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Your involvement and support are vital to the Center's efforts to conserve endangered whales and marine ecosystems.
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Monday, July 10, 2006 Media Release 7.2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Theresa M. Barbo 774.263.4219 Jenny Doak 800.724.7245 x105
MassSail & Spirit of Massachusetts in Nantucket Waters with Egan Maritime Foundation & Nantucket Community Sailing Marine Science Programs Run Through July 16 (Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA) – Spirit of Massachusetts - the schooner and homeroom to MassSail – sails into Nantucket waters for a week of marine science education and conservation programs sponsored by the Egan Maritime Foundation and Nantucket Community Sailing through July 16. MassSail is a joint venture of the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) and the Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF). Its mission to foster stewardship and understanding of Massachusetts’ marine coastal environment is in its second year. Among the week’s highlights: on the afternoon of July 10, Spirit of Massachusetts arrives in Nantucket for an evening reception for hometown author Nathaniel Philbrick’s new book, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War. Following the reception, Spirit moves to Nantucket Boat Basin for the night. July 12: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Community Day Sail. A Women’s Sunset Sail is planned for July 12. July 13 – 15: Youth Seafaring Adventure for high school students with a focus on whales, fishing and sailing. July 16: Spirit of Massachusetts is open for free dockside, day tours in the Nantucket Boat Basin from 10 a.m. thru 4 p.m.
** Since its inaugural season that launched in May 2005, hundreds of students – aged 13 thru college – have crossed the Spirit’s decks for an odyssey in experiential education. All curricula options are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for History and/or Social Sciences, or Science and Technology and Engineering. Students are full participants in the operation of the ship, working with the ship’s professional crew to learn the skills and arts of traditional seafaring. This personal and authentic experience of the ocean world forms a uniquely powerful context for education. Lessons learned, achievements made, insights gained are internalized and retained, because students are invested in the process.
** The Egan Maritime Foundation is located in the historic Coffin School at 4 Winter Street, and presents year-round exhibitions and speakers which address the Foundation’s interest in advancing the appreciation, documentation, preservation, and scholarly study of the art, history, literature, architecture, and traditions of Nantucket. The Egan Maritime Foundation also operates the Nantucket Life-Saving Museum at 158 Polpis Road. With its unique collection of boats, beach carts, life-saving apparatus, photographs and other artifacts, the Nantucket Life-Saving Museum preserves the history of the countless shipwrecks around the island and the work of the heroic surfmen who risked their lives to rescue the victims of those wrecks. In addition, the Egan Maritime Foundation, through its publishing arm, Mill Hill Press, sponsors literature concerning Nantucket’s history and heritage by soliciting manuscripts for possible publication and reissuing works that have gone out of print. ** Eleven years ago island sailors created Nantucket Community Sailing (NCS) to give the youth of Nantucket the opportunity of learning to sail. “We put tillers in the very best hands” is our motto and it exemplifies our mission. Teaching children to sail exposes them to many of life’s most important lessons – discipline, self-confidence, environmental stewardship and teamwork.
Last year over 1300 students were connected in some way to the maritime traditions of Nantucket through our High School Physical Education program, our summer sailing programs, the Watersport camps, or the free access that we provide to other non-profit organizations. Their adaptive water sport program provides disabled students with the ability to kayak, windsurf and sail. NCS also sponsors, funds and coaches the High School sailing team. Nantucket Community Sailing also hosts Nantucket Race Week and the Opera House Cup Regatta. Nantucket Race Week is eight days of sailing competition for local youth and adults, sailed in boats ranging from the petite Optimists and Rainbows (Beetle Cats) to the majestic 12 metres and elegant mega-yachts. The Opera House Cup Regatta, now is its 34th year, is the premier classic wooden boat regatta on the eastern seaboard, and perhaps in the country. ** ’30 Years of Discovery & Commitment’ The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies [ www.coastalstudies.org ] is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education and conservation of the marine and coastal environments through applied science and education programs. PCCS is internationally renowned for its whale research and rescue activities, and is a leading authority in science-based resource management policies in Massachusetts. ** The Ocean Classroom Foundation [www.oceanclassroom.org ] is a non-profit organization that provides programs of sea education and adventure for the youth of America aboard the schooners Westward, Harvey Gamage, and Spirit of Massachusetts. OCF is a leader in experiential education, with award-winning programs sailing from the Canadian Maritimes to the Caribbean Sea. ** PCCS Contacts Theresa M. Barbo Director of Communications 508.487.3622 x103 (office) 774.263.4219 (mobile) Joanne M. Jarzobski Marine Education Director 508.487.3623 x108 OCF Contact Jenny Doak Communications Coordinator 800.724.7245 x105
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