If you're having trouble viewing this email, you cansee it online.
Running Free - Member News July 2025
Massachusetts Maritime Academy Debuts STEAM Program for Women and Non-Binary High School Students
📷Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Held June 23-26, the Education Sail program “Women in STEAM: An Ernestina- Morrissey Interdisciplinary Experience” offered a unique and empowering experience for young women and non-binary students in grades 9-12 from underserved communities throughout Massachusetts.
Blending maritime heritage with interdisciplinary learning across Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) education, the program emphasized liberal arts through hands-on activities in writing, history, and seamanship. Students explored the connections between ocean sciences and creative expression, deepening their understanding of both.
Guided by MMA faculty program facilitators Dr. Heather Burton and Dr. Morgan Banville, the eleven young participants followed a thoughtfully structured daily schedule enriched by hands-on experiences, such as sail handling, anchor raising, and frequent opportunities to engage with, learn from, and even interview the ship’s crew.
In addition to writing and effective communication activities, academic programming included a historical review of the SSV Ernestina-Morrissey and a discussion of the role of women at sea during the whaling era.
Broad Reach is a charity providing underrepresented youth ages 12-30 with development opportunities through sail training. Our programs include day sailing in Toronto and overnight sailing on tall ships. Our goal is to equip participants with skills, knowledge and community belonging, through this, rarely accessible to them, experience.Our Ships2Shores program offers that rare opportunity for 508 youth to acquaint themselves with sailing the Great Lakes, the Atlantic and the St. Lawrence River, experiencing everything that sail training offers.
When aboard, the participants are fully immersed in the ship’s company. These young people are challenged, responsible and accountable! Participating youth must complete 120 hours of volunteer community service.
Canadian Government funds the program demonstrating support for youth development through sail training. S2S is delivered in partnership with Canada’s youth sail training organizations: BRIGS Youth Sail Training, Tall Ships Expeditions Canada, Bytown Brigantine, ÉcoMaris, and the Nova Scotia Sea School.
This is yet another way of introducing newcomer, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ communities to a beautiful activity, which has not been available to them before. At www.broadreachcanada.ca we are reframing sail training and we are delighted to share this direction with you.
Mystic Seaport Museum's President Embarks on New Journey
📷Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum President and CEO Peter Armstronghas announced that he will be stepping down from his role later this summer. Armstrong, who has led the Museum since 2020, will return to his native England to be closer to family. His final day at the Museum will be August 6.
During his tenure, Armstrong brought renewed vision and momentum to the Museum. He spearheaded the development of Charting Our Course, a comprehensive strategic plan that outlines the Museum’s priorities and long-term goals. He launched the first phase of the campus master plan and created the American Institute for Maritime Studies (AIMS), establishing the Museum as a leader in maritime research and publishing.
To ensure a smooth transition, Christopher Freeman, Vice President of Advancement and 27-year veteran of the Museum, will assume the role of Interim CEO while the Board of Trustees form a search committee to identify Armstrong’s successor. Freeman brings extensive institutional knowledge and a deep commitment to the mission, ensuring stability and continuity during this period of leadership transition.
Join us for Fall Community Musters: Mark Your Calendar
Open to both members and non-members of Tall Ships America.
This fall, join us for two days of educational content, presentations, and group discussions. Day one will feature an educational session and day two will be more of the traditional muster with open discussion amongst our community members.
We also just added a location in Baltimore for all our mid-Atlantic friends!
As we continue to celebrate our 40th year at Living Classrooms, we’re excited to share that we’ve already engaged 3,858 total participants on the boats so far this season!
But the real excitement lies ahead.
Mildred Belle is headed to Washington, D.C. this summer to run educational programs before returning to Baltimore in August.
Sigsbee is staying busy with a full summer of day trips and overnight programs, continuing to serve as the backbone of our Maritime Education programming.
And the biggest news: Lady Maryland is bound for New York City to launch the inaugural Francis J. Carey, Jr. Maritime Adventure! Two 8-day voyages are planned, each with 9–10 students from Baltimore schools.
Trip 1 begins Saturday, July 12, from NYC, visiting Mystic Seaport, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and ending in Bristol, RI.
Trip 2 sails from Bristol back to Baltimore via Mystic, NYC, the New Jersey coast, and up the Delaware Bay and C&D Canal—arriving home Monday, July 28.
We hope to expand the Francis J. Carey, Jr. Maritime Adventure next summer with 4 trips in New England. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram this summer as we share exciting updates from our boats in New England, Baltimore and Washington, DC!
Thousands of people converged on the LA Waterfront over Memorial Day weekend for a myriad of events and activities, including the Los Angeles Maritime Institute’s annual Festival of Sail at LA Fleet Week, presented in association with the Sherry Griswold Foundation. LAMI welcomed guests aboard their twin brigantines and visiting schooner Bill of Rights for four sails each day over the four days - Friday, May 23 to Monday, May 26.
Guests could also take free deck tours on LAMI’s tall ships - Irving Johnson, Exy Johnson and American Pride - in the Downtown San Pedro Harbor Cut, as well as a few smaller visiting ships, and participate in numerous hands-on activities or visit with special guest reenactors.
Set Sail for Summer Adventure at San Diego Maritime Museum
📷San Diego Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum of San Diego brings back its popular Summertime Sailor Days for a limited time—every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., July 1 through August 27, 2025. The program is included with general admission.
This seasonal experience invites families and maritime enthusiasts to step into the shoes of a traditional sailor aboard the historic Star of India. Activities include furling sail, ropemaking, knot-tying, and hauling lines—plus a family scavenger hunt where kids can earn a prize from the ship’s treasure chest.
Guests can explore the Museum’s world-class fleet and exhibitions while enjoying these interactive programs designed to educate and entertain. For those looking to get out on the water, narrated 45-minute Historic Bay Tours aboard the 1914 Pilot are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for just $10 with general admission.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is thrilled to announce the return of its beloved Star of India Family Overnight Experience — an unforgettable opportunity to stay aboard the iconic 1863 bark Star of India and step back in time.
.png)
.png)
