Fair Winds, Argus!

 The Log tonight reports that ASTA Member vessel Argus has embarked on her last sail. I have written several posts about her including one on her unsuccessful Ebay auction. The article states that she is headed for Wayne Ettel’s boat yard in Wilmington, CA. Mr. Ettel’s interest in classic wood boats was generated when he first boarded Argus in 1972 as a Boy Scout.  “Once I went aboard her, I decided I wanted to be in the Sea Scouts,” Ettel said. “I have a passion for the boat. It started my interest in wooden boats.” Time and again I run into professional mariners or marine trademen whose first exposure to the potential for a maritime career comes from a sail training experience.

Argus’ fate is currently undetermined; however, it is pretty clear that she won’t be taking young people to sea under sail as she has remarkably done for so many years. Hopefully she enjoys her well deserved rest!

 

Thoughts on Ocean Classroom’s 10th Anniversary

 This post was written by Cal Pifer, 2003 ASTA Intern and 2006 ASTA Summer Associate

 

This year marks the tenth year anniversary of the Ocean Classroom Foundation. I had the privilege of attending the foundation’s reception last week in Boston, along with the 2006 ASTA Interns, that showcased their newest programs, and also celebrated their ten year milestone. My association with Ocean Classroom dates back to when I began sailing on tall ships. While I have never actually crewed on one of their vessels, I have been friends with the organization’s visionary founder, Alix Thorne, for years. As a young teenager, I met Alix while sailing on the Elissa. She served as a mentor for me within the sail training industry, and actually sent me to my first ASTA conference in Toronto, Canada. As a result of this close association, I have kept abreast of some of the amazing successes that the Ocean Classroom Foundation has achieved in a very short period of time.  

In 1996, the Foundation started with a single schooner, the Harvey Gamage and now has acquired two additional vessels, Spirit of Massachusetts, and their flagship, Westward. All three vessels ply the waters of the Eastern Seaboard and the Caribbean while engaging in their onboard education programs. These semester long educational programs educate high school students who receive academic credit while sailing onboard. The foundation has also partnered with a number of notable organizations including ASTA member Hurricane Island Outward Bound and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.  Additionally, I was extremely impressed to hear about Ocean Classroom’s innovative partnership with MassSail at the reception. This new partnership, fully supported by scholarships, will allow Boston area urban youth to explore their harbor and sounding waterways. 

It was a truly heartwarming experience to see Alix recount her years with the Foundation. While addressing the crowd, she couldn’t help be choked up by the organization that has played such an important role in her life. I found the evening to be particularly special as a member of the  Elissa crew because Alix attributed the founding of Ocean Classroom Foundation to her 1986 Elissa voyage from Galveston to New York. In addition to hearing speeches from Alix, we also heard from the director of the Provincetown Center for Maritime Studies, a maritime history professor from the University of Massachusetts, and the Head of School from the Epiphany School in Boston.We had beautiful weather for the evening reception, and the presence of all three vessels at the same time really added to the atmosphere. The mixture of crews, captains, educators, non-profit directors, and corporate business people all serve to illustrate how vibrant the world of sail training really is. 

Cal Pifer, 2006 ASTA Summer Associate

Changing lives the old fashioned way

A picture is worth a thousand words and this is a great one that accompanied an interesting story about sail training that appeared last week in The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. Tall Ship U: Higher Education at Sea. Sailing ships have been used for hundreds of years to help mature young people. While in the old days the conditions would not have met the standards that we now hold acceptable for youth development programs; today vessels in the ASTA Member fleet like the Lady Washington, subject of this article, provide life changing experiences in an environment of controlled risk. This is what still makes going to sea under sail so effective at instilling responsibility, respect and self confidence in young people. Taking trainees out of their comfort zone and giving them the opportunity to test themselves and contribute to the common objective of safely and efficiently sailing the ship is a powerful personal development experience. Add in the element of education and you get sail training. For information on the Lady Washington and her programs, check out the Gray’s Harbor Historical Seaport website.

Ocean Classroom Foundation Celebrates!

Last evening nearly the entire ASTA Crew were in Boston to celebrate the arrival of summer and a great collaboration between Ocean Classroom Foundation and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. MassSail “promotes awareness and stewardship of the Massachusetts coastal waters, as well as of the entire marine ecosystem.”

One of the groups that has benefited from this program is the Epiphany School in Boston who each year takes a class of 5th graders on an adventure of a lifetime. I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with Reverend John H. Finley IV who is founder and head of school. I hope to cover their story in my column in an upcoming issue of Traditional Boats and Tall Ships magazine. In the short version, the Epiphany School each year takes their 5th grade class out to sea under sail for a about a week. This group of inner city kids is immediately taken out of their comfort zone and into a new challenging shipboard world where they learn about responsibility and respect. It is clearly a life changing experience! 

It was great to see all three Ocean Classroom vessels (Spirit of Massachusetts, Harvey Gamage and Westward) and all of the crew together at one event.

It was actually a great tall ships day in Boston with Spain’s Juan Sebastian De Elcano, Canada’s Bluenose II and Roseway all in town as well!

ASTAnaut Williams waving the banner!

Small talk last summer with an ASTA Intern. 

"So what does your father do?"

"He's an astronaut."

"What a coincidence because my dad's a rocket scientist." (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle)

Okay, we believe you now! 

No photoshop involved! Here is an unbelievable photo received today from 2005 ASTA Summer Intern Jason Williams who's dad is Astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams who is currently on NASA Expedition 13 in the International Space Station.

For more information about Expedition 13 and Astronaut Williams, click here.

Jason is currently at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI studying Entrepreneurship and preparing to take his LSAT's later this summer. It was great to catch up with him at our recent fundraiser and we look forward to having him involved with some ongoing projects in Newport.

Jason Williams wrote on June 21, 2006: "During each flight, the families of any crew are given the option of flying small items; momentos, keepsakes, pins, etc.  Having already flown my personal items in the May 2000 STS-101 flight, I wanted to fly something on behalf of ATSA, who, thanks to the organization, gave me the best summer of my life.  Hopefully the whole Williams family will attending the 2007 fundraiser."  

Somehow saying thanks seems rather inadequate but….

Thanks Jason and COLONEL Williams!!! Look forward to seeing you both in Newport next June, if not before.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

 
Originally uploaded by astaexec.

The 2006 Buccaneer's Bash came off without a hitch thanks to the great leadership by the event co-chairs Nat and Jen Harris and ASTA development associate Jen Spring.

The party started with wine tasting sails aboard Schooner Aurora and Brigantine Fritha followed by a 70's themed event on the lawn of the Museum of Yachting which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Tall Ships Races first coming to Newport. It was a perfect venue and thankfully the rain held off until 9:30 pm when all but the ASTA Crew had already made it to their cars!

We raised more than $35,000 with $7,000 being raised through our Special Fund-A-Need Auction which will benefit the Henry H. Anderson Jr. Youth Sail Training Scholarship Program. This program was established to support sail training experiences for youth 14 to 19 years of age and if you are interested in learning more and supporting this valuable youth initiative, please let us know.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation by 18 year old sail trainee and ASTA intern Meredith. She is a wonderful representative for youth sail training and we are pleased to have her join Jonathan, Erin and the other great interns Alexandra and Mary as part of our 2006 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Race Crew. 

We are very grateful for the generous support of all of our sponsors including BankNewport, Purvis Systems, Gosling's, Ms. Alix Thorne and the Ocean Classroom Foundation, Block Island Maritime Funding, Carey Richmond & Viking Insurance, Connor Dowd at Keller Williams Realty, Newport Storm, Grapes & Gourmet , Flying Dog Brewery and Flint Audio.  

Very special thanks also goes out to all of the organizations and individuals who donated the amazing collection of silent and live auction items.

If you are interested in supporting our programs, please call 401-846-1775 or email peter@sailtraining.org.

Thanks again to everyone who attended the event and supported our organization! You made a difference!

ASTA Annual Fundraiser @ the Museum of Yachting, Newport, RI June 17th

Can you believe it's been 30 years since the Tall Ships Races first came to Newport as part of the US Bicentennial Celebrations in 1976. Our major event of the year is this Saturday evening at the Museum of Yachting in Newport, RI and we will be celebrating that important sail training milestone with a 1970's themed party. The weather is looking great which is good news since we have a pre-event wine tasting sail aboard ASTA member vessels Schooner Aurora and Brigantine Fritha. We have amazing auction items including vacations to exotic islands, cruises on tall ships, unique youth sail training experiences and beautiful maritime art. Gosling's is a major sponsor and we will be serving Dark N' Stormys. Other very generous sponsors and supporters include: BankNewport, Purvis Systems, Ms. Alix Thorne and the Ocean Classroom Foundation, Block Island Maritime Funding, Carey Richmond & Viking Insurance, Connor Dowd at Keller Williams Realty, Newport Storm, Grapes & Gourmet and Flying Dog Brewery. We also have an online auction where you can view and bid on many of the unique items that have been generously donated by ASTA members and supporters.

Please join us on Saturday. You support makes a real difference in our ability to advance our mission and change lives through sail training and the Tall Ships Experience!

A Great Legacy – The Challenge Program and the Kalmar Nyckel

It seems like every week there is a story about how sail training and tall ships have positively influenced young lives.

Yesterday I came across a story in the The News Journal (Delaware) about a Kalmar Nyckel Foundation legacy program. Click here for story What really interested me was how the building of the ASTA member vessel was a catalyst for a great sustainable shorebased youth development program. It's also interesting that the participants in the Challenge Program are called trainees, a term not as commonly used ashore.  

 Nonprofit leaders are often very determined on creating a legacy program, that is a program that survives their tenure and many times their lives. It is exciting to see the unintended meaningful legacy that resulted from a community building a tall ship. This is a wonderful example of the extension of life's lessons that are delivered through the sail training experience.

Sail training launches another maritime career

 More often than you would think, a trip on a tall ship presents the first opportunity for kids to get on the water and the first exposure to a potential career as a professional mariner or tradesman. This is a point that I have driven home over the past few years in meetings in Washington with the US Maritime Administration and other agencies interested in healthy maritime industries and youth development.

 Personally, every job I have ever had in my life has involved boats. At 14 years old as a mate on the Cuttyhunk Ferry; at 17 as a professional sail trainer on the SSV Tabor Boy, at 19 as a professional captain of the Cuttyhunk Ferry Alert, at 21 when I embarked on a 20 year career in marine insurance to most recently executive director of ASTA; every paycheck I have earned came from my relationship with boats.

This morning I had a meeting with Captain Bob Glover, director of education, Northeast Maritime Institute. A classmate and shipmate of mine some 30 years ago at Tabor Academy, Bob also has had a strong maritime career that followed his sail training experience. We have many other classmates that have charted similar courses.

 Today I ran across another great article about the power of sail training. Robert Turner is a sophmore at the University of Texas at Galveston majoring in Marine Transportation. For him, it all started with a youth adventure aboard the Sea Scout tall ship Argus as sophmore in high school. Click here to read the article in The Log – SoCal's #1 Boating and Fishing newspaper.  

 It's a great story about Argus and for sail training. It is well documented that there will be serious shortage of professional licensed and unlicensed mariners in the future. Story's like Robert Turner's offer one real solution! Hopefully, someday executives in shipping companies and the maritime industry in general will recognize the opportunity to help solve this problem by actively supporting youth sail training programs and securing some goodwill in the process.