Tom Goux had joined the ship yesterday evening, and was a key mover in today's dockside programming. The Family Resource Group brought 89 members of homeschooling families for a Working-on-the-Water type of educational program they each visited three learning stations to find out about the fishing history of Ernestina and what life and work on the water is like. They had great questions and seemed really interested in learning more about the ship. The FRG serves nearly all homeschooling families in Massachusetts, and arranges for group learning experiences with educational program facilities like Ernestina.

Immediately after lunch we laid grey paint on that aft cabin top, and by 1400 were able to make good on our arrangement with the Friendship to help them raise the main topmast aloft. Ernestina's crew were only too glad to be here to help on this momentous occasion: the Friendship crew pushed their schedule ahead in order to make use of the auxiliary crew of deckhands from Erenestina. Erica Boulware and Jessica Bryant helped aloft, and Jed Deering, Tom Goux, Fred Sterner, MaryHelen Gunn, Kristin Sharpless, and Frank Calascione helped on deck. The comparative anatomy of two sailing ships of different eras made fascinating working study for our crew.

But not only for our crew: a visiting group of students from the House of Seven Gables after-school program joined us at 1530, and we began by introducing them to the exciting project in progress before their eyes. Then they toured Ernestina's deck for an hour-full of great questions and curiosities about all the animals that have sailed on Ernestina over the last century+8.

This evening the crew enjoyed a much-deserved and quite welcome evening off.

Program Coordinator: MaryHelen Gunn
Captain: Amanda Madeira