It was a true sunset cruise Monday night as nearly 700 people
joined us on the Bay State Cruise Company’s flagship Provincetown II for
our Share the Harbor Boston Light cruise to take in the sights and sounds of
Boston Harbor at dusk.
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| Nearly 700 people were aboard Provincetown II for the September 16 Boston Light Cruise. |
It was shaping up to be a picturesque autumn evening, and
the forecast did not disappoint as the cruise departed the World Trade Center
dock. The sun was setting behind the city as we reached the lighthouse, which provided
picture-perfect opportunities for all on board.
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| Boston Light at sunset during the September 16 Share the Harbor cruise. |
As we motored past the harbor islands, commentary was
provided by Boston Harbor historian David Coffin, whose entertaining charisma
captured the attention of everyone on board. He told tales of the golden age of
piracy around Boston Harbor and shared history of the harbor as we passed,
including the great environmental success story of the Boston Harbor
Cleanup.
We were then treated to his rendition of the hymn Let the
Lower Lights Be Burning, about the lights from towns onshore guiding ships
into port.
Also, aboard the Provincetown II was special guest
Dr. Sally Snowman, the 70th keeper of Boston Light and first female light
keeper in its long history. She spoke about her daily life and duties on Little
Brewster Island. Guests were captivated by her description of the crashing
waves, passing boats, beautiful sunsets, and marine life that she experiences.
With her, she brought photos from the island’s past and the evolution of the
Boston Light and the keeper’s house since 1716.
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| Harbor Historian and narrator David Coffin, and current Boston Light keeper Sally Snowman. |
As the sun made its final descent, a member of the Coast
Guard played the bugle to mark the end of the day, as is customary at sunset in the Coast Guard.
At nightfall, our fun filled cruise came to an end with
Boston’s skyline lighting up the water around us. People flooded to the bow to
take in the beautiful sights and to capture it on their cameras.
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| People capture photos of the Boston skyline at sunset. |
According to Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay’s Vice President
Chris Mancini, these free trips are part of the new Share the Harbor initiative
that was launched in the spring.
“So far this year nearly 5,000 people have taken part in
this great new program,” said Mancini. “The best way we know to ‘Save the
Harbor’ is to ‘Share the Harbor’ with the public through free events and
programs on the Harbor, the beach, the waterfront and the islands.”
There are still opportunities to get out on the harbor with
us! Click here (http://blog.savetheharbor.org/2019/04/ten-free-share-harbor-cruises-in-2019.html)
to sign for our next Share the Harbor cruise on September 29 to Spectacle Island.
To stay up-to-date on the work we do to restore, protect and
share Boston Harbor visit www.savetheharbor.org and like or follow savetheharbor
on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Save the Harbor's free Share the Harbor Cruises are made
possible with Leadership Grants from Cronin Development, the Massachusetts
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Bay State Cruise
Company.
Save the Harbor is grateful for Leadership Grants from Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola
Foundation, Exelon Generation, and John Hancock Financial Services.
Save the Harbor is also grateful for Partnership Grants from
the Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Boston
Properties—200 Clarendon, The Daily Catch Seaport, Davis Family Charitable
Foundation, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Engie, Fan Pier - The Fallon Company,
Highland Street Foundation, Hood Business Park, The HYM Investment Group, LLC,
IR+M Charitable Fund, The Llewellyn Foundation, Massachusetts Port Authority,
National Grid Foundation, P & G Gillette, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein
Charitable Foundation, William E. Schrafft & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable
Trust, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, and Vertex.
Save the Harbor also appreciates Stewardship Grants from the
Camp Harbor View Foundation, Circle Furniture, Comcast, Copeland Family
Foundation, The Cricket Foundation, Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation,
Davis Family Charitable Foundation, Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust,
Dorr Charitable Foundation, Enbridge, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Foundation for
Sustainability and Innovation, The Kershaw Foundation – Cheers for Children,
George Lewis - Haven Trust, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Lovett Woodsum
Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, MarineMax Russo, Massachusetts
Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Nicholson
Foundation, Pabis Foundation, REI, RMR Real Estate Services, Rockland Trust
Pavilion, Skanska, Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation, TD Charitable
Foundation, and Tishman Speyer.
Save the Harbor would also like to thank our Program Funders
Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, MA Attorney General’s Office
Healthy Summer and Youths Jobs Program, The Paul and Edith Babson Foundation,
Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Andrew Calamare & Marianne Connolly, Cell
Signaling Technology, Diversified Automotive, Legal Sea Foods, Miss Wallace M.
Leonard Foundation, Mass Bay Credit Union, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula
Foundation, UDR, and Kyle & Sara Warwick.
Save the Harbor would also like to extend our gratitude to our Supporters 3A Marine Service, The Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Cresset Group, Massachusetts Marine Educational Trust, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg.
Special thanks as well to the hundreds of individual donors
for their support and 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.
To stay up-to-date on the work we do to restore, protect and
share Boston Harbor visit www.savetheharbor.org and
like or follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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