Riding the Waves of Sound on SoundWaves

Blues music floated across the waves as the "New Boston" made its way to Spectacle Island on its annual SoundWaves event, sponsored by Save the Harbor. The musical journey was bursting with dancing and joy and created a fun atmosphere for the entire dock at Spectacle. We, Ashley and Liz, stayed for a bit to watch people dance and tap their toes to the beat but eventually headed off to Patty and Bruce's boat from Save the Harbor.  


Enjoying the music from their boat and eating a delicious meal was a great start to the afternoon, and we eventually decided to explore beautiful Spectacle Island, including the “treasure beach.” Frist we climbed to the top of the island to view the beautiful city of Boston as well as the other islands. Though it was quite a hike it ended up being worth the view. 

Next we sauntered on over to the "treasure beach" and hunted for unusual colors of sea glass. On our hunt we found some bright green and light purple glass that, in the overcast sky, highlighted the beach. As beautiful as all the colors were that couldn't keep us from noticing the dark storm clouds rolling in from all sides of the island. We immediately headed back to the safety of our bustling boat of blues and enjoyed the tunes till we departed. 

As the story goes with rain clouds, it began to pour buckets and buckets as we floated through the harbor. Unfortunately the rain didn't let up by the time we docked at Rowes Wharf and we both had a long journey home awaiting us. Luckily, there just happened to be a warm café across the street from the Boston Harbor Hotel where delicious hot chocolate awaited us. 


From sun shine to rain, the SoundWaves cruise was a blast all the way through. We both met some great people and enjoyed the wonders of Boston harbor. Take it from two girls who just recently moved to Boston, if you haven't gotten out this summer to enjoy the harbor and it's beauty then you better get on your way! It's right at your fingertips! 

-Liz Allen & Ashley Wakefield 

"Look at what I found!"

"Look at what I found!!!" This is the fun phrase I heard about 50 times in 45 minutes as I treasure hunted with kindergartners from Braintree on Wednesday. It was a nice cool day, perfect for all activities on the island, and I had the opportunity to experience them all with fun kids from all over Boston.

When we arrived at Spectacle Island the faces of all the kids on the Provincetown II lit up as they saw all the fun things they could do on the island. It was fun to hear them plan their adventures as they waited to depart the boat. Most were excited to go swimming and were practically stripped down to their swim trunks before they got off the boat. Some were complaining about their growling bellies and much to their delight, lunch was first on the list of things to do.

In a single file line the excited kids made their way to the visitors center on the Island. It was a cool sight to see all the benches on the island filled with kids. After our delicious lunch, everyone went in the direction of their interest whether it be flying kites, swimming, or treasure hunting. My favorite activity is to treasure hunt so I ended up on the treasure beach with the kindergarten class from Braintree After School Enrichment program. Immediately, the kindergartners went diving for sea glass and their excitement was apparent when they came back to the display board with about 3 or 4 pounds of glass.

Seeing all the things collected I decided I wanted to know specifically what they were looking for so I often asked the question "what special color of sea glass are you looking for?"Most just responded with the color green, probably because it was the first color they saw. So I explained to them that there are more than one color of sea glass. From there we went on a hunt for the colors of blue, yellow, and red. It was fun to see them running up to whomever and show what color they found or what weird object they found.  By the time 45 minutes passed the kindergarteners had the entire display table covered with treasures they had found.

By the time the day was over and it was time to cruise on back home, the entire boat of kids and I were exhausted from a full day of exploring the island. It was a fun adventure and I hope to experience another wonderful day of All Access Boston Harbor with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay.

Liz Allen
Events/Communications Intern

Ahoy! Tall Ships!

Hello! 

My name is Liz Allen from Norfolk, Nebraska interning here in the offices of Save the Harbor Save the Bay as an Event Planner. I am a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and am very excited to be surrounded by the beautiful beaches and harbor of Boston. The events that Save the Harbor are having this summer are going to be a blast and I am very excited to be a part of the brainwork behind them and to celebrate the harbor.

Me aboard the Provincetown II

Let me tell you a little about one the many first experiences I've had here in the harbor...

This past Saturday I boarded the Provincetown II to view the beautiful harbor and its visiting ships that are celebrating the 1812 war. Even though it was a hot sweltering day the breeze on the water was worth the trip to the harbor. As I boarded the ship I immediately found my prized seat on the top deck that sported lots of views from every direction. A few minutes later the Provincetown II sounded her horn and we were off to our adventure!

The U.S.S. Constitution & the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle

Our first destination was the Charlestown Ship Yard. Docked at the pier was the magnificent U.S.S. Constitution and the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle. Both of these ships were huge and a beautiful sight to see! I really liked the crisp white color of the 295 foot Eagle and the rich history that the Constitution. I am very honored to have seen these ships and I thank the courageous soliders who sail them across the seas to defend our country. 

Once we floated out of the Ship Yard, we found our way over to the Fish Pier where tall ships from around the world were docked. Again I found myself in astonishment of how big these ships actually were and their ornate detail. I also tried to imagine being in Boston in the 1800's and how different the harbor would be. There would be these beautiful ships anchored every where in the harbor and all the men would be wearing wigs.

Tall Ship from Columbia

By the end of the boat ride I had taken lots of pictures and had lots of stories about where these boats came from and what they did. I am very thrilled to say that I was able to see all these tall ships visting the city of Boston, because it is truly a once in a lifetime event. So, if you have not travled on over to the Boston harbor you better get moving, because there are many things to see and do that will have you beaming with pride for your country and harbor.