PORT TOWNSEND — Renovations complete, the Adventuress will spend this winter serving as a floating classroom.
For the past five winters, the 101-year-old schooner has been pulled out of the water for major renovations in a $1.2 million project completed this spring.
Now that it has been spruced up, the tall ship will augment a special Port Townsend School District curriculum program.
“For the first time in years, the Adventuress is available for something other than restoration,” said Catherine Collins, Sound Experience executive director.
“This winter, we are seeing what we can do with students dockside, doing what we can to inspire them in the classroom.”
The 133-foot, 100-ton historical ship is now moored in Point Hudson, a different location than the Boat Haven where it has spent the last five winters while its hull, masts, drive train and other parts were restored or replaced.
Collins said that Point Hudson is more accessible to students “because they can come right up to the ship without having to cross a major traffic artery or go through the boat yard.”
Classes are offered as part of the Port Townsend School District’s Maritime Discovery Initiative.
The program injects maritime topics into standard classes to stimulate interest in the sea trades.
While no major renovations are required this year, students will be involved in standard maintenance activities that involve sanding and light construction, Collins said.
Classes will take place both on the ship and in the high school’s shop room. The high school’s shop classes were discontinued at the end of the 2013-14 school year.
“There are a lot of things the students can learn, such as how to finish, varnish and use sharpening tools,” said Megan Addison, Sound Experience education director.
“We can put them to work on specific maintenance projects, and hope the skills they learn could inspire a career in maritime trades.”
Such work is key to Port Townsend, Collins said.
“The maritime industry is a huge economic engine in Port Townsend,” she said.
“Students can come out of high school job ready and be trained for a career without having to go to college.”
Collins said the classes will be offered dockside and not on the water.
“It’s always harder to go out on the water during the winter,” Collins said.
“She does fine on the water but may have some trouble getting to the dock,” she added.
“The weather is unpredictable, so we can’t guarantee safety.”
A frame is now under construction on which a canvas cover will be installed to create the classroom space and protect students from cold and wind.
While the district provides some funding, the bulk of the cost of the program is borne by Sound Experience and its donor fund, Collins said.
“This is a great experiment because we’ll be able to see how an on-the-water classroom can help support maritime studies,” said David Engle, Port Townsend school superintendent.
“The Adventuress brings us a powerful group of mentors that can help the students use this resource.”
The schooner was built in East Boothbay, Maine, in 1913 and sold a year later to the Port of San Francisco as a pilot ship.
In 1952, it was moved to the Pacific Northwest. The nonprofit Sound Experience, based in Port Townsend, has operated it since 1989.
In recent years, an average of 5,000 people have participated annually in its sailing programs.
For more information about the school district’s maritime program, go to http://maritimediscovery.org.
For information about Sound Experience programs phone 360-379-0438 or visit www.soundexp.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.