Blockade Runners
Posted on June 15, 2026 by Jenny ONeill
A three-day event offering a chance to view the Mayflower II shallop, as well as music, movies, discussion, reflection, kid’s activities and refreshments
To celebrate Revolution 250, the Mayflower II Fuller Shallop and its crew—led by the Mayflower II’s Captain Whit Perry—will undertake a once-in-a-lifetime voyage honoring the Revolutionary War blockade-running exploits of Paul Cuffe. Free!
10 AM – 12 noon Friday August 14 at Westport Point
Mayflower II Shallop Arrival
Mayflower II Shallop and 1941 restored wooden sardine boat WILLIAM UNDERWOOD, escorting the Shallop, arrive at Westport River between 10 – 12 noon.
Photo courtesy Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Saturday August 15 and Sunday August 16
11:00 to 3:00 pm
Westport Point wharves and Paquachuck Inn
Parking available at 1839 Main Road, free shuttle to the wharves!
- View the Mayflower II Shallop docked at the central wharf at Westport Point and meet the crew led by Mayflower II Captain Whit Perry.
- View the WILLIAM UNDERWOOD and meet Captain Richard Armstrong.
- Enjoy refreshments and kid’s activities, and meet local history authors at the Paquachuck Inn.
11:30 am and 2:30 pm
CUFFE: TAXED
Meet Anita Allison, writer/producer/director of Cuffe: Taxed and actor Tyson Brown, and preview the movie, a powerful dramatic short film exploring the life and legacy of Paul Cuffe—shipowner, abolitionist, philanthropist, and one of the most influential Black Americans of the early Republic.
12:30 Native Drumming and Singing led by Chief 2Running Elk
1:00 – 2:15 pm PANEL DISCUSSION at the Paquachuck Inn
Local historians offer fresh perspectives on the American Revolution, exploring the stories unique to the SouthCoast region of Native American and African American individuals who served in the Revolution, the role of Paul Cuffe, the efforts to secure rights of “all men” – including Black and Indigenous men – to be equal, and an overview of the future plans for Wainer Woods, a site dedicated to Native American heritage.
Panelists include:
- Richard Gifford, historian and genealogist
- David Cole, Cuffe and Wainer historian
- Lee Blake, President, New Bedford Historical Society
- Robert Cox, descendant of Cuff Slocum and Michael Wainer
The Mayflower II shallop will also stop at:
Padanaram (8/17)
Cuttyhunk Island (8/18 and 19)
Nantucket (8/21)
ALSO
Cuffe: Taxed, a new film by Anita Allison
5.30 PM Thursday August 13
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Paul Cuffe is sick of paying taxes to a government that won’t let him vote. But when you’re a Black and Wampanoag mariner in the middle of the American Revolution, dodging the British Navy is somehow the easier part of your life.
On a risky mission to deliver food to war-ravaged Nantucket, Paul and his ever-resourceful brother-in-law, Michael Wainer, find themselves outgunned, and overloaded. Their boat is slow to make way under the weight of both supplies and a very unnecessary grandfather clock. Paul faces a tough choice: save the food for the starving people or deliver the clock and make money to pay his taxes and avoid jail. A fast-paced, sharp-witted historical adventure, CUFFE: Taxed proves that sometimes the biggest fight isn’t on the battlefield.
For tickets and information, contact the New Bedford Whaling Museum