Camp Harbor View Harbor Tour

Tuesday was my first time meeting the CHV crew and the energy, enthusiasm, and talent that these kids have is infectious. Not knowing what to expect, me, Tom, Will Clark, and Manny boarded the Fredrick Nolan Jr. and headed on over to Camp Harbor View to pick up the campers. The first set of kids boarded the boat and I don't know if I have ever seen more people in one place ever in my life. With three groups of what CHV refers to as "lighthouses" we had approximately 300 kids on our vessel with our mission: to educate the campers on the Boston Harbor Islands. As the boat began to move it was exciting to hear the squeals from the campers that had never been on a boat prior to this experience. Tom and Will Clark narrated the boat tour as we cruised around passing the lush green islands of Boston Harbor. I loved learning more about our unique harbor and the islands that surround us. Living in Boston the majority of my life I only knew of the existence of two harbor islands, little did I know there was a total of 34 islands total most that are even accessible! 

Soaking in the rays and the beautiful views

As the boat continued to tour itself around the harbor we paused right outside the airport and waited until a plane began to land right over our heads. It was a thrilling experience to be right under a 747 as it was landing. As the boat began to head back to Camp Harbor View Tom and Will opened the mic up to songs, rap battles, and shout outs. I could not believe how talented and fearless these kids were to get up on the mic in front of hundreds of their peers and preform.

Joyous.

As the day came to a close we said goodbye to the CHV kids and began the journey back to port at the Aquarium. It was incredible to be able to meet several of the outstanding kids from CHV and see so many faces light up with the joy of a boat ride. And as always- take chances, get messy, ask questions!-Sarah B

Fantastic cruise with the CHV family !

Hey everyone, Manny here! Just wanted to present this photo of me and some kids from CHV talking, conversating, and getting in touch with our talented side.

Some of the kids on the cruise had amazing talents, some sang, some had very educational raps. Also I personally got to know a lot of kids, especially my new friend Jenelle, she has an absolutely beautiful voice. I insisted she perform in the talent mic on the cruise because of how impressed I was with her voice. Some of the other CHV campers of course asked her to perform but she still continued to say no. Soon after a lot of kids showed off their skills, whether it was rapping, singing, funny rap battles, and exciting facts that kids never knew about the harbor islands, including the urban legend of the women in black and the story behind Spectacle Island.

- Manny

"HANNNNN" (French Montana Voice)

  

                  Hey guys, how's it going? Camp Harbor View was awesome today!  We took the Fedrick Nolan out on the harbor to Boston Light. It was a blast! Will Clark was the best MC today, he had so much energy with the children.  The kids were so engaged and we had some crazy rap battles with all five groups. The first three groups for the day were Mohegan, Great Point Look, Heron Nook and they were so lively! The second set of groups were Sandy Nook, and M-Dot (Minot's Ledge). I saw some crazy, talented kids, they were so spirited! Here take a look at the gifted kids!

These hidden talents came out when Tom, Will Clark, Will Conroy and I interacted with them. They had such a blast! Team Mohegan's landmark was saying "Hannnnn" which was derived from a known rapper named French Montana. Take a look at the talented kids, some rapped, sang gave shout outs to their groups, staff and just enjoyed their time.

 Later,
 Juelle Benjamin

Pins on pins on pins!

Today my crew and I went for two separate cruises with Camp Harbor View on the Fredrick L. Nolan Jr., a ship owned and operated by Boston Harbor Cruises.

The morning started with a meeting of the captain and crew on Long Wharf. They were extremely inviting and helpful. After the brief intro, we headed over to Camp Harbor View to begin the day of cruises.

Upon arrival, three of the camps lighthouses- around 300 kids- loaded on to the Fredrick Nolan for their trip around Boston Harbor and its islands. The second group of around 200 would come on the following tour. I was amazed that we were able to bring so many kids out to the harbor islands in just one day.

Enjoying the sun and the views from the upper deck

As we headed out Will Clark and I talked about each of the major harbor islands as we passed. The kids were slightly disgusted to learn about the finer points of the waste treatment that happens on Deer Island, and even more so when they learned that the solids removed during the process are used for fertilizer in various agricultural industries. A number of the campers who had not heard the story of the Woman in Black also came up to inquire about the story as we passed Georges Island.

The boat then continued on towards Boston Light, where, after getting a good view of America's oldest lighthouse, we turned around and headed back towards Castle Island and the inner harbor. At this point we opened up the mic to all the campers and staff so that they could display their singing and rap skills, as well as their camp spirit. It was great to see how excited everyone got when they or their friends had a chance to get on the microphone. Most of the performances were extremely impressive, particularly some the young singers.

A CHV Camper turning the mic back over after showing his skills

All in all the event was very successful and I believe that it provided a novel view of Boston Harbor to many of the kids on the boat, particular those that had never been on a boat. I cannot wait to help run this event again during the second session at Camp Harbor View.

- Be excellent to each other and party on dudes, Tom Rebula

Changin' it up on the Harbor

Will Clark keeping all the kids interested with a rap battle.

   Will here again, on the second week of duty with the kids! Today we mixed it up a little bit from the usual schedule. Instead of starting at Blacks Creek and then traveling to Camp Harbor View half way through the day, we went on a cruise. We took out the Fredrick L. Nolen Jr. from the Boston Harbor Cruise's fleet. With three decks, it was plenty of room for the two groups of kids we took out from CHV, which numbered at 200 each. The tour of the harbor started at the dock on Long Island and took us out to Boston Light. On the way we pointed out the islands to the kids and told the story and all behind each one. They especially liked the story about the Lady in Black we told while passing Georges Island.
   Once at Boston Light we looped back by Castle Island and back to CHV. The kids were surprisingly energetic in the hot sun which made the day a lot more fun. It was really nice to see the kids from fishing club, like my buddy Kyle who now knows everything to know about fishing and the harbor islands. Today was a great cruise and I know for a fact the Kids from CHV had a great day. It was a good preview to the fishing trip we have in store on Friday for those from CHV!

Kyle from Fishing Club and I out on the Harbor Cruise 

Will Conroy

One Last Fall Cruise to Spectacle Island

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay’s final fall cruise out to Spectacle Island was beautiful. Once again, a cloudy and cool morning gave way to a beautiful afternoon on the Harbor. My husband and I always enjoy when we get a chance to spend time on the island. The view of the city is wonderful and it’s a great place to picnic and enjoy being away from the busy city streets. Michael and I walked the North Drumlin Trail this time, because last time we came we didn’t get to this trail. Spectacle Island always grants the opportunity to meet new people and on the way down the trail, Michael and I met the Lindsey and the Peavy families from Dorchester and Norwood.

Michael and I on Spectacle Island (photo by Darrell Peavy)

Of the group, this was Malika, Hannah, Darrell, and Lanette’s first visit to Spectacle Island. They were enjoying exploring the island. Two in their group, Makiah and her friend Nyah, had been to the island before. They spoke with excitement about how they really enjoy looking for sea glass on each trip. Makiah and Nyah shared the excitement with Darrell and Hannah, showing them the best spots to collect sea glass. The kids showed me the glass they found on the beach. They thought it could be a piece from a teacup.

Clockwise from top left: Maliaka Lindsey, Lanette Peavy, Darrell Peavy,
Hannah Waters, Nyah Apperwhite, and Makiah Lindsey.

All the children played games on the beach and had a wonderful lunch on top of north drumlin hill. Malika Lindsey, Makiah’s mother, said that she “would recommend families to come to Spectacle Island because kids can enjoy the outdoors and families can use the place to picnic.”

Makiah, a sea glass scouting expert, shows off her find.

Everyone in the group had a wonderful time at Spectacle Island and can’t wait until the spring to go back on another adventurous search for sea glass with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay.


Camilla Fitzpatrick
Development/ Communications Intern

Time Spent on Spectacle Island

Boston, from South Drumlin Summit

Nearly 300 people braved the wind and rain to board the Provincetown II for the trip out to Spectacle Island, yet no sooner had we docked than the clouds parted, giving way to blue sunny skies and a light breeze to cool us as we ventured about the island’s ample trails photographing the spectacular views of the harbor and skyline. The island is made up of two "drumlins" or little ridges. Amazingly, this beautiful spot was built of decades of garbage and the dirt and clay left over from the Big Dig. Talk about recycling!

Right to Left: Ellie, Maddie, and Patti

On the way down from the summit I met and picnicked with a wonderful family- Patti and her granddaughter Madison (or Maddie for short) along with Ellie, a Korean exchange student staying with them. Patti lives in Winthrop and she spends lot of her free time with Maddie, they enjoy doing things together like crabbing and fishing. We agreed to help Maddie on her search for the items on the scavenger hunt. While walking along the beach searching for a feather, Patti told me that in all her time living here she had yet to have the opportunity to check out Spectacle Island. She thought it was great that Save the Harbor / Save the Bay was giving her and Maddie the opportunity to explore the island.

Maddie finds sea glass 

As we diligently assisted Maddie on her search for other items on the scavenger hunt list- some sea glass (and boy is there a lot of it!), seaweed, and a whole shell among others; we also managed to do some good for this state treasure, collecting a shopping bags worth of trash from the shoreline. It’s amazing the things that can find their way down drains and across the harbor. We collected candy wrappers, a water bottle, and some small plastic trinkets. It should really make people think twice about what they toss on the ground or in the water.

Treasure hunting is best with friends!

  



The call came through the speakers letting us all know that it was time to board the boat again. We brought our sea glass and other relics into the ranger’s desk, you can’t take those treasures with you, they belong to the people. As the boat pulled away, leaving beautiful Spectacle Island behind, we all agreed that we would be back to this special spot just 4 miles, yet seemingly a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Boston.

- Camilla

Camilla Fitzpatrick

Communications and Development Intern

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Ahoy Mate!- Camp Harbor View

This week has definitely started off on the right foot. Not that going on Camp Harbor View's Sling Shot (which totally put my body through a quick but exciting adrenaline rush) was not fun enough...BUTTTT, today my team and I got the chance to take the campers, at Camp Harbor View, on a tour around THEIR harbor! Neat right?

Giving the campers a history lesson on the Boston Harbor was not the most fulfilling experience during the tour, but actually bringing kids who were scared about their first time stepping foot on a boat to a place they had never been to, and assuring them that the beautiful harbor we were on belongs to them was!

The smiles on the campers faces
The appreciation manifested in their eyes
The, "Thank you...I can't wait to come back"
All reassured me that the work we do here at Save the Harbor Save the Bay does not go unappreciated.

We are truly fortunate.

Love,

Karrisha M. Gillespie

We're on a boat!

Bruce, Will, Karrisha, Carly, and I joined over 400 campers and counselors from Camp Harbor View aboard Boston Harbor Cruises' Frederick L. Nolan for a chartered tour of Boston Harbor.  Bruce took over master of ceremony responsibilities, giving a great background on the history and science of the islands.  Next, Will took over the mic to spit a brand new harbor rap that got all the kids going.  It's something else to hear a couple hundred kids scream "harbor" after you say "save." 

 

 

 

All aboard!

The kids took over the mic.

The kids eventually took control of the mic to have a Camp Harbor View rap battle.  But in addition to all the fun, everyone learned a good deal about Deer Island and its importance to keeping the harbor clean; and some history, hearing the story of the 1,000 boat crashes and all those who sunk to their death near Graves Lighthouse. 

Not just one, but two lighthouses!

All in all it was a great day to be on the water, and show a lot of kids some sights they may otherwise never have seen.  Can't wait to do it again!

See everyone out there!

-Andrew Bauld