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| Thursday, July 14, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: SPIRIT OF MASSACHUSETTS in Newburyport for Yankee Homecoming Days Public Open House set for 8/3The MassSail Marine Education Program Co-Sponsored by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and Ocean Classroom Foundation (Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA) - The 125' schooner Spirit of Massachusetts will arrive in Newburyport on Wednesday, August 3 to take part in Yankee Homecoming Days, which run from July 30 thru August 7. Manning the helm and handling the sails will be 23 young people aged 13-16, including eight from Newburyport. The public can see the ship arrive and cheer these young sailors home when the ship comes to dock. Newburyport is the last stop of a week-long Seafaring Camp voyage, a MassSail program in marine environmental education.
Yankee Homecoming Days visitors are welcome to come aboard and tour Spirit's decks at a no-fee Open House from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 3, at Waterfront Park.
Spirit of Massachusetts is the flagship of MassSail, a joint marine education program by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) and the Rhode Island-based Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF.) MassSail brings its mission of marine science education, awareness and conservation to Newburyport, one of many cities and towns Spirit will visit in New England this season. "What better way to share the 2005 theme of Yankee Homecoming Days, which is 'Let Freedom Ring,' than to have Spirit of Massachusetts in port to symbolize the traditions of the sea, the skill of Massachusetts' sailors, and our ongoing commitment to the marine environment," says Bert Rogers, executive director of Ocean Classroom Foundation. MassSail was launched with fanfare at Boston's Fan Pier in May. Since then, Spirit has sailed on many different education programs, including Community Day sails, one-week Seafaring Camps for 13 to 16 year-olds, and a two-week Whale Sail, specializing in a science curriculum for high school juniors and seniors, and college undergraduates, for college credit through Cape Cod Community College. "It is 'experiential' education at its finest," says Joanne M. Jarzobski, marine education coordinator of MassSail. Since May, the Spirit has sailed into Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, throughout Massachusetts Bay, Nantucket Sound, the Gulf of Maine, the Great South Channel, and into port communities including New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard, Gloucester, Boston, Nantucket, and of course Provincetown, the Center's hometown. Spirit will call in Hyannis for Nantucket Days on August 13. Constructed in 1984 at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Spirit of Massachusetts is modeled after the late 19th century fishing vessel Fredonia, designed by Edward Burgess, which sailed to the North Atlantic fishing grounds for cod. Spirit is authentic in rig and construction, though she carries modern navigation and safety equipment. The vessel is fully inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping as a Sailing School Vessel, certified for international ocean voyages. Spirit carries a crew complement of nine, and up to 23 student-sailors. ** The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is dedicated to protecting marine mammals and coastal ecosystems through public education, scientific research, and conservation programs. Since its founding in 1976, the private, non-profit has become internationally renowned for its whale research and rescue programs, and is the leading authority for science-based resource management policies in Massachusetts. For specific information about MassSail, visit: www.MassSail.org, or call (508) 487-3622 x108.** The Ocean Classroom Foundation is a non-profit educational organization that provides programs of sea education and adventure for the youth of America. OCF is a leader in experiential education, with award-winning programs sailing from New England to the Caribbean Sea.# # # ContactTheresa M. Barbo Director of Communications Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (508) 487-3622 x103 (office) (774) 353-8034 (mobile) ccsmedia@coastalstudies.org
Joanne M. Jarzobski
Bert Rogers | ||
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