Monday, October 1, 2018

Free Fall Treasures of Spectacle Island Cruise Sets Reservation Records


On Saturday, September 29, Save the Harbor continued to "Share the Harbor" with a free cruise to explore the Treasures of Spectacle Island. With a record 2,500 reservations, it is clear that demand for free access and programming on the Boston Harbor Islands is only growing, and this clear, warm fall day did not disappoint.

As the Provincetown II motored out into the Harbor, Save the Harbor's Vice President of Operations & Programs, Chris Mancini, shared stories and songs of the sea from our All Hands on Deck curriculum. "We want people who take part in our free programs to know that young men and women of every race and nationality played important roles in our maritime past, and that there are plenty of opportunities for them today on Boston Harbor, our waterfront and the sea." 

Our newest crew members "Haul Away Together" on the Proincetown II

Save the Harbor's song leader then taught and led a rousing rendition of "Haul Away Joe", a traditional sea chantey that also happens to have an inspiring message: that if we all pull in the same direction, we can accomplish anything.

Some of our intrepid youngsters show of the sea glass and ceramics they found on South Beach

Once on Spectacle Island, visitors dispersed for picnics and walks on their own, while groups joined Save the Harbor's staff for fishing and crabbing on the pier, kite flying on the North Drumlin, and sports and games in the Saddle. The most adventurous joined our resident pirate for a walk along the South Beach where they discovered some of the "Treasures of Spectacle Island" which give a window onto the varied history of Spectacle Island. Though none of the treasures can leave the beach, our young "pirates in training" got a lesson in geometry and the scientific method as they drew transects at high and low tide, and developed hypotheses about where they might find the most interesting objects, and what each might tell them about the island.

We bid the island farewell until October 20


We couldn't have asked for a better day to explore one of Boston Harbor's most spectacular places, and look forward to our next Share the Harbor cruise on October 20th.

Share the Harbor is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay would like to thank our partners at Bay State Cruise Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and Distrigas/ENGIE for their Leadership Grants which make all our free programs possible.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Boston Properties - Atlantic Wharf, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Fan Pier - The Fallon Company, John Hancock Financial Services, The HYM Investment Group, LLC, The Llewellyn Foundation, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P&G Gillette, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, William E. & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Vertex, and The Yawkey Foundation.

Save the Harbor also appreciates Stewardship Grants from The Paul and Edith Babson Foundation, Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Blue Hills Bank Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Circle Furniture, Comcast, Copeland Family Foundation, Inc., The Cricket Foundation, Cronin Group, LLC, The Daily Catch Seaport, Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust, Enbridge, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Foundation for Sustainability & Innovation, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, Mass Humanities, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Nicholson Foundation, RMR Real Estate Services, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, Skanska, South Boston, Community Development Foundation, Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation, and Tishman Speyer.

Save the Harbor would also like to thank Program Funders 3A Marine Service, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, The Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Boston Bruins Foundation, Andrew J. Calamare & Marianne Connolly, CannonDesign, Circle Furniture, Kevin & Dee Colcord, Dark Horse Capital Partners, Diversified Automotive, Eversource, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Fort Point Framers, Goulston & Storrs PC, Legal Sea Foods, Miss Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, George Lewis - Haven Trust, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Mass Bay Credit Union, Massachusetts Marine Educational Trust, National Park Service, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg, SKW Partners, Inc., Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation, Storm Duds, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, UDR, Kyle & Sara Warwick, and Winthrop Parks and Recreation.”

Special thanks to everyone who joined us on the cruise, and to the hundreds of individual donors for their generosity. Thanks as well to our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the YMCA of Greater Boston for their support.

No comments: