Stonington — The replica of the Mayflower is expected to arrive at Mystic Seaport on Wednesday afternoon and spend the next 30 months at the museum as shipyard workers complete its extensive restoration.

The 106-foot-long Mayflower II spent each of the past two winters at the Seaport for restoration work but then returned each May to Plymouth, Mass., where it is an extremely popular tourist attraction, being visited by an estimated 350,000 people each year.

But with a major celebration planned for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival aboard the original Mayflower in 1620, the $8 million of work needs to be wrapped up by the 2020 deadline so it can sail again.

“Being here (for the next 30 months) is the best way to get the job done,” Seaport spokesman Dan McFadden said Tuesday.

The 59-year-old boat, which is being towed by a tugboat, left Plymouth on Tuesday and is scheduled to spend Tuesday night in New Bedford, Mass. Weather permitting, it is expected to reach the museum around 1 p.m.

McFadden said the shipyard will have to remove the ballast and rigging and hopes to haul it out of the water by Thanksgiving. He said museum visitors will be able to view the work in the shipyard as they did with the restoration of the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, but will not be able to go aboard the ship for the foreseeable future.

He said the Seaport is working with Plimoth Plantation, which owns the vessel, to develop some educational programs about the ship during its extended stay.

The Mayflower will join replicas of the Amistad and a Viking ship, both of which are wintering at the museum.

j.wojtas@theday.com