Sea, Sand and Sky: Harbor Glory

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Harbor Glory

Afternoon,

This is Rob Benner again, a Junior Program Assistant here at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Today we experienced a journey around Boston Harbor and an exploration into the luxurious Tall Ship, Concordia. For those of you who may not know, through the 8th to the 13th of this month, 47 " Tall Ships" (if you've seen Master and Commander, you've seen a tall ship) docked in Boston Harbor in the midst of their world tour. On our adventure through Boston Harbor conductor David Coffin led us in a magical edition of "Haul Away Joe", a classic sea tune with an "authentic" Joe and our own Bruce Berman on backup vocals. The ebullient Mr. Coffin also indulged the crew in a very humorous yet extremely informational tour of the Harbor, in which he taught us about the importance of boats all the way back to the potato famine and the Amistad, the constantly enlarging story of the Boston Shoreline, and the worldwide but often unappreciated importance of Donald McKay. However, the joviality of Mr. Coffin was only half of our experience.

After docking, we immediately walked over to board the majestic Tall Ship, Concordia. On this Concordia is a program of 54 students completing their high school education on board this ship sailing around the globe. Students can spend either 5 or 10 months on the boat during the school year and one month during the summer program. Students from all over the world are on the boat, it's not your basic $10,000 American vacation. The ship consists of classrooms, a mess hall, cramped and claustrophobic rooms and everything else one would probably expect on what appears to be a modernized pirate ship. The boat started off in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and has traveled throughout the world from there. The Concordia is a truly fantastic ship, and if you have any interest in it's program, go to www.classafloat.com.
In general, today was a very exciting and memorable today, and I myself am waiting without patience for tomorrow's 200 kids to come.

Until next time,
Rob Benner

Photos: Top Left: The ebullient Mr. Coffin leading the shanty "Haul Away Joe"
Mid Left: Some Oak Square YMCA members gazing in awe at the Concordia

No comments:

Post a Comment

Welcome!

Welcome to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's Boston Harbor blog "Sea, Sand & Sky".

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the Boston Harbor Islands, the Boston Harbor region's public beaches, Boston's waterfront and the marine environment and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has been the driving force behind the transformation of Boston Harbor from one of the dirtiest urban harbors in America to one of the cleanest in the world.

As a result of our advocacy, Boston Harbor has been transformed from a "Harbor of Shame" into a source of recreational, educational and economic opportunity and civic pride. Today the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, the Boston Harbor Islands are a National Park, and Boston's waterfront has become a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike.

Working with a broad base of civic, corporate, government, scientific, philanthropic and community partners, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay continues to strengthen the connections between communities and the harbor, and promote the increasingly important impact Boston Harbor has on the region’s economy.

Each year Save the Harbor / Save the Bay runs 2 free Youth Environmental Education Programs that combine recreation and hands-on education to bring Boston Harbor alive for thousands of Boston area young people. Since 2003, we have connected nearly 250,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region's public beaches and Boston's waterfront.