Rethinking the Three Hour Daysail American Sail Training Association's 37th Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships Margaret Flanagan Director of Marine Education
Schooner Pioneer 1885 Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania Captain Richard Dorfman, Master Schooner Lettie G. Howard 1893 Essex, Massachussetts Captain Denise Meagher, Master
Pioneer Marine School 1971
Lettie G. Howard 1993
Overnight Programs capacity 13 Lettie G. Howard
The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School Aboard Lettie Seaport Museum partners since 2003
Typical Daysail Stations on Lettie Bow watch Navigation Journals Knots journals Capacity 33 3 to 4 hour programs navigation
Please return this sheet no later than one week prior to your sail. Stations: (choose four) Buoyancy Challenge: In this station each group will have the chance to design and build model sized boats. The crew than challenges the students to the Great Sink Off where we will see whose boat holds the most weight. This station is wonderful for discussing boat design and surface area to volume (weight) rations. It also gives students the chance to look outside the vessel at other ships in the area Check Here Caulking Station: One of the most important jobs when building a wooden boat is caulking (filling the hull and deck seams with cotton, oakum and pitch). During this station, students discuss boat building and are shown the tools for caulking (irons and mallets). Students will have the opportunity to try their hands at it. Check Here Knots: A great station for visual learners. Tying a proper knot can mean life or death for a sailor. During this station we examine the rigging of the boat for different knots and then give students the chance to learn various knots such as the bowline, square not and clove hitch. Check Here Mechanical Advantage: Block and tackles (or pulleys) make a sailors life easier through mechanical advantage. This can either be discussed during sail raising or as a more hands on, in depth station. Students learn about friction, ratios and the structures of pulleys. Check Here Navigation Station: Students learn how to read a chart, plot a course and navigate our boat around the harbor. Topics discussed are: buoys, latitude and longitude, charts, mathematical equations for distance, time and speed and much more. All are learned through hands on used of navigation tools and compasses. A brief celestial component can be added with our sextants (or upon request as a separate station). Check Here Oyster Station: Dive right into one of the most interesting creatures in the harbor. Oysters have been important to the harbor both environmentally and economically for hundreds of years. Students dissect an oyster and learn about its unique characteristics as well as its history. Check Here Plankton Station: A wonderful station for students of all ages. During this station students will set and haul (pull) back a plankton net and examine their catch. This specially designed net can catch microscopic copepods or even an occasionally jelly fish. Students learn about plankton s role in the environment and the food chain. Check Here Pollution/Oil Station: The water students will be sailing on is affected by pollution. In this station students discuss different types of pollution, their causes and ways we can fix them, including alternative resources and reduce, reuse, recycle. This station emphasizes our need for crude oil products in our every day life. During the station we measure how much crude oil each person s ideal car would use. Check Here Run off Model: This is a wonderful way to introduce (or reaffirm!) to students the concept of estuaries. During this station we will use a model of suburban (with forests and wetlands) and urban areas. We will then introduce pollutants to our model and make it rain. This demonstrates run off and how wetlands and estuaries keep our water clean. This station focuses on the importance of our wetlands and estuaries. Check Sail Theory: A great way for students to appreciate the power of wind! The physics behind sailing is explained while students work with our headsails while discussing different points of sail and boat designs. Check Here Trawl: A favorite among students. Students will set and haul back our thirty foot otter trawl net. Our catch will then be sorted and examined while discussing different species adaptations. This is a wonderful time for students to learn about Lettie s fishing history and the history of the fishing industry. Check Here Water Quality: Students collect a sample of water and then test it for turbidity, using our secchi disk, ph, dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature. How each of these elements affects marine life and how humans affect these elements are discussed. This is a great hands on activity that can then be continued in the classroom. This data is recorded and can be taken home. Check Here Weather Station: A sailor is always mindful of the weather. In this station students are taught how to identify cloud types, read a barometer, measure sea state and determine wind based on the Beaufort scale. This data is can be taken home. Check Here Old Education Sail Flyer (13 choices)
Current Pioneer Education Sail Flyer
Typical Daysail Stations on Pioneer knots charts marine critters knots Capacity 35 90 minutes to 3 hours buoyancy
Otter Trawl Bottom Sampling
What works well for SSSM Daysails? Building ashore for programs if weather, dock near open water Simplify choices for teachers, know the local school boards Offering both overview programs and programs specializing in math, science, history using hands on materials Sail plan for the program, remember the goal for the students Communication and flexibility
What are the difficulties for SSSM Daysails? Intense pace to provide multiple short trips Managing Lateness Value in cost to customer Repetition and crew morale Schedule gaps tied to school vacations
Special Needs NYC DOE EVS Educational Vision Services For Visually Impaired / Blind
NYC DEP funded Watershed Education Daysail
Saltwedge.org Digital water quality data from a Sonde sensor installed aboard Pioneer. Designed by Capt. Don Chesley.
Sustainability
Reinvigorating Daysail content and Maximizing the Bottom Line at SSSM Make adaptations to serve special needs Develop customized programs for local priorities Incorporate technology Be inspired by blue water sailing
Margaret Flanagan 212 748 8594 Mflanagan@southstseaport.org South Street Seaport Museum 12 Fulton St. NY, NY 10038