View of Tall Ships from the Provincetown II

If you were around the harbor this weekend then you know that the Navy is in town! To celebrate the bicentennial of the war of 1812 the harbor has been filled with naval vessels and Tall Ships. To get a better view this Saturday I joined Bruce, Patty and some of the Save the Harbor staff on the Provincetown II.

We cruised around the harbor learning some history about the ships and getting an up close look at these beautiful vessels. My favorite fact of the day was about a ship that left the harbor with thousands and thousands of gallons of water, rum, wine and whiskey, when it returned to the harbor months later all of the rum, wine and whiskey was gone but there was still plenty of water to spare. I guess we know where the sailors priorities lie.

I had never seen a Tall Ship outside of a movie and they were a very cool sight to see. Some of the tall ships in the harbor have traveled all the way here from South America. The ship in the forefront of the photo, docked right in front of our offices, is the Guayas from Ecuador. I highly recommend that you take the time to come down to the harbor during this celebration and enjoy your own ride on the Provincetown II.

If you're looking to combine your Navy Week fun and Fourth of July celebrations I suggest coming to watch the USS Constitution, Oldironsides, make her annual voyage out into the harbor where there will be a 21-cannon salute and the Blue Angels will fly over the harbor. It's something you don't want to miss!

Blair

South Boston Boys and Girls Club boards the Dewaruci

 Today the South Boston Boys and Girls Club joined us on the Pier to visit the Dewaruci, a Tall Ship from Indonesia!

 

The group was excited to be out in the sunshine waiting out on the dock.

 

The Dewaruci took 6 months to sail to Boston from Indonesia.

 We had fun waving at all of the boats driving by checking out the Tall Ships from the water.

The kids were surprised to learn that 150 people live on board the Dewaruci!

We all enjoyed our hour on the Dewaruci but I think we'd prefer to take a plane to get between Boston and Indonesia instead of a 6 month boat trip.

-Blair

Schools to Careers Partnership learns about Boston Harbor

This hot and sunny afternoon Bruce, Michelle, Will and I went over to the Bank of America Pavilion to meet a group from the Schools to Careers Partnership and listen to Save the Harbor's spokesman Bruce Berman talk about Boston Harbor and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

The group of rising high school seniors had visited Deer Island earlier in the morning and were eager to learn more about Boston Harbor. For one hour Bruce walked the group through how the harbor has changed through the last 20 years. He kept the group of young people interested with comical anecdotes, including one about a beach runner getting what he thought was tar on his shoes, but which turned out to be human waste. The runner (Bill Golden, City Solicitor  Quincy)then sued everybody and their mother for his "miss step" on Wollaston beach, which got the ball rolling to turn some of the dirtiest beaches in the country into the cleanest.

Bruce focused his talk on potential opportunities for students interested in science and engineering in the non-profit world.

After Bruce's talk the student got their questions answered including, "How much money do you make?". This question was diplomatically answered with a range of salaries but Bruce also pointed out that besides making money, "It's best when you love what you do." Despite the heat that left us all wanting a tall glass of ice water it was a great hour break from the office to share information with a fun and engaged group.

Blair

Starting the Summer at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

Hey! My name is Blair Sheets and I am a rising junior studying Marketing at Boston University's School of Management. I'm from Dallas, Texas, so pretty far from home, but I am so excited to be spending my summer in Boston!

I'm happy to be working with a great organization like Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. I'll be working here as a communications/marketing intern making sure that everyone in Boston gets connected to the harbor this summer. Not only do I get to help a fantastic environmental organization but I also have the opportunity to get out of the office for the occasional trip to the beach as a part of my job! My first trip will be this Wednesday the 13th for the JetBlue beach cleanup. I can't wait!

I'm ready and excited for the opportunity this summer to share with you all of the fun happenings in the Boston Harbor. I know this summer with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will be amazing.

-Blair