Save the Bay with the Continental Sloop Providence

I received an email today from Abby Wood, education specialist at Save the Bay, with a link to her blog Abby’s Day on the Bay in which she posted about a program we recently put together with her organization and the Providence Maritime Heritage Foundation on the Continental Sloop Providence. Check it out.

Abby wrote:

Pirates and movies aside, it was a great trip aboard the Providence. It was a fun and unique experience for our Save the Bay staff members, as we don’t usually get to work on sails. We took the opportunity to teach about navigation, and to let the campers learn their knots, line coiling, and some sea shanties (“Heave away, Haul away!” is still in my head). The crew of the sloop was also of great help, and it was impressive to watch them bounce around the ship barefoot, all acting together like a well oiled machine.

This pilot program was made possible as a result of funding from the American Sail Training Association through a federal grant from the US Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). I’ve posted earlier about the major part of this project which involved youth from Middletown, RI.

Giving children these unique on the water experiences is powerful in so many different ways. It’s a great teaching platform for a number of subjects including math, environmental science, physics, history and more. Heaving on a line gives them an understanding of cause and effect, some responsibility, an appreciation for teamwork and ultimately a sense of accomplishment. All of this usually leads to a higher level of self confidence and hopefully increased self efficacy. But most importantly these sails were FUN!

These pilot programs with the Middletown Public Schools and Save the Bay were designed to whet the appetite of participating children for future sail training experiences and show these organization the valuable resource that is available to them right in here in Narragansett Bay. Of course, ASTA and OJJDP are interested in program outcomes which I am confident are positive for all.

Technorati tags: Sloop Providence, Providence Maritime Heritage Foundation, Save the Bay, American Sail Training Association, Narragansett Bay, Middletown, Rhode Island, sail training, tall ship, OJJDP