Argia Mystic Cruises. We operate the lovely sailing ship Argia, which has called Mystic, CT home for over 30 years. Departing from the drawbridge in Mystic, she carries up to 20,000 visitors and locals annually. Her trips are both a tourist attraction and a local favorite.
How did Argia Mystic Cruises start out? The business was founded by Captain Frank Fulchiero of Mystic, lovingly described as the “Schooner Baron” by his friends and employees because he operated so many of the working schooners in Mystic. He started the business back in 1974 when a great interest in the almost extinct class of traditional working sailing ships was fanned by the success of the Mystic Seaport Museum and other similar organizations. The little village of Mystic, CT was a burgeoning tourist destination and visitors wanted to see this iconic maritime town and revel in the American history of an era of tall ships that had almost slipped away by the 1900s. Captain Fulchiero’s sailing schooners gave people a way to actually get out on the water and experience these ships of a bygone era, gloriously moving under a full press of sail. In 1986, he designed and built the schooner Argia to be Mystic’s permanent day sailing working schooner.
What aspects of sailing the Argia are you passionate about? At Argia Mystic Cruises, we are most fervent about getting people out on the water on a traditional sailing ship. Many visitors to the area have never even been on the ocean, much less aboard one of the last working schooners in the country. Our staff is eager to share the experience and the background of Argia and her home waters.
Argia sails daily during the warmer months and offers public daytime sailings, sunset cruises, private parties, and more. What is the most popular cruise among eastern CT residents and visitors? The sunset cruise aboard Argia has always been our most popular. Who can pass up jumping aboard a sailboat after a hard day with a bottle of wine to watch the sun go down? Especially when the sailing crew serves you cheese and crackers and beguiles you with nautical tall tales of the area!
In your opinion, how does the Mystic community feel about Argia Mystic Cruises? The Schooner Argia is an icon in Mystic. She’s been here for over 30 years and is depicted in local art and photos, local business’ advertisements, and holiday cards, on the covers of books, and elsewhere about the town. Local families will charter Argia multiple times: for birthdays, weddings, memorials, anniversaries.
Why should new guests sail aboard the schooner Argia? If you are drawn to Mystic because of the water, the charm, the scenery, the maritime tradition, a sail aboard Argia completes and complements that experience.
What keeps guests coming back? We offer a beautiful trip/excursion. But most importantly, we make sure we always keep our quality top notch. We work our fingers to the bone keeping our wooden ship pretty and alive. Our crew and staff are ever enthusiastic and cognizant that our guests are embarking on an excursion that is really special for them. We make sure they always get our full attention. We remember, every day, who it is making it possible for us to go sailing for a living!
Argia Mystic Cruises is one of eastern CT's most unique attractions. Do you participate in any events or activities that some people might not know about? The sailing ship Argia is the village of Mystic’s very own pirate ship! The Mystic Downtown Merchant Association arranges a Pirate Invasion of downtown Mystic each year for charity. Argia and her crew volunteer to invade as the dread pirate ship, cannon fire included. However, we are run out of town each time by the militia. We will invade again each October, though, because it raises money for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation.
Thank you for your time, Captain Blumberg. What simple advice would you give to someone who is just starting to launch their business or idea? The instructor of my first creative writing class spent the entire semester haranguing us to always write about something we actually knew about and cared about. He said that if we didn’t, the story would not ring true to the reader and they would lose interest. I think this is also the case if you are considering launching a new business. Make sure you have worked in that industry, so you know what works and what you want to do differently. Make sure you are passionate about what you are going to do or what you are going to offer. That enthusiasm will infect your employees and it will be obvious and desirable to your customers. 
