On March 16 we received a grant from the Lawrence & Lillian Solomon Fund to build two new boats for our summer boat rental program. This funding is part of a new collaboration with Courageous Sailing Center and the Boston Parks & Recreation Dept. Our student built boats will be available for rental on Jamaica Pond this summer. The student boat builders and their families get to use the boats for free while the general public will pay a modest fee to take a row in their beautiful boats. The new funding and the Jamaica Pond program require building two larger boats for use by groups of adults. Our Periwinkle Jr. is fine for a crew of 5th graders or 2 adults but for 3 to 4 adults we need something larger.
Before rushing into telling you about our progress on this new project, I need to publicly express my sincere appreciation to the folks who have been spending their time as volunteers this past winter. I could never have done it without you! Roger, John and Richard have been hard at work painting the boats built by the students. At times it has been a quite a bit more than painting. Our volunteer extrodinaire, Tim Mize, has worked with me every day this winter. With the larger boat building teams created by larger numbers of students in the classrooms and no way to schedule more teams, the teams had to be larger than ideal. Without Tim the boatbuilding would never have worked as well as it has. Thanks again to all of you!
This is the first of weekly updates I hope to do on the progress that our growing crew of volunteers is making on completing the new larger boats for use at Jamaica Pond this summer. If weekly news from us seems like too much but you would still like to receive less frequent newsletters please email me and let me know. If you unsubscribe using the link below you will not get any news from us.
Thursday Night, April 1, We completed the longer strongback needed to build the bigger boats.
Building form for the new boats will be set up on this new strongback
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On Saturday, April 3, we made significant progress on the expanded lofting floor which will allow us to lay out the new boat.
Panels under way for expansion of the lofting floor.
Such a beautiful space to work in!!!!!
Those are the masts of the USS Constitution out the window.
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On Saturday two of our newest volunteers, Taylor and Grace, also completed a first coat of varnish on the oarlock blocks for this winter's boats. Taylor's Mom Vicky started the prep for all of the oars so they will have a new coat of varnish and be ready to go in June.
Grace & Taylor with their days work complete
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IT WAS A GREAT FIRST WEEK FOR THE NEW BOATS PROJECT!
Nat Benjamin, of Gannon & Benjamin, is designing a new boat for us. He was also the inspiration behind the Periwinkle Jr. that we have been building with kids and families for the past 3 years. We expect to have the lines and offsets soon and be able to start work. We hope to launch them, with the past winter's student built boats, in June.
Remember that the shop is open Thursdays from 4-8PM and Saturdays from 10AM-2PM. We will be there to organize whoever wants to stop by to work. This is a great opportunity for all of you who have often fantasized about building a boat but the project always seemed to big or you didn't have the space. Having others to work with, our experienced staff to teach you what you need to know and our beautiful shop space in Building 125 at the Charlestown Navy Yard to work in will make it seem easy.
COME ON DOWN AND JOIN IN THE FUN!!!
As we near the end of our fiscal year we still have a small budget gap. Your help to close that gap would be sincerely appreciated. Our funders, listed below, have been more than generous given the economic conditions and the fact that we are a new, small organization working outside the box. Your tax deductible donation can be made on our web site or mailed to our fiscal sponsor, Third Sector New England. Checks should be made out to BFB/TSNE and mailed to TSNE, 89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111.
You can also purchase one of the student built boats to help support our program. It will surely attract attention on your dock while giving you a great story to tell about your support for the kids that built it. See details below.
DIRECTIONS TO THE SHOP
We are in historic Building 125 at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The easiest way to get there is to catch the T's inner harbor ferry at Long Wharf. It is a 10 minute ride to the Navy Yard. Building 125 is right at the top of the gangway when you leave the boat. If driving, enter the Navy Yard off Chelsea Street at 5th St. After the first stop sign go straight ahead onto Baxter Rd. Building 125 is at the end on the right. You are looking for the building in the drawing below
Boston Family Boat Building brings critical academic subjects and skills -- math, science, social studies, spatial thinking, reading and writing -- to life with experiential learning opportunities for school children. It is a unique program serving Boston Public Schools elementary school children that draws on the outstanding natural features of Boston and its rich history. Now in its third year, the program works with 4th and 5th graders to learn navigation skills in the Harbor, construct a seaworthy 10-foot wooden rowing vessel and learn about earlier Bostonians, particularly African Americans, who worked in the maritime trades. Check out all our programs to bring exciting experiential learning opportunities to students of the Boston Public Schools at
Boston Family Boat Building is supported by volunteers, individual donors and funding from The Jane B. Cook 1983 Charitable Trust, Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Fund,
Amelia Peabody Foundation, Cabot Family Charitable Trust and
George A Ramlose Foundation.
Development of Building 125 as a maritime education center is sponsored by
Atlantic Maritime Heritage Foundation and NPS
