PORT TOWNSEND — A newly constructed boat was launched by its builders from in front of Northwest Maritime Friday.
Its builders, a class of 54 fifth-graders from The Evergreen School in Shoreline, lined the beach as three of them rowed their 12-foot Point Hudson Dory for the first time.
Chaperones and passersby watched the event.
A staff-made wreath was laid on the bow of the boat.
“It is in line with the traditional thought that if you put something from land on a boat when you splash it, it signifies that boat will return to shore,” said Simona Clausnitzer, Northwest Maritime’s School and Explore program manager.
The launch was accompanied by bagpipes.
The Point Hudson Dory is a kit boat with marine ply that comes pre-cut.
The students learn foundational techniques like drilling holes, driving screws, using wood glue, using sanders and hand planes, painting and bending wood, Clausnitzer said.
“They’re seeing all of the different pieces of a boat and how a boat comes together,” Clausnitzer said.
The week was packed with activities. Beyond the build, the group learned about navigation from multiple cultural traditions, they did marine science projects both with Northwest Maritime and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, and they sailed.
“We have two kiel boats and we took groups of six out at a time,” Clausnitzer said. “We spent time looking at charts and route-planning and learning how to put up sails and what lines are, what happens when the boat is pointed into the wind, what happens when the wind is coming from a different angle, what’s the fastest or slowest point of sail.”
It’s an opportunity for kids who have never been on a boat to get comfortable with the experience, Clausnitzer said.
“They all got to drive the boat,” she added.
The Evergreen School has been coming to Port Townsend with their fifth grade class for a few years, said Tessa Poag, one of the school’s administrative assistants.
“The Maritime Center’s programming is so robust, we really appreciate the love they put into it,” Poag said. “We love it, we really just appreciate what they’re doing. They’re filling a full day of programming, it’s outstanding.”
Seeing the Olympic Peninsula is an important opportunity for the students, Poag said.
“The hands-on work here has been a highlight,” Poag said. “Building a boat, learning about maritime skills and sailing, and putting this land in perspective has been really valuable for me and our kiddos.”
The students also visited the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and did some sailing on the water, Poag said.
Anne Luk acted as a chaperone for the trip. Her daughter participated in the program. Previously, her older sons participated in the program as well.
“I loved getting to see the kids being engaged dynamically with woodshop; kind of a very hands-on, tactile experience for them, measuring and adhering the glue together,” Luk said.
Building the boat was engaging, it required focus and it allowed the opportunity for students to bring something to completion, Luk said.
“[It allowed for] developing competence, feeling like you’re capable of doing something you’ve never done before and also seeing the finished product together,” Luk said. “In addition, I think it was really bonding to be able to work with your grademates and kind of develop trust together.”
Olivia Kaburaki and Eva Trister, two of the week’s student participants, spoke about their experience.
“It was pretty fun,” Kaburaki said. “I liked putting on the sides of the boat.”
“I liked painting the boat,” Trister said.
It was hard work, but seeing the boat come together and eventually float was satisfying, Trister said.
“I was nervous it was gonna sink,” Kaburaki said.
Kaburaki said she enjoyed socializing and working together with her classmates. Trister did, too.
“It was cool how we just lifted the whole boat,” she said. “The whole grade, we had to lift it and put it on the water.”
Northwest Maritime hosts a number of educational programs, which fall into three categories: Explore, prep and launch, Clausnitzer said.
The student programs Clausnitzer leads are generally for students from fifth to eighth grade and fall into the explore category.
The Evergreen School group is one of three or four in the fall season, Clausnitzer said. The spring season generally sees 10 to 15 school groups, she added.
Chimacum School District’s seventh grade class is coming to the Northwest Maritime for a week-long program next week.
“They’re getting out on our longboats and doing marine science, science dissections, they’re doing an art project, they’re building another one of these Point Hudson Dories and launching it,” Clausnitzer said.
Teachers from the Chimacum School District develop curriculum for the week, Clausnitzer said.
“They lead science, math and English segments that are related to maritime,” she said. “I meet with the teachers throughout the year to give them support to design the curriculum.”
The Northwest Maritime also hosts day programs and overnight programs.
An overnight program out of Bellingham involves staying aboard a historic tall ship called Schooner Zodiac for two or three nights, learning to sail it and completing an inquiry-based science project from start to finish.
“For school programs, it’s getting students out, and sparked and stoked on the marine ecosystems, on sailing, on maritime trades,” Clausnitzer said. “The goal is to get students to realize that this exists. So many of them may never have been out sailing or by the water, and may not know the scope of maritime careers and how their lives could touch maritime in so many vast and meaningful ways.”
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com
