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The Ernestina crew,
including those from UMASS and volunteers, woke up
to a light drizzle and chilly weather alongside in Vineyard
Haven, Martha's Vineyard. We spent the early morning
testing water samples at different depths in the harbor and
learning about the history of the Ernestina.
Later, we were lucky to get a tour of the local Gannon
and Benjamin shipyard. They showed us around
their shop where they are building two small wooden boats and
also let us explore the new schooner they are constructing,
the Juno. After lunch on board, we boarded
five passengers for an afternoon member sail. It was a
perfect opportunity for the UMASS crew to start learning about
navigation and gain a better understanding of sail
maneuvers. After returning to dock at Tisbury Warf, the
UMASS students took some time to study up on the ship's
rigging in preparation for a pin chase the next day.
At 1800, we boarded members, locals from
Vineyard Haven and some crew from the schooner Alabama
for an open ship and potluck dinner. After enjoying good
food and company, Fred Littleton showed and narrated two reel
movies that he shot while sailing as a 15-year-old deckhand on
the Ernestina with Bob Bartlett in 1940 on expedition
to the West Coast of Greenland during the ship's arctic
exploration years. Those present were treated to shots
of polar bears running over ice and a pod of narwhals and
stories of Fred's adventures aboard. You can
read about Fred's trip in the history pages of this website
(click on history to the left and go to the timeline and 1940)
There are images there and a log book transcript. Program Coordinators:
Kristen Sharpless
Captain: Amanda Madeira
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Here
is an email that came through with photos taken during the
visit. We hope Garrett and his dad don't mind if we put his nice
letter and these great photos up on the web!
Dear
Mr. Swanzey
Thank you for coming to visit Martha's Vineyard. My dad
and I enjoyed meeting Amanda and Sam. We had dinner on
board last night and watch an old film about an artic visit the
Ernestina made a long time ago. Before the film, Sam
showed my dad and I what the ship looked like down below.
Someday, I would like to go sailing on the Ernestina. I
sleep in a bunk bed at home already, but my dad says that I'll
have to wait untill I'm older to go sailing on the Ernestina.
We had lots of fun, specially watching you sail around the
island. Please come back to Vineyard Haven again really
soon.
Thank you,
Garrett James Hagen
Age 4
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