DECK LOG Community Boating
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ll over the country, communities are waking up to the benefits of teaching underserved youth to build boats and then get them out on the water, sailing and rowing. In addition to boatbuilding experience, such programs instill in their young participants self-confidence, discipline, problem-solving skills, and the abiliry to work as part of a team. NMHS members have a lot to offer these programs, and we are hoping you'll get involved at yo ur local level. An excellent resource for communiry boatbuilding projects is the Teaching with Small Boats Conference, to be held at Seattle's Center for Wooden Boats Cama Beach Faciliry on 27-29 April. At last year's conference, 87 attendees, representing 63 programs and serving 27 ,000 young people, gathered to share ideas and best practices, resulting in more partnerships between organizations and the start of nationally coordinated programming. Joe Youcha of Alexandria Seaport will run a three-day "Building To Teach" session on how to teach math while building a simple boat. We encourage you to volunteer with your communiry boatbuilding group, and get them to send someone-perhaps you-to this conference. There are two growing communiry boating organizations that are making a great difference. The Young Mariners in Stamford, Connecticut, is a non-profit organization offering after-school and summer programs in swimming and sailing to underserved students. In 2011, 63 students participated in their summer and fall sailing programs, increasing their knowledge of science, math, and social studies. In 2008, former elementary school principal Jim Taylor started a program in Peekskill, New York, where NMHS is headquartered, teaching young people to build and row boats. The Peekskill Youth Bureau oversees the program, which Mr. Taylor d irects. They worked with the Peekskill Middle School to build 14-foot rowboats. The group is working to get non-profit status for the project under the name Communiry Boatworks of the Hudson Valley. They held their first-ever fundraiser this past November, just after the area had been hit with an early snowstorm that left many residents without power and Jim Taylor, director ofthe Community Boatworks ofthe the roads dangerous. It was Hudson Valley, working with students to build a boat. · · · h ow th e pee kskill mspmng communiry turned out, despite the conditions outside, to support the project. Their motto: "Kids building boats. Boats building kids. Kids and boats building communities." I am continuously impressed by the dedication , talent and imagination of the board members. As I see the program grow, I wonder if its success is unique to the qualiry of the adults making it a realiry. But these programs are working all across the country. I can only surmise that there are many more really good and caring people than I will ever get to know. To learn more about: the Teaching with Small Boats Conference, contact Tyson Trudel at TTrudel@cwb.org; Alexandria Seaport and Joe Youcha's "Building to Teach" program, contact yo ucha@alexandriaseaport.org; or Young Mariners, go to www.youngmarinersfoundation.org; Communiry Boatworks of the Hudson Valley, contact the program's chairman Charlie Gruetzner at Charlie@oceanismarine.com. To let us know about your local boatbuilding program, contact us at nmhs@seahistory.org. - Burchenal Green, President 4
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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLISHER'S C IRC LE: Peter Aron, Guy E.
C. Maitland, W illiam H. White OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Ri chardo R. Lopes; President, Burchenal Green; Vice Presidents, D eirdre O'Regan, Na ncy Schn aars; Treasurer, Howard Slorn ick; Secretary, Thomas F. Daly; Trustees: Charles B. Anderson; Walter R. Brown; RADM Josep h F. Callo, USNR (Rer.); James Carter; D avid S. Fowler; W illiam Jackson G reen; Virginia Steele Grubb; Karen Helmerso n; Robert Kamm; Richard M . Larrabee; Capt. Sally Chin McElwreath, USNR (Ret.); James J. McNamara; M ichael W. Morrow; Timothy J. Runyan; Richard Scarano; Philip J. Shapiro; Bradford D . Smith; H. C. Bowen Smith; Cesare Sorio; Philip J . Webster; Daniel W. Whalen; William H . W hite; Jean Wort Chairmen Emeriti, Walter R. Brown, Alan G. Choate, Guy E. C. Mai tland, H oward Slotnick; President Emeritus, Peter Stanford FOUND ER: Karl Kortum (19 17-1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown, USMS(Rer.); Clive C ussler; Richard du Moulin; Alan D. Hutchison; Jakob Isbrandtsen; Gary Jobson; Sir Robin Knox-Johnsron; John Lehman; Brian McAllister; John Stobart; W illiam Winterer NMH S ADVISORS: Chairman, Melbourne Smith; D . K. Abbass, George Bass, Oswald Brett, Francis J. Duffy, John S. Ewald, Timothy Foore, William G ilkerson, Steven A. Hyman, J. Russell Jinishian, H ajo Knuttel, Gunnar Lundeberg, Joseph A. Maggio, Conrad Milster, William G. Muller, Stuart Parnes, Lori Dillard Rech, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Bert Rogers, Joyce Huber Smith SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, Timothy J. Runyan; Norma n J. Brouwer, Rob ert Browning , W illiam S. Dudley, Dan iel Finamore, Kevin Foster, John O di n Jensen, Joseph F. Meany, Lisa No rling, Carla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quentin Snediker, William H . White
NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Burchenal Green; Membership Director, Nancy Schnaars; Communications Director, Suzanne Isaksen; Marketing Director, Steve Lovass-Nagy; Accounting, Jill Romeo; Store Sales & Volunteer Coordinator, Jane Maurice SEA HISTORY: Editor, D eirdre O'Regan; Advertising Director, Wendy Paggiotta; Copy Editor, Shelley Reid; Editor-at-Large, Peter Stanford
SEA HISTORY 138, SPRING 2012