The Current
February/March 2017
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Rigging Amaryllis
Timelapse De-Rigging of Amaryllis II
Timelapse De-Rigging of Amaryllis II
Rigging Nat's Cat

We kicked off the New Year in style by rigging the 84-year-old catamaran, Amaryllis II. 

With the help of the gracious donors at the 2016 Frostbite Bash, we were able to pull her down from the ceiling for some much needed cleaning. The rigging endeavor was made possible by a day of 50-degree temps and the help of Sam & George at Samuel Kinder & Bro., Phip Hallowell from Southern Spars, Rob & Kristin at Bristol Bagel Works, Mark McCloskey at Marblehead Trading Co. and the staff and volunteers at HMM.  We re-enacted the process for our good friend Joe Berkeley who shot some awesome pics and crafted a piece on her for the May issue of Sailing World

Amaryllis is now re-hung in the Hall of Boats in a new position which highlights her engineering glory. Come by and visit her her in the Spring! 
Stuff We Could Use

If you were in the mood to throw some funding our way for specific items, here are a couple of things that would help us do what we do better this summer:

Transom Bollards
Our two 4.8 meter Ribcraft safety boats see a ton of hard use during the sailing season keeping a watchful eye on the kids in our Sailing & Seamanship Program. One way to reduce the wear  and tear on the tubes is to add transom bollards. They cost $700 for a pair and we need some for each boat.

Utility Cart
The HMM campus is extensive enough that walking from one end of it (where the workshop is) to the other (the waterfront) takes a few minutes. As many of you know, HMM's Facilities Manager John Cobb is the MVP of the museum, and he could use a utility cart like the one in the picture ($3,000). So if you have a golf cart - or $3,000 - you're willing to part with to make John's life easier, let us know. 

Help Covering Boats
Additionally, we are also seeking volunteers to help cover boats. The Museum has received a generous donation of covers for our historic boats that are currently stored outside. However, we are in need of some help to install these new covers. If you would like to help us with this endeavor, or any of the other projects mentioned above, please contact us at (401)253-5000 or by email
Frostbite Bash 2017 Staff Photo
HMM Staff Meets the Photo Booth
Frostbite Bash 2017:
Party of the Winter! 

Our 5th Annual Frostbite Bash was a huge success! With your help, we raised over $52,000. 230 people braved the weather to get here, and with the help of all our sponsors and the 6 Digg It Band, we partied late into the evening! A huge HMM shout-out to all of the volunteers, FBB Committee members, HMM staff, friends and family who helped make the Bash such a huge success. View photos from the Bash, Click Here. If you were here, you can relive the night. If you weren't, you'll see why you should come next year!
RELIANCE Hall Fundraiser at the Frostbite Bash

RELIANCE Hall Fundraiser Video
RELIANCE Hall Fundraiser Video
The Burnside Building has a long and rich history.  It was built in 1860 by General Ambrose Burnside as the headquarters for his firearms manufacturing company, and later sold to JB Herreshoff as the headquarters for Herreshoff & Stone.  In the 1890s, the building and the annex which projects to the south became the HMCo. machine shop. This amazing building is in the process of being restored so that it can become the museum's newest exhibit hall. Check out this video, and if you'd like to help us get this done, please click here.
Tour Captain Nat's Model Room 
with Halsey & Maynard

If you've ever dreamed of getting a personal tour of Captain Nat's model room by Halsey Herreshoff and Maynard Bray, here's the next best thing! CLICK HERE to join Maynard and Halsey for your own private tour of the model room (without getting up from your favorite chair). It's a fascinating look at the tools and techniques used by Captain Nat to design the boats that were built at HMCo with insights that only Halsey and Maynard can provide. Must see TV for anyone interested in design, innovation or the history of the fastest boats on the planet. 

Our friends at Off Center Harbor invite you to sign up to get instant access to Part 2 of this video series, plus you'll get 10 more of OCH's best videos. We love them, and we're pretty sure you will too!
Marine Trades Week
Marine Trades Exploration Week

This February, the Museum partnered with Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA) to host a Marine Trades Exploration Week for 7th and 8th grade students from Thompson Middle School in Newport. The students enjoyed a week-long program at the museum during the school break that introduced them to the wide variety of fields in the marine trades industry. Students learned about carving wooden half-hulls, constructing yacht rigging and spars, building composite components, sailmaking and more. The program used these experiences to teach students to build their own Herreshoff pond yacht model sailboats that they were able to take home at the conclusion of the program.


We will be hosting another Marine Trade Exploration Week with RIMTA for Aquidneck Island High School students during April school vacation week. For more information, contact our Director of Eduction Kirk Cusic at k.cusic@herreshoff.org

Summer Sailing 2017

Spring is here, and it's time to start thinking about sailing classes for the summer! We are now accepting registrations for 2017 for youth and adult classes, as well as our rental program. Our weekly youth program teaches sailing and seamanship skills in a variety of safe and stable boats including classic Herreshoff 12½s, and adult lessons are also available. Sign up today while there is still space! 

After School Spring Sailing will begin on May 9th and continue until June 9th, Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:15-6:15. Click Here for more information. 

If you've seen the Herreshoff 12½s out sailing on the bay and you've always wanted to sail one, now you can! Though some say that it is one of the best-kept secrets at the museum,  adult sailors who are COLUMBIA level members or higher are able to utilize the Seamanship Program Fleet through our Rental Program. For more information click here or contact Kirk Cusic at k.cusic@herreshoff.org .
Lecture: " Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean" presented by Jonathan White
March 30, 2017

Click to reserve your tickets

A global journey through the science and wonder of the oceans. In Tides, writer, sailor, and surfer Jonathan White takes readers across the globe to discover the science and spirit of ocean tides. Tides combines lyrical prose, colorful adventure travel, and provocative scientific inquiry into the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet's waters in constant motion. Photographs, scientific figures, line drawings, and sixteen color photos dramatically illustrate this engaging, expert tour of the tides.

Click here for more information on upcoming lectures.

Opening Day: April 29th

We'll be kicking off the 2017 season with a grand event for the whole family! Visit the Museum on April 29th for FREE ADMISSION along with a ton of activities for both kids and adults. The grill will be fired up and Del's will be here to serve up some classic Frozen Lemonade. We will be hosting guided tours throughout the day as well as a number of fun activities for the whole family! To discover more about this event, be sure to follow our Facebook Event
Supporting Our Community:
HMM & Community Strings

HMM is proud to be a sponsor of the Community String Project's 2017 Spring for Strings Rendezvous which will be held on the Museum Waterfront on May 20th. The Community String Project, started in 2009, is serving all youth in the East Bay area, regardless of income, through an innovative and school-based music program centered on string instruments.  
Winter Boat Shop Program

HMM in partnership with RIMTA will offer Marine Trades Training for up to 10 high school students this winter after school. Students will meet 3 times per week at the museum during this 10-week-long training program. Students will be compensated for their participation at a rate of $10 per hour. The program is scheduled for February - April 2017. 

By participating in this program, students will acquire marine trades-specific knowledge and skills, many of which are transferable to other fields. Students enrolled in the after-school program will work alongside the Museum's staff and volunteers to learn the skills and art of caring for, preserving and restoring the Herreshoff 12½s used in the summer sailing program and they will have opportunities to participate in other museum projects. 

William P Ficker
"Ficker Was Quicker": 
Remembering William P. Ficker

We are saddened to report the passing of Star legend and America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee William P. Ficker at the age of 89. Bill Ficker was the skipper of INTREPID in the 1970 Cup defense against GRETEL II, an AC considered by many sailing experts to be a watershed in the post-war history of the Cup. Ficker was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. 

Click Here to read his bio in the Hall of Fame. 
The Tannery in 1866. Site of John Brown Herreshoff_s Boat shop
Curator's Log:
"Foundations of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company"

Just as today's Bristol boatbuilders take inspiration and lessons from the success of the Herreshoffs, so too, over 150 years ago, did the Herreshoff brothers draw upon Bristol's maritime heritage, infrastructure and capable citizens to found and succeed in their business.

What were the foundations in 1863 upon which the blind, 22-year-old John Brown Herreshoff (JB) started and achieved early success in his new boatbuilding business?

Click here to read more...
In This Issue:
Quick Links
The Museum is now closed for the winter season (though we will open by special request during the week if possible). 

Opening Day will be Saturday, April 29th and will feature Free Admission all day! 
Upcoming Events

March 30th
Lecture: "Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean" presented by author, sailor & surfer Jonathan White

April 18th 
FREE Movie Night at the Museum: Disney's Moana 

April 27th
Lecture: "Autonomous Underwater Vehicles" presented by Bob Anderson, President of OceanServer Technology, Inc. 

April 29th
OPENING DAY: Free Admission 10-5. Fun & Games for all!

June 23rd & 24th
Wharf Sale - Everything you didn't think you needed!

July 3rd & 4th
Herreshoff Independence Day Celebration & Parade Viewing

August 24th-27th
Panerai Herreshoff Classic Yacht Regatta & Rendezvous

September 21st
Lecture: "The Halifax Explosion" presented by Greg Banner

October 5th
America's Cup Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, U.S.S. Midway, San Diego, CA
America's Cup Hall of Fame Induction 2017

The America's Cup Hall of Fame will be inducting three personalities in 2017. The Induction Ceremony will take place on October 5th, 2017 in San Diego, CA, aboard the U.S.S. Midway. The 2017 inductees will be  Syd Fischer (Australia), John Knox Marshall (USA) and Doug Peterson (USA). Read their full bios on our website. For more details, read our press release that will be shared soon. 
Now Hiring: HMM Dockmaster

Do you know someone looking for a seasonal job? We are currently seeking a dockmaster for the summer. Please let us know if you know anyone outstanding who'd like to join our team this season. If interested, stop by the Museum, call 401-396-5845, or email us for more information. 
Transient Dockage and Mooring at HMM this Summer
DOCKWA
Visit us this summer with Dockwa. All transient dockage and mooring reservations are now scheduled through Dockwa.com. Click the logo above to book your visit now. 

July 3rd & 4th in Bristol at HMM: The Best Spot for Everything!

The start of Spring means that Summer is almost here! And with Summer drawing closer, it's time to start thinking about what you're doing on the 3rd and 4th of July in Bristol. 

Bristol has the oldest running parade route in the country. It is the best place to be for the holiday; and there's no better spot in town than at the museum. 

We'll be hosting another party on the 3rd, with live music and a new exciting caterer! Come for the food and the music; stay to watch the fireworks from the dock. Then watch the parade on the 4th on the Museum lawn. Our location gives you a great view with the added bonus of the cool ocean breeze, raised seats in the shade, and breakfast & lunch! More details will be posted soon on our website and social media
Volunteer Spotlight

In this installment of our Volunteer Spotlight, we interviewed  Ellsworth Viking Bahrman, Museum Tour Guide. Click Here to read the full interview. 

"I had been sailing for years and had long loved looking at and being around classic boats. They are, for me, a tangible link to a time when grace and elegance, rather than sheer noisy speed, were more dominant on the waters I grew up near." ...Read More
FREE MOVIE NIGHT

Come watch Disney's Moana for FREE at the Museum on
Tuesday, April 18th at 6:30pm. All ages are welcome. Light refreshments and snacks will be available. Bring a pillow or blanket.


Here at HMM, we can offer your employees a custom program designed to inspire innovative thinking that is tailored to your industry and your business challenges. Our Business Advisory Team is made up of a broad range of current and retired executives, each with a unique ability to relate the history and success of HMCo. and its founders to challenges and opportunities facing today's companies.

Need Innovation? Come spend some time with us. Contact us today. 
The Herreshoff Steam Team

Latest News:  "Progress is Slowly Made"

Over the past few months the volunteer steam crew has been working to construct the replica of the steam launch VAPOR as precisely as we can. Now that the steam-bending of the ribs is complete, the team has begun shaping the keel plank.

Read more on the blog!


Thank you to our
Annual Sponsors
Gowrie Group
Pella Windows

American Cruise Lines