.SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS Ocean Classroom Foundation, which owns and operates the schooners Spirit of Massachusetts, Harvey Gamage, and Westward, is consolidating its offices, currently in Westerly, RI, and Rockland, ME, with a move to Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The actual move will rake place over the next few months, while their ships
Captain Christopher Ffansberg at the helm of the Spirit of Massachusetts, with another Ocean Classroom Foundation schooner, Harvey Gamage, coming up from astern. head south to the Caribbean to continue their educational shipboard programs. Town and state officials made a concerted effort to attract the organization to the midcoasr-Maine port. A late summer reception gathered the ships, it supporters, and the public to officially welcome the organization to Boothbay Harbor. The move will undoubtedly restructure some of the working environments of rhe administrative staff, bur the ships will continue to sail the waters between rhe Caribbean and the Canadian Maritimes with students of all ages under sail. The security of a support system in their new consolidated home port will provide more consistent comm unications between staff and crew. With the warm welcome pur our by the local people in the Boothbay area, OCF looks forward to a bright future as it pursues its educational mission. Talent in the region , including a sailmaker, boarand shipbuilders, naval architects, ship supply, etc. will provide a strong base for the maintenance of rhe three ships. (OCF, www.oceanclassroom.org) Professional mariners should make note of the web site www.merchantmarine.com for loads of information on jobs, training, employment, and even a bit of history. . . . The "Save Our History" grant applications for 2008-09 will be available online in January. $25 0,000 in grants of 40
up to $ 10,000 each will be awarded to historical organizations that partner with schools to fund hands-on, experiential educational projects that reach students about their local history and engages them in preservation projects. See www. saveourhisrory.com after the new year.... H-Maritime is seeking a web-editor for its listserv, an online discussion group interested in maritime history, archaeology, literature, policy, and other areas of investigation. Membership in H-Maritime is free. Names are also being sought for book, multimedia, and museum exhibit reviewers. Contact Tim Lynch at tlynch@csum .edu or Laura Chmielewski at laura.chmielewski@purchase.edu .... In September, the Cape Cod Maritime Museum launched the catboat Sarah, the official boat of the Town of Barnstable. 1his 19-foor-long watercraft is a replica of the 1886 Crosby catboat Sarah, designed by Daniel Crosby and built by H erbert F. Crosby. The original Sarah is also in possession of the museum. With a shallow draft and broad beam, Sarah was ideally suited to ply rhe coastal and off-shore
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waters aro und Cape Cod in pursuit ofborh fin- and shellfish . In later years, the catboat was primarily used for recreation . The building of rhe replica served to both document and preserve the art of traditional wooden boarbuilding and to give visitors a sense of the time and technology required to build a wooden boar in the 19th century. The new Sarah will serve as a floating classroom for Cape residents and visitors. Educational programs will include sailing, meteorology, marine science, and ream building. Funding for the project came from a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (CCMM, PO Box 443, 135 South St., Hyannis, MA 02601; www.capecodmaritimemuseum.org)
CALL FOR PAPERS
"Defining the Maritime Edge: Ihe History and Archaeology ofInland Environments, Coastal Encounters and Blue \Vtzter Connections" Annual Conference in Pensacola, Florida, 7-11 May 2008 The 2008 annual conference for the North American Society for Oceanic History, h eld jointly this yea r with the Council of American Maritime Museums, will be hosted by the University of West Florida in historic Pensacola, Florida. Known as the "City of Five Fl ags," Pensacola boasts more than 450 years of recorded history as Spain, France, England, the United States, and the Confederacy each sought to rake control of this valuable maritime port. The Program Committee welcomes the submission of indivi<lual papers an<l full sessions, preferring panels with three papers and a chair. Proposals shou ld include a brief abstract for each paper or a onepage abstract for panels and CV's for each participant, including chairs. Graduate students are stron gly encouraged to submit proposals for presentations. Scholars interested in chairing sessions are welcome to send a brief CV to the Program Committee Co-chairs. Please note that all participants must register for the conference. Specific questions may be directed to Program Committee Co-Chair Bill Thiesen at rheisen@earrhlink.net. Deadline for submissions is 31 January 2008. Send or e-mail submissions to the program committee co-chairs: Victor Mastone, Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, 251 Causeway Street, Suire 800, Boston, MA 02114; vicror.mastone@state.ma.us OR John 0. Jensen, Sea Education Association, PO Box 6, Woods Hole, MA 02543; jensenherirage@cox.net Visit the NASOH web sire for more information: www.nasoh.org/Conference.htm. SEA HISTORY 121, WINTER 2007-08