On September 28 and 29^th, the freshman of Westport High - a large class of 143 students - sailed as two groups aboard the Ernestina. This is the fourth consecutive year science teacher Mary Anne McQuillan, long-time Ernestina volunteer, has led her "freshmen team" of Westport teachers and students. Their integrated course unit features the history of Ernestina, weather forecasting, the mathematics of simple machines, a viewing of the 1930’s film version of Captains Courageous, and the vocabulary of a 19^th century schooner.

Both groups of students set sail from State Pier in New Bedford for a 4-hour trip into Buzzards Bay. After raising sail (fore and jumbo) they divided into 6 learning groups, rotating through six learning stations on deck and in the foc’s’le. The Ernestina crew lead sessions on navigation, weather, ship history, steering and guiding the ship, simple machines, and aquatic life.

After the sails, the students wrote reflective essays on their experience aboard and its similarity to the initial weeks of their life "voyage" as freshman high school students. For most, both represent stepping into the unknown, meeting challenges, and learning from the new environment and experience.

Muses of the Member Sail

"September Song" could have been another name for a recent Ernestina Member Sail this evening from 5-8pm, when the autumn sunset on Buzzards Bay framed a near-perfect three-hours of sailing, fun, and fellowship aboard Schooner Ernestina for a group of 70 members, friends, staff and crew of the ship. A wonderful element of the night was the presence of many musical friends of Ernestina.

Salty songs were provided by Rhode Island singer/song writer and humorist, John Campbell and Dan Lanier, fiddler extraordinaire and previous director of the sea chantey program at Mystic Seaport. Local favorite Ian Geddes chimed in with his concertina, along with Ernestina’s Tom Goux, as the ship’s company echoed the choruses. Special guests of the evening were notescape.cod, a close-harmony vocal group from Cape Cod. Their jazz and popular songs, while not the usual schooner fare, were thoroughly enjoyed by all onboard. This group has been featured during AHA! Nights at Schooner Ernestina headquarters in New Bedford and includes several Ernestina members.

Of course, the usual Member Sail activities of raising canvas, taking a turn at the helm, etc., were enjoyed by all who wished to participate. This and the songfest underway delighted a group of senior first-time Ernestina sailors from the United Methodist Church of Wareham. As often happens, the convergence of positive energy and good will, taken together with the overlay of history and a dose of music and verse, produced a beautiful evening for all concerned, "greenhands" and "old salts" alike.

Captain: Sophie Morse
Program Coordinators:
Crista Mellican, Polly Zajac, Tom Goux