Greetings Landing School Family and Friends,

So, mid-term is upon us which means we are a quarter of the way through the school year! It seems only yesterday that students were arriving for registration day. By now, everyone has settled into a routine and the overall atmosphere is one of busy students happily learning in our classrooms and shops, and occasionally heading off for enlightening field trips. It’s always gratifying to see what was once a group of disparate individuals meld into a cohesive community within and across our Landing School programs. This is a special place.

Enthusiasm is high as Town Class sloops start to look like real sailboats in Wooden Boat, LS38 motor yacht designs are nearing completion in Yacht Design, and project boats start arriving in Marine Systems. There is lots going on and lots to see. If you are in the area, please plan to stop in for a visit; we would love to have you tour the school.

Sincerely, 

Your Year-end Gift to TLS Appeal Matters

You will soon be receiving the Landing School Annual Appeal. Please consider this request for support carefully and know that your gift will make an important difference in the life of a future boat builder, yacht designer, marine technician, boatyard manager, or super yacht engineer. Your tax-deductible gift (cash, securities) will help us invest in a unique and unparalleled education.

This past summer, Michael (Purchasing Manager and Alumni of WBB 18, MS 19, CP 20) and Juliet (Marketing Manager) came across thousands of photos, negatives, 35mm slides and flyers showcasing student-built boats and the school. They have scanned over 6,500 photos and uploaded them to Flickr in hopes of sharing pieces of history with friends of the school and alumni dating back to 1978. 

As you look through the photos, we ask you to help us categorize them by creating an account on Flickr, logging in and commenting on the albums or photos. This is a work in progress and is going to take help from our alumni to help clean and sort it out!

Wooden Boat Building

Visitors to our Wooden Boat Building shop would see two Town Class sloops well underway! Our students formed two crews, with each team taking responsibility for lofting their boat, and building a strongback to support its construction. As the transoms, frames, and stems were added, a wide range of skills were taught, including scarfing, vacuum bagging, beveling, and tool sharpening. As the bottoms are traced, cut, and glued to the frames, and the garboard planks are laminated, fitted and hung this week, there’s a palpable enthusiasm and anticipation about the shape the boats are taking. 

Marine Systems

This fall there’s been a buzz around campus whenever one of the Marine Systems “project boats” has arrived to winter over with us. It’s such a great feature of the program – the chance for our Systems students to be on real boats with real maintenance issues that need diagnosing and fixing. Currently, our Systems students are learning about epoxy (as part of a composites module), how to shrinkwrap, and how bilge pumps operate. Last week they did an interesting and worthwhile field trip to AccuTech Marine Propeller in Dover NH, and this week our Systems faculty have arranged for them to visit the USCG Cutter Finback in Portland! 

Yacht Design

Recently our Yacht Design program was fortunate to host Bob Stephens, of Stephens Waring Design in Belfast, as a guest speaker. A great friend of TLS, and a member of our Program Advisory Committee, Stephens generously shared his time and insight with our students, which was beneficial for all. Among other projects and deliverables, our Yacht Design students have been very hard at work on the design of their 38ft powerboats. While learning to use Rhino 3D and AutoCAD, they are currently focused on the interior design of these vessels, as well as fitting in the mechanical features, and making hull calculations. 

It's hard to believe it's already that time of year again!

The project boats are arriving at the school and students are excited about the range of learning opportunities these boats represent through practical hands-on learning. This is where the rubber meets the road!

Click the link below to order Landing School t-shirts and sweatshirts. When you order, you can choose to have your shirts shipped directly to you or shipped to the school. Please note, if they're being shipped to the school you must come pick them up!