FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Theresa M. Barbo
(508) 487-3622 x103
(774) 353-8034
ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org

MassSail's Inaugural Season Winds Down
Hundreds Sail Aboard the schooner Spirit of Massachusetts for Science Education Programs Co-sponsored by PCCS and OCF

Between May and September, the Spirit sailed MassSail programs for over 70 days through the southern Gulf of Maine and Massachusetts waters, including Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay and the Gerry E. Studds-Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound, the Great South Channel, Jefferies Ledge and Platts Bank.

"Over the course of the season, students from around the country encountered a plethora of marine species, including many endangered animals. Seven different species of cetaceans (whales) were observed, including endangered humpbacks, finbacks and sei whales, minke whales, Atlantic white-sided and common dolphins, and a third of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population. Basking sharks, giant ocean sunfish, gray and harbor seals, and hundreds of sea birds were also seen regularly throughout the season," said Joanne M. Jarzobski, director of marine education at PCCS.

MassSail is a joint venture between two prominent non-profit institutions: the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) and the Rhode Island-based Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF.) MassSail's mission to foster an awareness and understanding of Massachusetts ' marine environment through science education has taken the Spirit, her crew and hundreds of students to Boston, Provincetown, Gloucester, New Bedford, Newburyport, Hyannis, Nantucket, and Vineyard Haven.

Making MassSail a success is its range of school programs, including Day Sails and Class Voyages , and public Community Days events - offered nowhere else - each designed to meet the needs and interests of many age groups. "The curriculum for the school programs is aligned to the Massachusetts's Frameworks for Science and History and fully complements the classroom work students are required to complete in the classroom," said Jarzobski.

From September 13 through 17, Provincetown High School students boarded Spirit for a class voyage and spent five days at sea studying the marine environment with experts from PCCS. While exploring the Gerry E. Studds-Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the Provincetown students assisted in whale rescue attempt, by locating and standing-by an entangled humpback whale until the PCCS Whale Rescue team arrived on scene to attempt to disentangle the mammal. These students sailed aboard Spirit through Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Buzzards Bays, and through the Cape Cod Canal to New Bedford. The school voyage was an official curriculum offering in Provincetown public schools.

In addition to Class Voyages, class Day Sails took place in Provincetown and Boston in May and September, for students from grade 6 through 12 and covered a variety of topics, including geology, history, navigation, fisheries, weather and plankton. Community Days events, with public open houses and special events, took place for students of all ages in different coastal communities, as part of Newburyport Homecoming Days, Provincetown Portuguese Festival and Nantucket SoundKeeper Days.

Two other MassSail programs include the highly successful Seafaring Camp - three, week-long learning adventures for 13 to 16-year-olds - and Whale Sail - a two-week, three college credit intensive at-sea course for high school juniors and seniors and college undergraduates. Whale Sail elevated experiential education to new heights this past summer as students participated in a rigorous investigation into the biology, natural history and conservation of cetaceans in the Gulf of Maine. Whale Sail 'graduates' earned three college credits through Cape Cod Community College, a program partner in MassSail.

In 2006, MassSail programs will continue sailing into Massachusetts coastal communities while expanding programs to different communities throughout the Bay State. Community Days' Class Day Sails, Class Voyages and public events are scheduled in Provincetown and Boston for May and September. Three, one-week Seafaring Camps are scheduled in July and one, two-week Whale Sail will take place in late June/early July.

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Joanne M. Jarzobski
PCCS Whale Watch Education Director
(508) 487-3622 x107
solution@coastalstudies.org

Bert Rogers
Executive Director, OCF
(401) 596-4582
info@oceanclassroom.org