Of field trips and education

While we have not had post up recently, we have been hard at work on our Bermuda sloop Luna and working on our education programs.

Most recently, Colonial Seaport Foundation members joined our sister organization, Blackbeard's Crew and headed to the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, NC. to present a program to 168 students and staff from Hawfields Middle School. Our topics of the evening were trade and commerce, engineering, social life, music and of course maritime weapons and tactics.

Stan discussing the arts of trade and commerce
at the tip of a cutlass.

Constable Heartless wowing the crowds with his harmonica.

Pernell working students through making
ships rigging.

Cindy always has a crowd full of audience participation
creating music.

Along the lines of education, we will be working with a program through the Portsmouth school systems this summer with their STARBASE victory program. As described from their website:


A hands-on curriculum that includes components of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEMPathways) and incorporates SOL learning standards. STARBASE Victory makes learning experiential and fun rather than memorization, thus bringing scientific concepts alive for the children.

The program is a collaboration between Portsmouth Public Schools and a nonprofit, STARBASE Atlantis Hampton Roads (a 501C3). This unusual partnership provides state of the art equipment for classroom learning as well as hands on experiments for each child. The community's support of STARBASE Atlantis through businesses, foundations, and individuals has been phenomenal and is the reason the program is cutting edge and one of a kind in Virginia.

You can visit their web site at http://www.starbasevictory.org  So what does space exploration have to do with 18th century maritime heritage? Well, did you know that astronauts must learn how to navigate craft using stars and 18th century navigation techniques? Apparently Global Positioning Systems only work if you are on earth. What better way to introduce students to navigation and discovery of new places than introduce them to colonial mariners and explorers! We are excited to be working with the Portsmouth School Systems and STARBASE. Looking at their website, I think we may have to rein ourselves in, this is going to be fun.

Speaking of having fun and playing hooky, our shipwright was last seen headed North with Foundation member Tom Ivey. OK, they weren't playing hooky but had some personal errands to tend to and decided to take a day to see what other folks are doing. Their wandering took them to Mystic Connecticut and to Mystic Seaport to do some research on a steering system for Luna.

Tom and Chip visit the shipyard at Mystic Seaport.
Sorry guys, I think that anchor is a bit big for Luna.

Along their journeys, they happened across another colonial era sloop, Providence who just finished a major three year refit. Below is a stock picture of her, but reports are she is a beautiful lady.

Sloop Providence

Unfortunately, no one was on board but the boys were able to get a good look at the details of her bow and fore-rig  Thinking ahead on our own construction, this is our next step and planning is already under way.

Sloop Providence's bow.
 Grey skies and boats still covered over.
Apparently  its still winter!

Thank you for visiting the Blog of the Colonial Seaport Foundation. Please stop back by to see how construction of Luna is coming along. You can visit us in Elizabeth City, NC. at Museum of the Albemarle May 20 & 21st and in Hampton Virginia at the Blackbeard Festival June 3-5. We hope to see you there!