Last weekwe looked “Inside the Toolbox” to explore the depth of maritime artisanship. On Monday, we were joined by Castlebayfor a program of ballads that between laughs and gasps conveyed the stories of the sea. Since 1987 Castlebay has been musically weaving together the heritage of New England and the Celtic Lands. Inspired, our own singers practiced their storytelling skills with “harrowing” tales from Linekin Bay. We also considered how visual storytelling plays a role in Maine’s coastal history. Artists across Maine tell stories from Anna Tsouhlarakis’ “Deconstructing the Boundaries: The Land Fights Back” to Brad Betts’ “Surf Spray on the Rocks.” After looking at some of the local art throughout the week our “budding” painters, sculptors, and printmakers took to learning techniques using pastels, watercolor, cyanotype, mixed media, and textiles. On Tuesday, at the intersection of craftsmanship and maritime work sits the Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor where our Stay’s’ls had the opportunity to visit. Shipwright Ross Branch gave us a glimpse of the day-to-day operations and Captain Gregory Bailey gave us a tour of the U.S. Brig Niagara, which is currently on the ways at the Yard. Our students were delighted to be aboard such a big ship, though some expressed an affinity for our Turnabout dinghy sailboats.  

To further jam pack this week of fun, we celebrated the close of our 2025 season with the annual BSSC Summer Olympics. Our olympians having grown in their sailing, rowing, kayaking and marine science skills throughout the summerhad the opportunity to showcase knot tying, boat building, lobster banding, swimming, dancing, rowing and so much more. In celebration of the students and Instructors that made this remarkable summer program possible we finished the season with an ice cream social ... putting the cherry ontop!  

This last week for summer 2025the Mizzens (ages 5 – 8) kayaked, rowed and sailedourTurnabout sailing dinghies. The Stay's'ls (ages 9 – 17) sailed our larger fixed keel boatsthe Sonar and Precision 15 as well as the Rhodes 19. Tons of fun and a show of good sportsmanship anchored the triathlon portion (swimming, rowing, rigging) of our Summer Olympics. Sporting bead bracelets as a reminder of teamwork and skills learned weclosed our excellent summer program, and we look forward to what comes in 2026.