The Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island, is hallowed ground for sailors worldwide as one of New England's greatest museums.

It comprises a number of Herreshoff boats, historical and family exhibits, and the pinnacle of sailing races, the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

To some people, freedom comes in the form of an automobile or airplane, but to sailors, sitting at the helm of a sailboat, be it a sailing dinghy or 12-meter, the freedom involved trumps that provided by cars and any other form of transportation going away.

If sailing were a religion, then The Herreshoff Marine Museum is Jerusalem, the Vatican and Mecca combined. It is one of the great New England museums for sailing and boating enthusiasts anywhere.

Every sailor worth his or her salt has heard the name Herreshoff, not once, but many times. Indeed, Herreshoff is synonymous with sailing in many circles by virtue of the designs the family has conceived.

It's a name that equates to excellence in sailing vessels, and generations have sailed and raced Herreshoff boats.

While boats, model boats, designs, history and sailing are the focus of the museum, it's also the repository of all things relating to the America's Cup.

Write's Halsey C. Herreshoff, the current president of the museum, "The America's Cup is the Holy Grail of yacht racing. It is much more. This Cup, in competition for a period of 150 years, is the oldest and most distinguished trophy in all sport, outdating the World Cup, Davis Cup, Stanley Cup, Walker Cup, and all others of significance."

The Herreshoff family was intertwined with the design of many of the American yachts that vied for the coveted cup from the very beginning of the competition in 1851. In fact, their designs and participation in design kept the cup in America until 1983 when sailing went hi-tech.

That's when the whole nature of the competition changed, and in this writer's opinion, not for the better. Instead of remaining a gentlemen's sport, the desire to win involved expenditures of millions of dollars in complex experimental designs, ship-building, rigging and promotion.

Indeed, sponsors became the norm, making the classic racing boats look like NASCAR racecars, their sails festooned with advertising decals.

The Herreshoff Museum section offers excellent specimens of the family's designs and harkens back to the day, not that long ago, when yachts were constructed of wood, not fiberglass, and the craftsmanship was elegant.

Captain Nat Herreshoff's model room displays his famous half models and is accessible by appointment.

The A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff Room chronicles the family's history as well as the birth and development of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. There's also the collection of Herreshoff family portraits.

What many people, sailors included, may not know is that the Herreshoff family was involved in the design of more than sailing yachts. They also designed torpedo boats for the military.

If you're a sailor or interested in the sport, this museum is not to be missed on any New England getaway.