By Nick Patch, Champlain Longboats Director This past Saturday, October 5, a total of 206 youth rowers gathered at Perkins Pier on the Burlington waterfront to participate in the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s annual youth rowing race, the James Wakefield Rescue Row. This race is named in honor of James Wakefield who, along with his son Jack, on December 9, …
By Elisa Nelson, Schooner Tour and Volunteer Coordinator On the calm morning of September 3, the crew of the Lois McClure took a short trip to Shelburne Shipyard for our Coast Guard-required haul-out and hull inspection. This meant, of course, that Lois had to come out of the water, so we had an exciting (but actually quite slow) morning maneuvering …
By Cherilyn Gilligan, Archaeologist Editor’s note: This summer, we welcomed underwater photogrammetry expert Kotaro Yamafune (Kota, as he is referred to here) to lead courses on photogrammetry for our local diving community and join us as we put this technique to practice on some wrecks in Lake Champlain. Museum archaeologist Cherilyn Gilligan shares her experience and photos from a great …
By Nick Patch, Champlain Longboats Director The week of September 9 was a week to remember for Lake Champlain Maritime Museum rowing programs. On Wednesday we hosted 95 Otter Valley Union Middle School students at the museum’s North Harbor for a team-building day and on Friday we hosted Colchester Middle School in Burlington with another 90+ rowers. All of these students spent …
By Lisa Percival Recently, on Thursday, September 12, the museum had its annual moonlight row with members of our Community Rowing clubs and staff. Enjoy this account from museum staff member and Community Rowing Club leader Lisa Percival, and photos from participants Pat Jackson, Kris Jarrett, Andrew Rainville, and Mary Micklas. In total, we had a group of 29 rowers …
By Ben Mayock This past Saturday, August 17th, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s rowing team traveled to Maine to compete in the 19th Annual Come Boating! Regatta in Belfast Harbor. The morning was cool and overcast (perfect for rowing!) as we took a warm-up lap around the harbor. All of the turning marks were visible and the wind was light and …
This past month, our teen overnight group, Expedition Champlain, set off from the museum with nine participants and three trip leaders Haley Ferrer, Mandy Smith and Laura Caldwell for an eight-day journey. The group rowed two of the museum’s 32′ pilot gigs, exploring remote sections of Lake Champlain, dodging challenging weather and ultimately reaching the Canadian border.
Eight summer campers recently took a step back in time and spent a week in the 18th century; learning first-hand what life was like in the Champlain Valley for a soldier or sailor of the revolution. Over four days of camp and one overnight the crew immersed themselves in history, learning and experiencing the skills, crafts, and lives of those …
Wood is a deceptively challenging medium to work with: easy enough for a first-time builder to work with, yet with a learning curve so steep and so broad that no carpenter could ever seriously claim to know absolutely everything about it. And while the tools have improved and techniques debated and refined, the basic principles and traditions behind woodworking have remained unchanged for millennia.
By Charlie Beyer Last Saturday we waved goodbye to our teen overnight rowing trip, Expedition Champlain, as they left the docks here at the museum headed for the Canadian border. The nine participants and three staff spent the morning in a final rush (the morning before leaving is always hectic, no matter how prepared you are) to pack everyone’s stuff …