The Herreshoff Museum received funding to develop a virtual exhibit for the Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Workshop & Model Room. What is unusual about this particular project though is that the Model Room & Workshop are not ever usually open to the public (for preservation and collections security reasons) except by appointment, so accessibility has always been a challenge. That also made this exhibit the perfect candidate for a digital experience. After having the two rooms scanned, the museum then populated it with audio recordings of Halsey Herreshoff and more than 700 supporting images and archival documents. The Herreshoff Museum is proud of this small step towards increasing accessibility to the exhibit for visitors both in-person and virtual. The virtual exhibit can be found at https://herreshoff.org/model-room-tour/

On four Saturdays this October, young mariners ages 4–9 are invited to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., to participate in CBMM’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) Team. Class sizes are limited, with advanced registration needed. 

Each week, STEAM Team participants will join a CBMMeducator in a hands-on exploration incorporating science, technology, engineering, and math with the arts. Two sessions will be held each week, one from 10am–noon for children ages 4 to 6, and another from 1–3pm for children ages 7 to 9.  

Program themes include “Oyster Exploration” on Oct. 2, “Digging Geology” on Oct. 9, “Engineering Agents” on Oct. 16, and “Who, What, Where, and Weather” on Oct. 23. 

The cost per class is $15, with a 20% discount for CBMM members. Register online for all four sessions for an additional discount. Need-based scholarships for individual classes are available. For more information, and to register, visit cbmm.org/steamteam. 

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will present “Casting a Light into the Deep Sea,” a free Zoom webinar with research ecologist Lizzie Duncan, exploring what scientists are learning about deep-sea coral and sponge communities off the California coast. This presentation will take place on Thursday, August 19, 2021, at 7 pm and is free thanks to the generosity of Marie L. Morrisroe. Registration is required at: https://sbmm.org/santa-barbara-events/. Donations are welcome.

Ms. Duncan, a research ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary, will lead webinar participants through the deep, dark world of deep-sea coral and sponges through the lens of a West Coast research initiative. The webinar’s featured highlights will include what deep-sea corals and sponges are and why they’re important, the threats they face, and what tools scientists are using to study them. The presentation will also include never-before-shared images and findings from recent expeditions, including the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, whose ultimate goal is to balance sustainable ocean use and ensure conservation of the Channel Islands’ ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.

South Street Seaport Museum announces Opera In Depth: Exploring What Lies Beneath, a virtual discussion on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 7:30pm, in advance of On Site Opera’s upcoming production of What Lies Beneath specifically designed for the 1885 tall ship Wavertree. Join artists and members of the creative team for a conversation about what it takes to create an opera on the deck of a historic ship. Reserve free tickets at seaportmuseum.org/osopera.
How do composers choose which stories they tell? What is it like to produce live performances in today’s climate? Hosted by Laura Norwitz, Senior Director of Programs and Education, South Street Seaport Museum; moderated by Eric Einhorn, Co-Director, What Lies Beneath; and with panelists Winston A Benons, Jr., Co-Director/Cultural Advocate; James Davis, Jr., Conductor; Damien Geter, Composer; and mezzo-soprano Tesia Kwarteng, the discussion will be presented virtually, broadcast from onboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree, with panelists joining from various locations. A brief Q&A will follow. This virtual event is free and available to all, regardless of plans to see the opera.
What Lies Beneath will be performed August 28-September 2, 2021. Performances are free, with a suggested ticket donation of $40. Reserve tickets at osopera.org/productions/what-lies-beneath/.
Combining song, story, history, and movement as the company returns to live performance, What Lies Beneath is a site-specific and immersive experience aboard Wavertree. Wavertree is designated on the National Register of Historic Places and represents the thousands of ships that docked along New York’s waterfront over the centuries. Built of riveted wrought iron in 1885, Wavertree is an archetype of the sailing ships of the latter half of the 19th century that, during the “age of sail,” lined South Street by the dozens, creating a forest of masts from the Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge.
From the enticements used to lure Africans into enslavement to Captain Ahab’s final moments of moral reckoning aboard the whaling ship Pequod in Moby Dick, What Lies Beneath is a series of six unique vignettes featuring works from Amistad, by Anthony Davis & Thulani Davis, Ahab, a monodrama by Juliana Hall & Caitlin Vincent, 1619, a choral song cycle by Damien Geter, Billy Budd, by Benjamin Britten, E.M. Forester, & Eric Crozier, Sea Fever, by John Ireland & John Masefield and Riders to the Sea, by Ralph Vaughn Williams and John Millington Sygne. On the heels of their most recent project, The Road We Came, a 3-part walking tour through Black Music History, What Lies Beneath continues to use opera and music to explore themes of social justice, racial inequality and history’s continuing impact on the lens through which the world is experiencing today.

The 2022 conference will be held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 26-30 April, 2022. Watch https://councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org/annual-meeting/ and follow this blog for updates,

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is happy to announce that acclaimed photographer and writer Chuck Graham will be its featured speaker for August.

Chuck Graham has been paddling and photographing the Channel Islands for the past 25 years. A freelance writer and photographer, Mr. Graham will be sharing some of his favorite moments from his years of exploring the beauty and wildlife on and around the islands. Mr. Graham’s work has been published in Backpacker, BBC Wildlife Magazine, National Geographic for Kids, National Geographic Books, Canoe & Kayak, Men’s Journal, Outdoor Photographer, Natural History, American Forests and Westways. He pens the column Unpredictable Wilderness in the Coastal View News and in 2020 published his book “Carrizo Plain: Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands.”

The CIMM Speaker Series will be presented on August 18, 2021. Doors open at 6:30 pm with Mr. Graham’s program beginning at 7:00 pm. Ticket Prices are $7 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and active military, $3.00 for youths aged 6-17 years. Museum members receive free entrance to the event.

he USS Constitution Museum is the winner in the “Historic Sites & Tours” category for Boston Parents’ Family Favorites. It is the fourth year in a row that the Museum has received this award from the readers of Boston Parents Paper.

The USS Constitution Museum is honored to receive this recognition in a field with so many other dynamic sites and tours including Fenway Park, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Plimoth Patuxet Museums, and Old Sturbridge Village.

All winners will be featured in Boston Parents Paper’s August 2021 issue.

Boston Parents’ Family Favorites gives readers in Greater Boston and throughout the Northeast a chance to voice their opinions on their personal family favorites in 100 categories. Voting is conducted in a two-round process: the first round gathers open write-in nominations and the second round asks voters to select their favorite from the top nominees in each category.

“We are thrilled to receive this award for the fourth year in a row,” said Anne Grimes Rand, USS Constitution Museum President & CEO. “The USS Constitution Museum educates and entertains families from Boston and beyond, sharing the stories of ‘Old Ironsides’ through hands-on exhibits and engaging experiences.”

The USS Constitution Museum was also recently ranked #5 in USA Today’s 2021 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards in the category of “Best History Museum.” In a highly competitive category of top museums from around the United States, online votes determined the winners from a group of 20 initial nominees. The Museum was the sole nominee and winner in this category from New England.

The USS Constitution Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

This Labor Day weekend, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will once again host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Sept. 4. More than 60 donated boats and watercraft—ranging in size and performance from cruising boats to dinghies—will be in the water and on land to be auctioned off to the highest bidders.  

“This is an absolute auction, meaning all boats will be sold the day of the event, with no minimums or reserves, and CBMM staff and volunteers will be on hand at an onsite title office for ease of transfer and title work.” said CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program Director Wes Williams. “These donated boats are sold year-round, and will be sold up until a few days prior to the auction.”  

The event also includes a flea market-style tag sale starting at 9am, where guests can purchase a variety of used boating gear, including ground tackle, electrical equipment, hardware, rope, chain, oars, life jackets, fishing tackle, motors, and more. 

Proceeds from the rain-or-shine event benefit the children and adults served by CBMM’s education, restoration, and exhibition programming.  

In addition to being listed online, auction boats will be available for preview at CBMM on Friday, Sept. 3, from 9am–5pm. Regular admission rates will apply until 3pm, and gates will open for free from 3­–6pm. Guests can also preview the boats on auction grounds beginning at 8am the day of the event, with bidding beginning at 11am. Food and beverages will be available for purchase starting at 10:30am. 

“We work with donors all year-round, many caring for a boat they are no longer using, or having inherited a boat that won’t be used,” said Williams. “And these gifts are deductible to the full extent allowed by law.” 

On Sept. 4, CBMM’s Fogg’s Landing gates open at 8am, with free event entrance for CBMM members and children ages 5 and under. Otherwise, general admission is $5 per person until 11am, with a $5 paddle fee for registered bidders. After 11am, regular two-day admission rates apply. For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited during CBMM festivals and special events, including the Charity Boat Auction.  

For the official rules, auction details, and inventory updates, visit cbmm.org/AuctionDetails, or contact boatdonation@cbmm.org or 410-745-4942. 

Summer winds are guiding the beautiful boats back into Sturgeon Bay to celebrate the 30^th annual Door County Classic & Wooden Boat Festival, August 14- 15. You are invited to bring your boat and crew to the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay for a weekend of fun and competition.

Own a classic (25 years or older) boat? A wooden boat or smaller craft? Show off your hand-built vessel or treasured boat, and register today to exhibit your boat, possibly win an award, and take part in the boater activities: Friday cruise and evening social, Saturday’s festival and sunset parade, and presentation of awards on Sunday. To display your boat(s), register online at: DCMM.org; or call the Museum: (920) 743-5958.

South Street Seaport Museum announces FREE tours of the 1908 lightship Ambrose every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from August 6, 2021 through October 10, 2021. The ship will run four tours each day, departing at 11:30am, 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 4:00pm from Pier 16. To book a free tour and for more information, visit seaportmuseum.org/ambrose. 
Ambrose is the first vessel to join the Seaport Museum’s fleet and the very first lightship to guard the only shipping channel in and out of the ports of New York and New Jersey—the Ambrose Channel. As part of the Seaport Museum’s general admission, visitors can tour the multiple decks of this National Historic Landmark and see the living and working spaces once inhabited by sailors stationed on Ambrose. The launch of the tours coincides with the anniversary of Ambrose’s August 5, 1968 arrival at the Museum. 
Guided tours last approximately 30 minutes. Advance reservations are recommended. Guests must check in 15 minutes before the tour. Access to Ambrose requires walking up an angled gangway. Stairs lead to the lower decks. Mask wearing is required for visitors aboard Ambrose unless fully vaccinated. Based on current guidance from the World Health Organization, mask wearing is encouraged for all.