Crab Week

Fog

This week was crab week at All Access Boston Harbor and I couldn't have been happier. It is only our third week of programming and the amount of crabs we caught this week was incredible. There wasn't a day that went by where we did not have a single crab in our touch tank. The best part of it all was that most of our crabs were caught while fishing! Do you understand how happy it makes someone to catch something while patiently waiting for a bite? It's as happy as winning a special prize. My prize was seeing the kids' faces light up with surprise and joy.

GIANTS

It all started on George's Island. It was a cool summer day, fog greeted the edges of the island in every direction you looked. There was nothing within eyesight anywhere except the precipitation looming in the air. Fishing was off to a quiet start; the kids sat there patiently waiting for a bite. "AHHHHH", a loud scream interrupts the silence as everyone hops onto their feet to see what all the commotion was about.  And there it was, at the end of the hook grasping on for dear life was a crab. But not just any crab, it was a green crab. Fans of AABH themselves, they often pay us a visit on our sites. The young boy who caught it was still screaming and the crab was still hanging. My co-worker, Patrice picked up the crab and placed it in the tank to hang with us for a bit.

A crowd swarmed over to the tank, including me, to observe the little green guy. There he was, with his pinchers raised ready for battle. I picked him up so everyone would be able to get a closer look and feel for him. Indeed it was a male after all, a few kids speculated and I confirmed it was true after seeing his light, triangle shaped belly. Hands reached from all angles to get a feel of his hard exoskeleton. I began telling the children fun facts about green crabs. Not too long after our first catch, we heard another shout of excitement and as I turned my head to the left I spotted another crab holding onto the line! The cycle began and for the rest of the week we were flooded with crabs on each line.

Over at CHV, dark clouds gathered in the distance. The air was warm but all was still, we could tell there was a storm coming on. Jules and Eric walked up the dock with two giant crabs in their hands. I was amazed, I never knew how potentially large these crabs could get. They took up all the space in the touch tank, just these two creatures. I peeked inside and there they were, two ginormous crabs: a spider crab and a red rock crab. I could not believe how big their pinchers were, it 

was almost intimidating. But I could not help myself, I was desperate to hold it. And that I did! I picked up the spider crab and its limbs just dangling there. "Lol", I thought to myself I recognized this trick. The crab thought he could fool me by playing dead. A real vet, like myself, knew it was a trick so I placed him back into our tank.

Our first day at Spectacle was similar to George's. Everyone was fishing, there was not a sign of any bites yet so we waited and waited until someone shouted, "I caught a crab!". Imani helped the group of girls rail the rod in and on the end of the line was yet another small green crab. The girl walked over with the crab and added it to the tank. It was the first crab we caught and as the groups swapped in and out, we received more. I made sure everyone was able to pet the crab at least once and/or hold it. Before we knew it time flew by and it was the end of our fishing session so we prepared for our favorite game, crab races! I carried the tank over to the yellow line and slowly poured the water out until the crabs were the only things left. I lined them up and out they went, moving quickly with all their legs eager to return to the ocean. I cannot wait to see what other creatures we'll be catching this summer.

                                                   Ready for more, Kharliyah Ortiz, Summer 18

Thunderstorm

Crab Lessons

The Returning Fisherman

Hello folks,

This is the return of the Fisherman Raymond! I'm super excited to be back this summer as a Lead Harbor Explorer again.

On my first days back I had the chance to be a pirate with Pirate Nora aboard a ship cruising in the clean pristine Boston harbor, singing sea shanties and admiring the tall ships! If there's one thing I've learned since last summer, that's how to tell a story to share an amazing day I had returning to Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay.

At 7:15 AM, my alarm clock went off, rising in volume, "Beep, Beep......... BEEP BEEP". I thought to myself, "Today's the first week of returning to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay". I couldn't help but smile recalling how last year we caught gigantic spider crabs, rock crabs customized with barnacles, a squid, and many unidentified juvenile fish. As I'm changing into my uniform, I stare at my fresh and new "Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay" Polo. In maybe not even a month's time, this very clean polo will be littered with battle stains from wrangling up fish from the Boston harbor, fish print ink, and food stains. I recovered my senses, no longer lost in thought I walked out the house to get to my site early!

Today's objective was to visit Spectacle Island and to get some of the newer folks to learn the ropes of fishing! After some introductions between good ol' Charlie, his new first mate, the new roster of Junior Program assistants, Lead harbor explorers, and Senior Marine Educators we got into small fishing groups. Under my guidance, my teammates Kalid, Jayden, and Edward snagged a total of at least 6 flounders. Soon followed an amazing day of hiking on Spectacle Island's mountainous terrain.

I hope that you guys can one day experience the same joys that I have with fishing and these Boston beaches.

From the fisherman,
Raymond

First Day at All Access

Me showing the kids how to determine the sex
of a crab!

Last week was the first day at All Access. This is my second year at Save the Harbor Save the Bay and my second year working at All Access. I enjoyed working here last summer and am very excited to be back at a familiar site. Although there are new people and things are a little different, it was just as fun as it was last year.

The day was a Green Crab gallery galore!

We had lots of people come out to Spectacle Island with us but not as many as we usually get, but it is only the first week and there is a whole lot more families and communities to come. On my first day, we had lunch and then went swimming off the island when we arrived. The water was freezing and welcoming as usual and the view of the city of Boston was amazing. After a dip at the beach we split into two groups and I assisted hosting the fishing club for the rest of the day. Luckily we were able to catch some green crabs which got the kids super excited and happy. Many were brave enough to pet them and even hold them! Hopefully we will catch a lot more this summer.

It's lit

-Khar 

A 'Simply Marble-ous' Winner!

Raquel Cunha of Dorchester wins the “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt!

In November, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay selected the JetBlue ticket winner in our “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt, Raquel Cunha of Dorchester!! She found her blue marble on Spectacle Island and throughly enjoyed the day's activities. On top of the marble treasure hunt, Raquel loved hearing stories by Nora Dooley, also known as Mary Read the Pirate. "I believe the initiative to promote awareness and educate people about [Boston's] Harbor islands and their preservation are very important and will allow for future generations to enjoy the area as much as I did," said Raquel.

Raquel can use her round-trip JetBlue ticket to go to ANY of JetBlue’s domestic locations leaving from Boston Logan Airport! Raquel plans on using her round trip going to either San Diego or Miami. Either way she will enjoy a beautiful beachy destination.

“The ‘Simply Marble-ous’ Treasure Hunt is a favorite among JetBlue’s more than 2,500 crew members in Boston, many of whom volunteer locally for a variety of worthy causes including Save the Harbor/Save the Bay” said Ronda Ivy McLeod, Director of Regional Marketing, Northeast at JetBlue Airways. “The treasure hunt exemplifies our fun value, while also highlighting our commitment to the city of Boston.”

"Simply Marble-ous" began in 2012 on the beaches of South Boston with a beach cleanup sponsored by JetBlue in partnership with Save the Harbor. Bruce Berman, Director of Communications at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay said, “At Save the Harbor we’re always looking for ways to get people to take a fresh look at the Boston Harbor. JetBlue’s support helps to make that possible. One of the reasons this event is such a success is because JetBlue is such a great partner. Fun is one of their core values, which you can see that in the way they treat their community partners, employees and customers.”

While this year’s contest is over, Save the Harbor has already begun to plan for next year’s ‘Simply Marble-ous’ Treasure Hunt, which begins on Memorial Day weekend, so stay tuned!

A Warm (Cold rather) Welcome from Spectacle Island

Map of Trails

Hi everyone!

Shivering was my first reaction to docking at Spectacle Island on Saturday, October 29, 2016. What really shocked me was how green the entire island appeared to be! I have never seen that much green grass throughout the summer, considering how hot and dry it was. It was a regular, cold Boston day around 50 degrees in the city and 40 on the island with a little drizzle in the forecast. This was the first day I had ever been to the top of the island and came back around and it was also my first hike. The trail was very long and winding but I was excited that I got the chance to go around to the top and see everything from up there. It gave us the perfect view of the city. We also saw a woman flying a kite and children looking for marbles.

Mission Accomplished

As one of the dedicated and special-picked marble holders, I made sure to hide them in obvious but secret places that anyone could find. Before my hike up the island, I placed one inside a hole of a rock at the end of the dock, and when I returned about 45 minutes later it was gone! Lucky person, whoever they are. We took a small family of three with us to go hiking up the mountain and the two children enjoyed finding marbles on our hike. We took the North Drumlin trail to the top and the South Drumlin all the way back down. For some reason the way back felt much quicker than the way there. I was bundled up in layers to keep warm and hiking created some heat for me too. I felt accomplished when we finally reached the top and took a rest for about 15 minutes, gazing in the distance and soaking up the view.

View from the top

Kharliyah Ortiz

All Fall 16

First and Last Day of All Access

Hey guys!

So for my last day at Save the Harbor, I got to experience All Access for the first time. It was a BLAST! I loved being able to work with different staff and children. We all gathered in the Pavilion while we waited for all of our families to arrive. It was "free ferry" day to the islands, so we knew we'd have some big numbers coming! We listened to David Coffin give his speech about the Boston Harbor and Spectacle Island in particular (that's where we were headed that day). We also listened to Gabby explain some rules of the island and what we could expect from our trip to the island. It was only my second time on Spectacle Island, my first having been only a few weeks ago for staff day. I knew the set up and schedule of the day would be different than I had experienced.

When we got to the island, we all decided what activities we'd be providing to everyone, and we picked a spot for lunch. Some of the girls brought me Cape Verdean food to try, and spoil me on my last day. It was amazing and so thoughtful of them! After lunch, I went on a beach walk to look for sea glass. I was amazed not only by the amount of sea glass I found, but also broken pottery and ceramic pieces scattered around the beach. Bridget and I spent some time on the beach, looking for cool stuff and skipping rocks. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. We all went swimming before leaving the island, which was cold and rocky but I figured better walk myself in than be thrown by David Coffin! (Word spreads fast around Save the Harbor.) And, in typical Save the Harbor fashion, we took a "last day on all access" group selfie which will always spark memories of a fantastic end to a fantastic summer. All Access was so much fun, I am thankful I got to experience it!

Signing off from Spectacle, Bridget 

Staff Day!!!!

Hey guys, Monday was staff day for the Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay crew. It was a pretty lit day. In the morning there was confusion on what island we were going to go to. But eventually we really did end up going to Spectacle Island. The boat ride was fun, as we had apples and cheese and danish to eat for breakfast, courtesy of Bruce and Patty. When we got to Spectacle, the staff was split between people who wanted to play football and the other half that wanted to toss a Frisbee around. I never thought that I would ever say this, but it was an intense game of Frisbee that we had going. There were people diving for the Frisbee, sliding around, running to catch it. It was pretty crazy.

This was a nasty dive I took, but I saved the Frisbee from hitting the ground.  After, we went down for lunch. There were great sandwiches from J. Paces. After lunch, we went down to the water to take a dip. Again some how we ended up all tossing that Frisbee around in the water. Staff day was pretty successful. 

'Til next time

-Ary 

Staff Day

Hey guys!

So this past Monday, we had Staff Day out on Spectacle Island. Well, okay. We were told all summer that we'd be going to Spectacle Island together. Then 4 days prior to staff day, we were told we'd be going to Lovell's Island instead for a different kind of scheduled day. The morning of, about 15 minutes prior to departure, we were told NOPE, technical difficulties! So all staff members, apples, cheeses, watermelons, sandwiches and snacks raced to a separate dock in order to make the boat to George's Island. En route to George's, we were told that we'd actually be able to make it to Spectacle after all. What a whirlwind of a morning! Although we were all kind of scatterbrained from the changes, we were all super excited to spend time with one another and have some fun on the harbor. Here we are on the dock prior to boarding the Provincetown II boat. Look closely towards the center: you'll see four funny people stacked on top of each other's heads. I'm in that stack of explorers. Aren't we hilarious?

I had never been to Spectacle Island before staff day. I kind of knew what to expect, from talking with my fellow explorers and Save the Harbor staff members. We got off of the boat, and I was instantly impressed. I found myself smiling at the sights of the public taking advantage of one of the many wonders that the harbor has to offer. People were swimming, hanging out on some adirondack chairs, going for walks, and just thoroughly enjoying the day. I was so excited to get the chance to do the same with all of my new close friends that I've made this summer.

We played a game of frisbee where we formed a circle, and tried to make as many consecutive complete passes as possible. We all agreed that if we could not make it to 20 in a row, we were not allowed to have lunch. It took us a while, but we did it! Thank goodness, too, because those sandwiches and chips were delicious! After lunch, there was a nonverbal consensus to head to the water! We all conquered the rocky shore and ran into the water. It was cold, clean, and the most refreshing thing I could have asked for that day. We horsed around and had a great time, as we always do. It was so great being able to physically enjoy this lovely clean harbor that we spend so much time talking about. Staff day was truly a success!

Hope to see you there next year, Bridget M

Staff Day at Spectacle

Story time

This years staff day was one like none other. We started off with an initial plan that took a change in direction first thing in the morning. Then we attempted to try our back up and we still had to use an alternative plan. Thankfully our boss, Bruce, knows a thing or two about strategy.

Good play boys

We had some of our best laughs, experiences, and summer fulfillment together as a cohesive staff on Spectacle this past Monday. On our harbor trip in the morning we shared some amazing stories. Edward told us about his thrilling kayaking trip with the children at his site, Jahari shared his highs of his summer, and I shared the infamous "Save the Harbor/Save the Boxers" story. I felt like a bit of David, our harbor historian, rubbed off on me the way I'm able to share stories with groups now. I guess thats what a few years of AABH will do to one.

Photographer "A" at your service

Our annual All Access vs. No Access kickball game didn't happen but we still played football and frisbee amongst other activities. It was not a traditional staff day, but, we made the best of it. I also learned that I'm a decent photographer. Joe P. lent me a camera which I used to catch some photos throughout the day. I told him about my recent interest in photography and purchase of a Canon T5i DSLR camera. He gave me some pointers as I hope to start a new hobby, photography!

At the end of the day I walked away with nothing but smiles and a watermelon.

It was a good day.

-Ahmed

Staff Day at Spectacle Island

Hi everyone,

Today was my first time out at Spectacle Island for staff day! In the morning, we all met at the pier and boarded the ferry to get out to the Harbor Islands. From there, we disembarked at Spectacle Island. I had learned a few things about the island before I arrived, like that it used to be a landfill and that the trash on the island burned for ten years before Spectacle was transformed into a park. I have to say, after seeing how beautiful the island was on that day, it's hard to believe that it was once covered in trash!

The staff on the pier before we got on the boat

After we arrived, I went on a hike with Jessie, another SHE, around the island. It was great to see all the spectacular views of Boston and the other islands during the hike. When we returned from the hike, we had the chance to go kayaking in the ocean off the island. I had never been sea kayaking before, and it was a lot of fun! The water looked fairly calm from the shore, but there were actually more waves than I expected once we got out there. I was slightly afraid of flipping over, but I ended up staying afloat! After kayaking, we went back to eat lunch and stick our feet in the refreshing water. Overall, it was a fun day, and I hope I get to go back to Spectacle Island again soon!

A great view of Boston from our hike around the island

Until next time,
Grace

A beautiful day to explore

Hi everyone!

Yesterday we all had the pleasure of taking a break from our normal routine, and participating in the annual Staff Day. We ventured out to Spectacle Island, which is merely a short hop skip and jump away from Boston. The island itself has been through a lot throughout the years (see: Spectacle Island history via Google), but its past has made it into the beautiful treasure it is today. There are two large hills (called North and South Drumlin), connected by a skinnier portion. 

I had visited the island once before, but I hadn't gotten the chance to explore much. So, my coworker, Grace, and I set of to see as much of the island as we could before lunch. We wandered around the winding path that goes around the base of the North Drumlin, and came to the flatter area that connects the two drumlins. Being on a time crunch, we decided to venture to the South Drumlin summit, which was at a slightly smaller elevation than the North Drumlin. After capturing a few pictures, we ended our time exploring, and moved on to a new activity. 

Grace and I had been lucky enough to snag the last two spots available for a free kayaking venture. I had been kayaking before, but never in a sit-in kayak, and never with a view as beautiful as the one we had. 

After kayaking, we enjoyed some lunch and stuck our feet in the sand for a quick minute before catching the ferry back to Long Wharf. It was a beautiful day full of new experiences, and I was thrilled to have taken part.

Until next time,

Jessie G.

Spectacular Staff Day at Spectacle

Hello again fellow adventurers!

All of the hard work we've been putting into making this summer the best summer ever was finally rewarded with everyone's favorite day of relaxation, staff day! After quite the morning debacle, a broken down boat, a last minute ferry ride, and a quick island hop, we eventually landed on Spectacle Island. With all of the essentials packed, lunches, sports gear, and of course bathing suits, we were ready for a beautiful day to ourselves.

The before.....

In my element

We began the day with some friendly (but competitive) sports. Some staffers got a football game, while myself and a few others tossed the frisbee around. I never waste an opportunity to toss the frisbee, so it makes me extra excited when there's a group of people down to toss it around! After about an hour of sports, we had all worked up an appetite to devour the mass amount of food we brought along to the island. With our bellies full of J. Pace sandwiches and cookies, it was time to go swimming! (after waiting 30 minutes of course).

Like tossing the frisbee, I take every opportunity I can get to go swimming. Since I was little I've been swimming in lakes, ponds, and the ocean all over the South Shore and New England. It may not have been like the warm waters of Bermuda, but on a hot day the water was extremely refreshing and a great way to keep cool. Reluctantly, the day had to come to an end, and we waded out of the water to catch the ferry home. All in all I'd say it was another successful staff day, and just what we needed to get everyone through the last few hot weeks of August.

Until next time, keep on exploring!
-Luke C.

....and the after!

Need A Doctor At Spectacle.....

Need A Doctor At Spectacle!

Good afternoon everybody, last week on Thursday I got injured again because when I was splashing water at everyone I stepped on a shell. It was really painful when I stepped on it. I jump out of the water as  fast I could to see my toes but people thought there was something in the water but I said "Someone call a doc my toes is injured I got a shell hooked to me". I took a big huge breath and pulled the shell out of my toe as fast as possible. At the end of the day, I enjoy swimming at spectacle when is a sunny or rainy day. I'll still be in the water waiting for people to enjoy there self in the water on a sunny day. My best memories at Spectacle Island is being on the boat, kids and I playing quack a dilly o my. It's a game where everyone is around in a circle and everyones gotta put their hand on your partner beside you. A lot of kids like to play the game with me because I am the number one of the game I never get defeated by no one but there will be like 20 somethings kids that want to face me but I give every kid a chance to beat me.

First Day at my new site

After working at Camp Harbor View for the first three weeks of the summer, I got assigned to All Access. Even though I was sad to leave Camp Harbor View, I was excited to start working at a new site with new people. Working at All Access is very similar to being at Camp Harbor View, for a couple of reasons. One reason is the large amount of campers we work with at both sites, and we do similar activities at the two sites, also both sites are very close to each other. When I first learned I was working All Access I wasn't too disappointed since Camp Harbor View had prepared me for what All Access had to offer. There's only a couple of things we do during All Access that we don't do at Camp Harbor View, one is swimming and the other thing is playing sports. Unfortunately I wasn't aware that we all swim during All Access(while at Spectacle Island). When I told Dave and Andrea, that I couldn't go into the water since I didn't have a change of clothes, they weren't too happy. So when I started walking along the water Andrea filled her water bottle with water and then dumped it all over me, next Dave came and tackled me from behind and while I was pinned to the ground Andrea once again filled her water bottle and poured water all over me.
Other than this one unfortunate incident, All Access was filled with fun and exploring. Carlos and I played a very competitive game of soccer, which was very fun. I also got to enjoy my first time on Spectacle Island with a quick walk around the island.



















Abel Yohannes

Back To Dear Islands........

Back To Dear islands

  Good mornings everybody, we are back at dear special islands aka spectacle. It's are fourth week at all access and I enjoy being at spectacle island because I enjoy playing sports with the campers that come to the island with the crew of save the harbor save the bay. Last week I enjoyed the sports we played the crew I had for all access and came with me to play sports with the campers was Abel. He helped me out to give joy and smiles to the campers to play sports. The group in this image on my right is idill campers. I enjoyed playing sports with these kids because they love playing soccer and some of them got some skills on me, that day I had jeans on so one of the kid was coming toward me and when he did with the ball he did a little trick on me so I'm like I'm going home I feel embarrassed because he got my ankle when I was trying to go forward at him. After we played soccer we played catch but some of the kids said that kickball, football, track, and basketball are boring that soccer is the best so some of us said no football it's better than all the sports right now. But eventually football was the best sports out of the whole sports that what I think. I don't know about the rest but that what I know and choose. When I was talking to a kid about that he disagree with me but I said no that is okay, we could ask the whole camper to see which one is the best. At the top of the hill when we was playing sports aka soccer my team won because I gave a good pass to this little girl that was wide open and looking innocent. I told her to make the last goal so when she did she crossed the goalie and scored so my team beat Abel's team. But to be continued with exciting summer story............

Sincerely, Carlos Garcia

Half Way There

Hello again fellow adventurers!

It's crazy to think about, but the summer is just about half way over! With all the fun and excitement over the past few weeks, I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by. This week I spent time at both the Children's Museum and AABH on Spectacle Island.

That's my corner!

This week at the Children's Museum we had some particularly feisty crabs. With the temperatures on the rise in the city, emotions tend to flare for some city-goers, so I guess the same can be said for the crabs in the Fort Point Channel. The crabs main defence is of course it's claws, which they usually display prominently when we take them out of the trap. They usually calm down when in the touch tank, but this week they've been quick to react to our hands entering the tank, and a few unlucky staff members have felt the powerful pinch from some of these crabs. They'll even fight for position in the corners of the tank, and the extremely feisty ones we've had to put back in the water.

Today I was able to spend the day out on All Access Boston Harbor as our team traveled to Spectacle Island. With blue skies, a boat full of eager kids, and temperatures in the 90's, the scene was set for an amazing beach day! Before we jumped in the water, Myself and Abel played sports with a few groups of kids, from soccer, to frisbee, and kickball. After working up a sweat, we all hustled down the hill to the refreshing waters near the beach. Wasting no time at all thinking about how cold the water might be, I ran in as quick as possible, feeling a wave of cool refreshment wash over me as I plunged into Boston harbor. Not too many things feel as good as that on a hot summer day. However it couldn't last forever, as the day was coming to an end and we had to get back on the boat to Boston. I can't wait until the next time I get to take another trip out to the islands and jump back in.

Campers enjoying the beach!

Until next time, keep on exploring!
-Luke C.

Making Waves at Soundwaves

Hello again fellow adventurers!

This past weekend was filled with blue skies and live music once again as I took part in the annual Soundwaves event at Spectacle Island! Although we weren't on the spacious New Boston this time around, the Samuel Clemens proved to be a worthy vessel. Filled to the brim with music junkies, fans and bands alike, we danced and sang our way out to Spectacle Island.

The Samuel Clemens

Once we arrived at the island, the majority of the crowd disembarked to find a nice spot to post up and listen to the bands. With smooth blues music filling the air, many people took to the beach. The cool waters surrounding Spectacle provided much needed relief from the hot sun. All topped off with a hotdog and a soda, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of Soundwaves! 

The Final Act of the Day!

If I had to chose a highlight of the day, I think it would have to be the performance put on by the final band. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I could not have guessed that later that day I would have been singing and dancing along to "My Girl" with a bunch of strangers I had never met before, but at the end of the trip that is exactly what happened! No matter how many times I go out to the Boston Harbor Islands, I always find a way to do something I've never done before. Soundwaves was an amazing event that I would certainly love to partake in again next year. 

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke C

A Harbor for Everyone

Hi everyone!

It has been another great week at Save the Harbor! This Saturday I had the pleasure of working alongside some of my wonderful coworkers in assisting with an event known as Soundwaves 2016! Save the Harbor Save the Bay teams up with Mass DCR and Rhythm Room Entertainment to put on this event that is a blast to all who are a part - workers and attendees alike! We boarded and left Rowes Wharf at noon, and cruised out to Spectacle Island to enjoy sunshine, waves, and some good old fashioned live blues music. The boat was full of adults with a serious appreciation for blues music, and an equal appreciation and admiration for the beautiful harbor. Some people stayed on the boat and enjoyed the live music the whole day, while others took to the island for a dip in the ocean, or a walk up the trails.

View of the boat and the skyline from the island - what a beautiful day!

While Save the Harbor's summer programs primarily focus on teaching the city's youth about the harbor and everything it can provide for them, this event showed me that the harbor is truly there for all of us to enjoy, and for the use of many different activities. Sometimes the harbor is there for a 5 year old boy visiting Boston for the first time to catch his first fish on his way into the Children's Museum. Other times, the harbor is there to facilitate a boat ride in which a 60 year old woman rocks some guitar sunglasses and a blinged-out skirt while dancing away to her favorite blues song. The harbor truly is there for each and every one of us, regardless of our hobbies and interests. I believe that every single person can find something they love about this harbor, and I am so thankful to see these experiences take place firsthand.

Until next time!
Jessie G.

Spectacular Week at Spectacle

Hi everyone,

This past week, All Access Boston Harbor spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday out on Spectacle Island. It was a really great start back on Spectacle. An old friend from high school that I recognized came out with us on Tuesday. On the first day back on the island, we caught two skates and was able to unhook them all alone. The first one that I caught, was during lunch. While everyone went off for lunch, I decided to stay on the dock fishing. Five minutes after casting, I had a skate on one of the rods so I reeled it in as the old friend from high school and her family surrounded me. At first they were all yelling "Eww what is that?" ... "Its a sting ray" ... I tried telling them that it was not a sting ray and that it was a skate. A few minutes later, an old guy joined us and started telling me to be careful with its tail so that I don't get stung and I kept telling him that it does not sting and that it is a skate but he just kept saying "Sting ray, sting ray, sting ray." Moment later, I released the skate and the first group of kids came over to do some fishing. I guided them all and everything went smooth. Towards the end of the day, one kid reeled in our second skate and they were all amazed by it. Most of the kids knew that it was not a sting ray and that it was a skate. I was really impressed.

Old High School friend with her nephew
when I caught the first skate in 5 minutes

Thursday which was the end of the week at Spectacle was also a great day. We had a really great ending of the week out there. The East Boston YMCA came out with us again for the second time. The week before Spectacle, they joined for the Georges trip. Although we did not catch anything on Thursday, I was able to help the counselor reel in the striped bass but unfortunately, the fish kept dragging the line under the dock and snapped it. Another reason why we were unable to reel the fish its because the fishing rod had really short line so with that being said, there was not enough line for the fish to keep dragging. Even though we were unable to reel in the fish, the counselor was excited for just knowing that he actually did have a fish on the line. I was excited as well because I don't quite remember if we ever had a fish on the line last summer and we also caught a little lobster in our crab trap. Overall, everything went great at Spectacle except for the weather that was not cooperating with us.

Second skate caught after a nice swim

Until I catch another fish!!!

- Andrea Lopes

Crab, Crab, Crab...Lobster!

It's no secret that All Access has had a productive summer on the fishing side of the program. Every time Andrea casts a fishing line into the water, she is pulling a skate or a bass up! With Andrea busy being the Queen of Fishing, Kharliyah and I have taken the gauntlet in crab catching.

We have found an abundance of rock crabs, Jonah crabs, spider crabs, and green crabs. We have found so many almost every kid who has gone out on all access with us knows the differences between all four species and how to tell the difference between male and females.

On our last day at Spectacle we had a surprise visitor in one of our crab traps. As I was pulling up the trap for one of the last groups of the day, I excitedly exclaimed that we had caught a lobster!! Our excitement spilled over to all the kids on the pier when they saw what we had in our trap. It was a welcome change to all the crabs we had been catching all day. Everyone crowded around to get to touch and take a picture with the lobster. Kharliyah did an excellent job balancing the crowd and holding the lobster at the same time!

After we were done showing off our celebrity of the day we returned him to the water. It was a great way to send our last groups of the week at Spectacle off! It was another great week on All Access and great way to continue the good vibes into George’s next week!

-Nora D.