Join the Penobscot Marine Museum in October as it explores sailing and shipbuilding over four Thursday evening programs. These start with more recent history with a film and panel discussion about windjammers out of Camden, Maine. Then it will explore the importance of hemp in maritime history – have you ever thought about the amount of rope on a ship and wondered what it was made of? Next it will use the Maine’s First Ship project to look at the building of a wooden vessel. The program ends the Sailing & Shipbuilding Speaker Series back on the water with dramatic and tragic “Stories from the Spirits of Sea-Goers II.”
Windjammers of Penobscot Bay Film Screening + Discussion Panel
October 7th, 6pm on Zoom
Free, suggested admission $5
Reserve your tickets here.
Climb aboard the beautifully restored ships of North America’s largest fleet of historic schooners, and depart Camden, Maine, to cruise the pristine waters of the Penobscot Bay. With in-depth archival materials and interviews with captains and crew, maritime historians, and passengers, filmmaker Dan Lambert explores the history and evolution of Midcoast Maine’s majestic Windjammers while taking viewers on a voyage that captures the feeling of wind and sea spray and the unique thrill of traveling under sail-power. Following the film will be a panel discussion including the filmmaker and others interviewed for the film or associated with the windjammers.
Hemp and American Maritime History
October 14th, 6pm on Zoom
Free, suggested admission $5
Reserve your tickets here.
Hemp has played a vital role in our history, including maritime history. It was a part of daily life until the mid-20th century. This session will explore the history of Cannabis Sativa as an agricultural and industrial product, as well as understanding the difference in the types of cannabis such as marijuana.
Maine’s First Ship
October 21st, 6pm on Zoom
Free, suggested admission $5
Reserve your tickets here.
The VIRGINIA was the first ocean-going vessel built by the English in North America. In 1607 King James I granted a land-use charter to the Virginia Company to establish permanent settlements in the New World. The Company offered two investment opportunities – one based in London and the other in Plymouth. The London-based company founded a colony which they called Jamestown, in land we now call Virginia. The Plymouth-based company attempted a settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River in what has become known as the Popham Colony. The settlers were unprepared for the harshness of the Maine winter and, after 14 months, gave up their colonial effort. During that period, however, the colonists constructed a “30 tonne” vessel with which they intended to explore the coastline of the New World for profitable resources for their investors. They named their ship VIRGINIA OF SAGADAHOC and, when the settlement was abandoned in the summer of 1608, the colonists sailed her back to England.
For the past ten years volunteers in Bath, Maine, have been working with Maine’s First Ship to re-construct the VIRGINIA. In this program, Jim Parmentier will share more about this incredible project. You can follow their work at the MFS website mfship.org.
Stories from the Spirits of Sea-Goers II
October 28th, 6pm on Zoom
Free, suggested admission $5
Reserve your tickets here.
The people of Searsport and Penobscot Bay have a long history of going to sea. In letters, diaries, logbooks, photos, newspaper articles, and stories passed down through generations, they recorded their experiences. Quiet days, adventure, tragedy, and heroism each take their turn. This sequel to 2020’s “Stories from the Spirits of Sea-Goers” features tales based on true experiences and recorded by Penobscot Marine Museum volunteers and staff. Some stories might be scary or inappropriate for young audiences. This program features recorded portrayals based on Penobscot Marine Museum’s in-person events “Ripped from the Headlines” and “Twilight Tours.” Get excited for this year’s program by watching last year’s “Stories from the Spirits of Sea-Goers.”
Discover more from Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM)
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