Cape Cod Sailing Voyage
Ages: 14 - 16
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime seafaring adventure that few will ever get to experience: a Kroka sailing voyage aboard the "Shenandoah," a stunning 152-foot wooden topsail schooner — believed to be the only one left in the world without an engine for propulsion. We will travel back in time to where water is fetched from hand pumps, food is cooked on a coal stove, and days are spent sailing, singing, working, and studying with your shipmates. At night we will anchor in remote coves, and in the mornings we will explore the Cape Cod seashore in small rowboats — swimming, playing, and snorkeling from sandy beaches.
This adventure begins at Kroka in Marlow, where we will spend the first few days bracing up our water skills with paddling and small-boat sailing excursions - and begin our studies of sailing and the ocean environment: practical skills, marine biology, arts and literature studies, and the science of navigation and coastal piloting! Then we depart for Martha's Vineyard, where we will spend another few days camping and volunteering at local farms while we explore this historic island rich in culture, maritime history, and local sustainable agriculture. For the second week of the program we join our friends from the Martha's Vineyard Ocean Academy who will welcome us on board the Shenandoah. After learning to handle the ropes and rigging, we will raise anchor and set sail to see which way the winds will take us!
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
Sea-Fever • By John Masefield
** Interested participants can receive professional training towards a tall-ship sailing apprenticeship as well as a certificate of sea-time towards a United States Coast Guard Captains License. ***
