Tall Ships Rhode Island, Inc., Provides Platform for Education at Sea
NEWPORT, RI (July 22, 2008) — With its announcement of a Tall Ship for Rhode Island barely out of the bag, the Newport-based non-profit organization Tall Ships Rhode Island, Inc. (TSRI) is already enabling a rich sea-education experience for youth. On Wednesday, TSRI, which earlier this month announced its intention to purchase the steel hull of a 207 ft. three-masted, full-rigged ship from a Canadian group and transform it into Rhode Island’s own Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry, will host a group of young adults aboard the Charleston-based sailing school vessel Spirit of South Carolina. The program is an extension of a program that TSRI began last year during its Amica Insurance Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007 festival and plans to continue when the Oliver Hazard Perry is ready to set sail.
“During that event, three ships took 50 kids for a week-long sail, and another 80 kids experienced day trips aboard the Pride of Baltimore,” said TSRI Board Member John Corbishley, who was in charge of the program. “It was part of TSRI’s commitment to creating a sustainable program for youth in the future.” Corbishley, who also is in charge of this week’s adventure, explained that the Spirit of South Carolina, at 140 feet, is substantially smaller than the Oliver Hazard Perry but none the less impressive in its commitment to education at sea. When a week opened up on its schedule after an excursion to Maine, it agreed to sail down to Newport to keep the spirit and momentum of last year’s TSRI youth trip alive.
At 9 a.m, teenagers from various organizations around the state — among them Rhode Island Educational Talent Search, Chariho High School Marine Technology Program, and the Providence MET school — will board the Spirit of South Carolina at Bowen’s Wharf, the bustling center of Newport where TSRI has its headquarters. After a morning orientation acclimating the kids to life on the ship and giving them the sense of the team work needed to successfully operate it, the ship will sail off to an island anchorage for the night, possibly off Third Beach in Middletown, Cuttyhunk or Block Island, depending on the weather. The next morning, further fine-tuning of skills and teamwork will take place before the crew is grouped for “watches” and an overnight voyage ensues, adding nighttime navigational skills to the mix.
“This particular experience focuses on encouraging high school-age kids to moving on to greater challenges and continuing their education, giving them a chance to look at life a little differently,” said Corbishley. “We can have an impact on them when they start to understand that there is adventure waiting beyond their local environment, and with the sense of exploration and teamwork gained from programs like this, participants are more likely to set their future levels of personal expectation at a higher level through greater confidence in themselves and those around them.”
Named after Newport’s famous naval hero, the Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry has a completion date of 2010, but its hull will arrive on Rhode Island shores as early as this September. According to TSRI’s official announcement, it will be a working vessel, supporting itself with educational and sail training programs, with an office, staff and crew that has a budget of $1 million each year. While it will ply New England waters and travel to Canada and the Great Lakes during the summer, it also will venture to the Caribbean in winter. In addition to its maritime training focus, the ship will serve as a floating ambassador, promoting tourism for Newport and Rhode Island and every port she visits.”
For more information on the Oliver Hazard Perry, contact Bart Dunbar at 401-849-2243 or Perry Lewis at 401.841.0080. The TSRI office is located at 49B Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, R.I., 02840
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