Friday, May 29, 2009

Sussex School Aboard the Adventuress

The following article was written as part of a school assignment. The course is "Writing for the Mass Media," and the assignment was to create a newsletter. I had to write five articles roughly 100 words each. I chose to do one of my articles on the Sussex school Sound Exploration trip, for which I was a volunteer. This is that article!

Traveling from Montana, a small group of students and their chaperons braved a nine hour car ride to come sail aboard the Schooner Adventuress. Departing on May 14 from Bainbridge Island's City Dock, the Adventuress sailed for first north, then south, admiring the majestic waters of the Puget Sound.

The nine students, grade eight, quickly earned the respect of the crew with their maturity and energy. Over the three day voyage the students tackled advanced navigation, bellowed chanteys, hauled up the sails and studied the depths of Puget Sound's ecosystem.

As their departure drew near, the students recounted their favorite things: the bowsprit, going aloft, spotting seals and the food. Many participants wished the trip was longer, others dreamed of coming back but everyone left the ship inspired.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Tacoma News Tribune Reports on Adventuress

Last Wednesday, the Tacoma News Tribune featured the Adventuress in an article titled, "Tall ship Adventuress offering free tours, $40 cruises on Sunday." Craig Hill, the reporter who broke the story, was able come on board to experience our program, and converse with the captain and crew.

Captain Joshua Berger was quoted saying, “When we are all on board it’s easy to see how our actions impact each other and the ship."

The Adventuress is a closed system. The crew pay careful attention to what goes into it: fuel, water and food, and what comes out of it: compost, food-waste and trash. By monitoring resources and maintaining the ship, the world aboard the Adventuress is preserved and enhanced.

The Earth, too, is a closed system, but on a larger scale. Hill noted the parallel that the crew draws between the ship and the Earth.

"Berger... and his crew use the comparison to teach environmental responsibility to kids," wrote Hill.

You can find the rest of Hill's article here, at the Tacoma News Tribune's website.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Olympian Features the Adventuress

Recently, the Adventuress sailed to Olympia to connect with local schools. Operating from Percival Landing, the Adventuress offered numerous Sound Studies programs, as well as dockside tours. Rolf Boone, a reporter for the Olympian, connected up with the participants and crew to gain insights into our programs. You can read his article here at the Olympian's website.