Prepare to Come About — It’s All About Sailing

Just a typical day of sailing camp at Mystic Seaport.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and texting are words most likely part of  the vocabulary of any pre-teen, teen or computer-literate adult these days.  But how about these words: Dyer Dhow, main sheet, halyard, jibe, tack, fore, aft, starboard, port, head?

If those examples of a sailor’s vernacular aren’t familiar to you, a simple phone call or email could change all that. Enrolling in one of Mystic Seaport’s sailing programs not only expands your vocabulary, it opens up a wonderful opportunity to learn to sail and enjoy an unequaled experience out on the water.

Never sailed before? Doesn’t matter!  Don’t own a sailboat? Doesn’t matter! You are grandparent vintage? Doesn’t matter! Only 8 years old? Doesn’t matter! Certified instructors are experienced in teaching all age groups through personal, hands-on instruction. There’s a class designed for every age and every skill level.

Fun and unique among Mystic Seaport offerings is Family Community Sailing. Children ages 8 and older, along with their parents and/or grandparents, learn the basics of sailing together in beginner classes. Intermediate classes are designed for adults who have their sea legs but want to improve their boat handling skills sailing the JY15s. The 3-hour classes run Monday-Friday beginning in late June.

The homeschool community gets off to an even earlier start in mid-April with a Friday class for homeschooled students.

Wait. Don’t log off yet! I’ve saved one of Mystic Seaport’s coolest sailing programs for last. It’s the Overnight Summer Sailing Camp aboard the Joseph Conrad.  For 50 years, the six-day camp has been teaching skills of the sea to boys and girls ages 10 to 15 years old.  Sleeping on a tall ship each night, the comradeship that develops amongst the campers, the self-confidence climbing the Conrad’s rigging can bring – it’s a super package of learning by doing wrapped in fun. For many “graduates,” the camp was such a fantastic social and learning experience that they return to perfect skills, reunite with camp friends or even return as adults to become camp instructors.

I strongly recommend you watch the videos on Community Sailing and the Conrad Camp that are mentioned on the web pages describing the various sailing programs. All the information about dates, times, costs and registration methods are listed there as well. Here’s a tip, act ASAP so you or your child aren’t disappointed due to an already filled to capacity class. It may seem early, but you know the saying – the early bird gets the worm!

Learn more about Community Sailing programs here – including the video you can watch.

Learn more about sailing camp aboard the Joseph Conrad — including a video — here.

Post written by Trudi Busey.

World Ocean Day

World Ocean Day was officially declared by the United Nations to be June 8 of each year, starting in 2009. The Day celebrates the world’s oceans, and our connections — past, present, and future — to the oceans.

The world’s oceans serve as the corridor for transporting 90% of all world goods and products, generate much of the oxygen we breathe, feed nearly a billion people, regulate climate, offer a pharmacopoeia of potential future medicines, and provide recreation, relaxation, and unlimited inspiration for hundreds of millions of people all over the world (among many other benefits and good things that the seas, which comprise most of the world, provide).

Participating in World Ocean Day are aquariums, zoos, maritime museums, conservation organization, schools, colleges and universities and businesses.

– James T. Carlton, Director of Williams-Mystic and Williams College Professor of Marine Ecology

For more information about World Ocean Day please go to http://www.theoceanproject.org/wod

A Brilliant Season

While this cool, wet spring has most of us in New England still in fleece jackets, the Museum’s schooner Brilliant has already set sail for its spring sailing season, featuring two-day sails for adults. Teen sailing voyages, five and 10 days in length begin June 15, and adult sailing getaways begin again on September 11. In anticipation of warmer days and fair winds, we offer a few tidbits about Brilliant‘s gleaming acomplishments.

Year the Brilliant sailing program began at Mystic Seaport: 1953

Approximate number of people who have sailed on Brilliant since her arrival at Mystic Seaport: 10,000

Approximate number of nautical miles sailed in 53 seasons: 160,000

The record-setting number of days it took Brilliant to cross the Atlantic in 1933: 15

Place of Brilliant in the Tall Ships Race from Halifax to Amsterdam in 2000: 1

Number of fleet firsts Brilliant has taken in Nantucket’s Opera House Cup: 2

Approximate number of races Brilliant has won in the last 20 years: 20

Number of those races that the author of this blog post sailed in: 3

May Flowers

Our copious April (and May) showers have done the trick–Mystic Seaport is positively bursting into bloom!

Museum garden volunteers have been hard at work alongside garden staff Kara Franco and Steve Sisk, as well as our facilities team, and their hard work shows in all the beautifully cared for beds, and the lush, glorious planters now making an appearance around the grounds, now that the risk of frost is past in our coastal climate (three cheers!).

We know—if you’re a gardener, the only place you want to be right now is in the dirt. But if your aching body needs a brief respite, why not spend a few extra moments at your computer, touring through the (always growing) garden section on our site. We’ve got weekly garden tips from Supervisor of Grounds Kara Franco, an online plant list for each of our many gorgeous gardens, a collection of articles on gardening by the sea and some “Garden Delights,” a closer look at some of our noteworthy growers in each season.

If you enjoy learning in the company of like-minded gardeners, you won’t want to miss our continuing Spring Garden Symposium. This month we’re hosting Master Gardener and author Susan Munger. She’ll discuss the ease of creating sustainable gardens and landscapes with the use of rain gardens.

And finally, if you want to join our dedicated crew of garden volunteers, we would love to have you!

Just click here to sign up . (Make sure to check off the gardens/landscaping box.)

Piloting our way

Pilots hard at work, despite the damp weather!

Get any of those spring projects done this weekend? We did!

Fender making

This past weekend, May 9th & 10th, was the 73rd Pilot Weekend at Mystic Seaport. Mystic Seaport Pilots are special Museum volunteers who devote an on-site weekend of service twice a year. These dedicated folk come from all over the country to roll up their sleeves and work side by side with Museum staff on a variety of projects.

What did  75 Pilots accomplish this weekend?

They spread one ton of mulch on our peerless gardens

They created one new garden

They planted 45 plants

They dug 22 plants for replanting

They built three floats

They launched eight boats

They deployed 25 fenders

They scraped eight davits from the Charles W. Morgan

They sorted and cataloged 900 rowing magazines

They made four muslin patterns from 1871 pattern books, to be used in the creation of role player costumes

They rehoused 2100 Rosenfeld images

They scraped 50% of the bulwarks on the Charles W. Morgan

They created three rope fenders

They serviced two antique engines were serviced

They scrubbed the decks of five small craft

President Steve White and his wife, Maggie, joined the 75 Pilots who spent a weekend doing service projects for Mystic Seaport.

Scrubbing the decks

Recognize this Shipyard volunteer? It’s former Museum President Doug Teeson, an active Museum volunteer and member of the Pilots.

This hearty crew built three floating docks last weekend!

Supervisor of Grounds Kara Franco and her helpful garden crew.

*          *            *

Our Fall Pilots’ Weekend is October 17-18 and we’d love to have you be part of the crew! To join in the fun, go to  http://www.mysticseaport.org/pilotprogram
or e-mail chris.freeman@mysticseaport.org.

And to all our Pilots, a simple thank you just isn’t enough for all you do. We are so deeply grateful for your continued service and hands-on commitment to your Museum.

Ahoy! Sea Squirt & Sea Stars: Preschool Programs at Mystic Seaport

Do you know a preschooler who likes boats and fish? Mermaids and pirates? Stories and science? Crafts and play? (Um, is water wet?)

Well, we’ve got the programs for your ocean-loving preschooler. Spring is definitely in the air at Mystic Seaport, and our spring preschool programs at the Children’s Museum are starting this week. This active hour of maritime fun starts each week in the Children’s Museum with crafts, science activities, songs, stories and play. It’s a new maritime adventure each week, with field trips around the Museum on sunny days—exploring the grounds with a Museum Teacher and your preschooler is a whole new way to see Mystic Seaport.

And new this spring, we have programs for up to age four! We’ve expanded our preschool offerings, so our Sea Squirts program is still just for 2 1/2-year-olds to 3 1/2-year-olds and their caregiver, while a new program, Sea Stars, suits the developmental needs of three- to four-year-olds who attend with a caregiver. And now, choose from classes on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays.

There are a few spots still remaining for Sea Squirts and Sea Stars—call now (860.572.5322) to register for classes starting Wednesday, March 11. Classes are one hour in length, and meet for six sessions. Member discount is available, of course.