The Current
Spring 2018
Home  |   Information  |   Schedule An Event  |   Become a Member  |   Donate  |   Store
One Ocean Exploration Zone
at the VOR Newport Race Village 5/12-20

We're looking forward to joining a group of passionate educators in the One Ocean Exploration Zone at the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover. The Exploration Zone, presented by 11th Hour Racing is an  educational destination offering hands-on opportunities for Race Village visitors from Saturday, May 12th through Sunday, May 20th.

HMM Director of Education Kirk Cusic has developed a program around the influence of the work of HMCo on the race boats of today including an interactive test tank in which visitors will be able to tow 3D models of actual Herreshoff designs to discover differences in the way the hulls travel through the water and how that impacts drag.

Click here for more info on the One Ocean Exploration Zone, and come visit us in Newport.  We're also looking for volunteers to help us man the tank - which comes with a pass to the Race Village!  Email Kirk at k.cusic@herreshoff.org if you're interested in helping out.
Join us at the 2018 America's Cup Hall of Fame Induction at the Royal Yacht Squadron

The 2018 America's Cup Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, co-hosted by Prada - the current Challenger of Record, will be held on Friday, August 31 st at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes.  

The Class of 2018 inductees are Syd Fischer (AUS), Ken McAlpine (AUS), John Marshall (USA) and Doug Peterson (USA). 

The Sir Richard Sutton Medal for behavior consistent with the America's Cup Deed of Gift will also be dedicated and awarded posthumously to its namesake, the 1885 Royal Yacht Squadron challenger whose act of sportsmanship was rewarded with an honorary NYYC membership. 

As an added bonus, current plans call for the "Auld Mug" itself to be present for this Black Tie affair.  Tickets are $250 per person and can be purchased online by clicking here.

We hope you'll join us for this very special evening!
Building the Herreshoff Skiff

MIT Museum: Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection
If you joined us at the Frostbite Bash, you heard a bit about the skiff the kids in our Winter Boatbuilding Program are working on. If not, it's a cool story worth telling.

In 2017, in partnership with RIMTA we launched our Skiff School boatbuilding program for high school students.  Under the supervision of Kirk Cusic and HMM's Boatbuilder in Residence Dan Shea, kids from Rhode Island built two Westport skiffs which they launched and rowed around the HMM waterfront at the end of the summer.   Click here to check out the video.

Curatorial Associate Evelyn Ansel thought it would be even cooler if the program were to build a Herreshoff skiff, and after a search of the archives, she found the perfect design: a 10' centerboard sailing skiff from 1899. Students from Mt Hope High School have been working, to complete this boat and are planning on launching it in a few weeks. If you want to check out the work in progress, stop by for a visit!
Coming Soon: A New Way to Experience the Museum

HMM has the best Tour Guides on the planet.  In 2017,  Bob Baglini,  Ellsworth Bahrman,  Bill Beardsley,  Katie Caramos,  Peg Caton,  Juan Cruz,  Dutch,  Tom Grimes,  Harris Gruber,  Jack Kennedy,  Frank O'Byrne and  Dan Vilenski  thrilled our visitors with well-told stories about HMCo and the Herreshoff family.  From time to time, though, visitors arrive between tours or at odd hours, and we need to have a way for them to take the tour.

This Spring, HMM will introduce our new self-guided tour! Visitors will be able to grab one of 20 iPads, plug in the headphones and they're off on the tour! The program will include access to special content including historical images, videos and plans, and it will be accessible via an app that can be downloaded to visitors' personal devices as well.
Classic Yacht Symposium v 6.0
Coming in March 2019

We're teeing up the next edition of the Classic Yacht Symposium for March 22-24, 2019 at HMM and Roger Williams University in Bristol.

CYS 2019 will be produced in association with CYOA, the 
Classic Yacht Owners Association, and SNAME, the Society of Naval and Marine Engineers. If you're interested in being a part of the content side, click here for the Call for Papers - instructions included - and if you're a classic yach t o wner, sailor, restorer, designer, etc., we invite you to be a part of this "gathering of the tribe".
Donate NOW to the Wharf Sale

The Herreshoff Wharf Sale will be June 15th & 16th. We invite all friends of the Museum to clean out boatsheds, garages, and storage lockers, and donate gently used boats, marine gear, tools, and other items to this two-day sale which raises funds for the Museum's programs. The Museum welcomes corporate support of the event. 

Donate your gently used marine gear, boats, cordage, electronics home decor and other treasures now until June 12th. Please no holding tanks or marine toilets. Good items may be dropped off at the Herreshoff Marine Museum weekdays and Saturdays from 10-5pm. Donations are tax deductible and are sold to benefit the museum. 

For questions or more details, contact Kirk Cusic at k.cusic@herreshoff.org or by calling (401)396-5834. 
FREE Movie Night, May 4th, 6pm: Swallows & Amazons
On May 4th, at 6pm, the Museum will be hosting a FREE screening of Swallows & Amazons. Light refreshments will be served during the screening.  Save the Date on Facebook

Synopsis: 
Four children dream of escaping the tedium of a summer holiday with their mother. When finally given permission to camp on their own on an island in the middle of a vast lake, they are overjoyed. But when they get there they discover they may not be alone... The battle for ownership of a lonely island teaches them the skills of survival, the value of friendship and the importance of holding your nerve.  Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Lake District in North West England, " Swallows and Amazons" is a heartwarming adventure for all the family. [Rated PG]
Monday, May 14th:
Charlie Enright and the Volvo Ocean Race

Charlie Enright
Hometown hero and Bristol native, Charlie Enright returns to the Herreshoff Museum to discuss his return to the Volvo Ocean Race for a second consecutive edition following a debut campaign as skipper of Team Alvimedica in 2014-15. Enright, along with sailing partner Mark Towill, leads Vestas 11th Hour Racing in a joint mission to win the VOR and promote sustainability. 

Discover more at  volvooceanrace.com.

This lecture WILL SELL OUT. Please purchase your tickets ahead of time either by calling 401-253-5000 or online Here. Tickets will likely not be sold at the door.

Monday, May 14th, 2018
Reception begins at 6pm /  Presentation begins at 7pm
Members: $10 /  Non-Members: $18
Purchase tickets  online or by calling 401-253-5000. 
Donate a Flag of Honor 

Our new flagpole stands in all its glory thanks to generous donations from our supporters in 2015.  The tallest in Rhode Island, it a landmark for our visitors "by sea" and a star of the Bristol 4th of July celebration. 

Our current flag was donated in honor of Thomas Camara, Bristol native and Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy Seabees. BUC Camara is currently stationed at the US Constitution in Boston and is an integral part of its current restoration.  His flag has flown over the Herreshoff Waterfront since the new flagpole was raised.

But flags wear out, and its almost time for a new one. If you would like to memorialize a loved one on the Bristol Waterfront, now is your opportunity.

Please send us an email if you are interested in contributing our next Stars & Stripes!
Council of American Maritime Museums

Director of Finance Dana Clough and Curatorial Associate Evelyn Ansel recently attended the Council of American Maritime Museums annual meeting which was hosted by the National Museum of Bermuda this year. Highlights of the trip included a tour of the Commissioner's House, powder magazine and Dockyard at the Keep Fort of the National Museum, lead by recently retired founding director Dr. Ed Harris. Major topics of interest at the conference this year were museum disaster planning, the impact of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns on underwater archaeological and cultural heritage sites, and broadening museum audience reach. Dana and Evelyn returned refreshed and inspired after having a chance to meet with colleagues from maritime museums around the world and want to remind you that HMM membership at the VIGILANT level gets you full CAMM member benefits, including free entry to other member institutions.

Captain Nat's files are replete with sketches of boats. Search the records of a particular boat, and there will invariably be a sketch and on the verso one or more sketches of another vessel or some other ship detail. In fact, his design process always started with a small freehand pencil sketch of the profile and midship section.  When did he start sketching boats? Until recently we thought it was probably in 1859-60, when assisting his father and blind older brother John to build the catboat SPRITE. It was then, he later wrote; 

" I thus began my instruction in naval architecture at age of eleven and one-half years. 1

But recently librarian and archivist Norene Rickson pointed to five sketches donated to the museum from the L. Francis Herreshoff Collection by Muriel Vaughn via Elizabeth Vaughn. They appear to be from the same hand; two of the five are scribed " N. G. Herreshoff" and dated in February-March 1858 - just days short of his 10th birthday. They all demonstrate an understanding of the subject; a keen eye to proportion and detail, as well as a strong interest in steam vessels and machinery. 

We have identified all the sketches save one sailing vessel. Maybe one of our readers can identify it?
 
Read More...
In This Issue:
Quick Links
Spring 2018 Hours: 

10am - 5pm, Wed. - Sun.
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays. 

Summer Hours will begin in Mid-June. At that time, HMM will be open 7 days per week.
OPENING DAY: Sunday, April 29th

We'll be kicking off the 2018 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. We will be hosting guided tours throughout the day as well as a number of fun activities for the whole family!

Follow the event on Facebook to get all the latest updates and schedule.
Upcoming Events

April 29th
OPENING DAY

May 4th
Free Movie Night: "Swallows & Amazons"

May 14th
LECTURE: Charlie Enright on the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race 

May 14th
After School Sailing Begins

June 15th & 16th
Wharf Sale

June 21st
LECTURE: Alison O'Leary, " So Close to Home" on the story of the German U-boats

June 24th
Narraganset Bay Sailing Festival at HMM

July 3rd & 4th
Independence Day BBQ and Parade Viewing Events

July 19th
LECTURE: "Morton Plant and the CT Shoreline" presented by Gail MacDonald (rescheduled from Feb.)

August 6th
LECTURE: Jonathan White, "TIDES" Part 2

August 23rd
Living Boat Show as part of the Classic Yacht Regatta

August 24th
Classic Yacht Regatta 

August 31st
America's Cup Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 

October 18th
LECTURE: Kaci Cronkhite, "Women of the Wind"

November 15th
LECTURE: Doug Park, "Redd's Pond Boatworks: Story of the Dragon"
Video: Halsey Herreshoff on ELEONORA and WESTWARD
In November of last year, Halsey Herreshoff gave a presentation on the great schooners WESTWARD and ELEONORA. A video of that lecture is posted on our YouTube page. Click Here to watch it
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 waterfront cookout! 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! 

Tickets are available now on our website! Follow the event on Facebook for updates. 
Summer Sailing 2018

Spring is here and we are dreaming of warmer weather! 
Now is the perfect time to sign up for sailing lessons for yourself or summer camp for your kids! This year's summer camp promises to be the best yet! with lots of fun filled days and (hopefully) beautiful weather! 

Don't wait for the last minute, multiple camp sessions sold out at Herreshoff last summer. Sign up as soon as possible to guarantee that you are able to enroll in the weeks that best fit your summer schedule.

Spring After School Sailing is right around the corner. Our five week Spring Program begins on May 14th. 

Click Here for more details. Contact Kirk Cusic for any questions at (401)396-5834. 
Pella's Frostbite Bash
Photos by Brandon Harmon
The 6th Annual Frostbite Bash was a huge success. The event raised money for the Herreshoff STEAM Program. Click Here to Learn More  and Click Here to Donate. Thank you to our Sponsors, Donors, Volunteers, and Event Committee for all of their hard work leading up to the Bash! Photos of the event can be viewed on our Facebook Page
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. 
Thank you to our
Annual Sponsors
Gowrie Group
Pella Windows
American Cruise Lines