January Sea Trials

Veni, vidi, vici!  Boreas himself wouldn’t have been able to thwart the 7th grade scholars of Our Sisters’ School from launching their boats for sea trial. After months of laborious work, building their custom designed row boats, they were now prepared to test their boats’ seaworthiness. Confident in their craftsmanship, the students eagerly boarded their vessels launching them into the cove, frigid waters be damned!

The construction of the row boats (the Our Sisters’ Skiffs) began in November of 2019. Students worked over the course of two months, under the guidance of CBC instructors and volunteers. The boats (designed off of the Bevin’s Skiff) are built using traditional plywood construction methods. The boats are fastened with ring nails and marine adhesive.

The students’ journey began as 5th graders, when they built scale model rowboats in teams of two. They were tasked with answering the question “What makes a good boat?” They picked up tools, some for the first time in their lives, and went to work. In 6th grade they refined their skills by building model Bevin’s Pond Sailors individually.