With a weather eye toward the red pennant
signaling a small craft advisory, Ernestina set
out this morning into New Bedford Harbor carrying
51 5th graders from Mrs. Janet
Agius classes at the Indian Head school in
Milton, MA. Also onboard were 4 crew members from
a Spanish film company who were capturing footage
for a piece on Tall Ships. Soon after we raised
sail, all the students joined in with crew
members in learning and singing "Cape Cod
Girls", a favorite traditional sea chantey.
Although the inclement weather brought us back to
dock about an hour early, all students
participated in 5 learning stations. In
journaling sessions towards the close of the
sail, some students chose to create a "word
splash," writing down as many words as they
could that would remind them about their
experience today, while some wove their words
into stories: "I
learned how to tell where we are, and where all
of the sea creatures are. I also learned how to
tie a knot and what a watershed is." ~ James
"Ernestina ~ Excellent ~
Remarkable ~ Nice ~ Enjoyable ~ Sights ~ Terrific
~ Incredible ~ Neat ~ Amazing ~ Cold ~ 12 bunks ~
108 years old ~ Big ~ Lots of Gears. 3 things I
learned: The head of the boat, that you can sail
on ice, and I learned the [lookout]
signals." ~ Dan H.
"This is Jordan. I had fun
on the Ernestina." ~Jordan
"Today I found out that
once this boat had sunk and it is 108 years old.
Also I heard some ghost stories that haunt the
Ernestina." ~Janelle B.
"Watersheds, heads,
starboard, heave, Cape Verde Islands, galley.
Some new words I learned were starboard, galley
(kitchen) and head (toilet). We had activities in
things like tying knots and learning about
watersheds. This is what happened on our
adventure on the Ernestina." ~Susannah T.
"Once a long time ago,
there was a man who worked on a schooner named
the Ernestina. Every day he got up at about 4am
and ate breakfast with his fellow crew members in
the galley. When they got into the harbor they
heaved up the sails. There were two heads on the
Ernestina. It could sometimes be rocky and
freezing, but he liked working there."
~Susannah
"Water ~ fish ~ Ernestina
~ rope ~ smells ~ fire." ~ (anonymous)
"Today I went on the
Ernestina! I did many neat and exciting things.
Some things I saw, heard, and smelled! I had a
fun day on the Ernestina today and Id love
to go again." ~ Jack N.
"I learned this boat has a
lot of history. For example, in the kitchen a
fire started and burned [the ship] down. A person
named Captain Mendes put it back together and
gave it to us as a gift. We also learned how to
tie different knots and raising and lowering the
sails. This just amazes me and Id like to
come again someday." ~ Brandon B.
"Today with the smelly
smell of the sea, I could tell that it would be a
GREAT ride on the Ernestina. I cuold hear the big
waves splash against the side of the boat. It was
freezing! The wind would come up to my face and
my hood kept on coming off! When we were heading
back a lady on the Ernestina was telling ghost
stories! They were spooky! As we pulled up into
the shore the day was over on the Ernestina. It
was sooo fun, and I had an AWESOME time!" ~
Tess. C.
"On June 5, 2002 we went
to the Ernestina in New Bedford. We learned how
to tie knots, what watersheds are, navigation,
and the history of the boat. It was all pretty
easy. We also learned how to lift a sail.
Its cold on the boat. Its windy too.
Its not very rocky though. And it was very
rainy. We went to all different stations, some
were on the low deck. I learned about watersheds,
Cape Verde, heave, navigation, heads, starboard,
galley, Islands. There even have been some big
waves which make the boat rock back and forth. I
hope no one gets seasick. That is what happened
on June 5th when we went to the
Ernestina." ~ Kristen A.
"Water ~ ship ~ rope ~
wood ~ smells. The water smells. The wood is
damp. The rope is grippy. The ship is cool."
~George S.
"The Ernestina was cold
and fun. We made a ballentine coil which was
interesting. We made figure-eight knots. The boat
was rocky while we were saying heave-ho." ~
Kerry M.
Submitted by: Mrs.
Agius 5th graders
with assistance from MaryHelen
Captain: Willi Bank
Program Coordinator: MaryHelen Gunn
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