This morning was sunny and fair in New Bedford, and Ernestina’s crew turned to as the sun was rising. At 8:30 this morning we welcomed Tabor Academy’s Advanced Placement History class onboard. The students are researching local history for their term papers and focused intently, taking copious notes, as Tom and Polly shared stories and information from Ernestina’s rich history as a fishing schooner, arctic expeditionary vessel, Cape Verdean packet ship, and educational sailing school vessel.

The crew all the while were busy with early steps in downrigging the ship. Today we accomplished:

-Setting up rig maintenance workspace in our storage facility

-Repositioning the masthead light on the foremast, now that the foretopemast is downrigged

-re-rove the starboard jib halyard

-Fred Sterner repaired three weak spots in our decks

-reseated the starboard two galley hatch portholes

-troubleshooting alternator on the Northern Lights generator

-retrieved the ship’s clean laundry for winter storage

-sanded and oiled the foretopmast

The crew took a respite in the afternoon before our member sail, the last of this season. And what an idyllic sail it was! Fair ENE breezes, a lovely sunset, and 49 member-passengers onboard to help us hoist the sails once more and enjoy an autumn evening on New Bedford Harbor and Buzzards Bay. As you can see, it was quite dark by the time we struck sail back in the harbor.

Program Coordinator: MaryHelen Gunn
Captains: Sophie Morse and Gregg Swanzey