Winter Weather & Summer Camps

Vineyard Haven, MA – A coastal storm passes through New England today and as I’m typing here at the Black Dog Tall Ships HQ wind and gusts from the SW are shaking the building, howling and blowing spray downwind across Vineyard Haven harbor… Shenandoah and Alabama are secure on their moorings. The New England fishing fleet is now dealing with 50knot+ winds offshore – a classic winter afternoon with ferry service to Woods Hole shut down…

A far reach from a picture perfect summer day out on Vineyard Sound, heading out for a week-long adventure with a boatload of excited youngsters. With that in mind, the schedule for the 2012 “Kids Cruise” summer camp has been released and familes have begun making reservations. The weeks being offered are as follows:

July 15th
July 22nd
July 29th
August 5th

These are amazing opportunities for children between the ages of 9 and 16 years old. Onboard the Shenandoah, these six-day sailing adventures are experiences that really can’t be duplicated anywhere else… Our passengers get to become part of the working crew of the ship, learning the basic skills of sailing and seamanship, make great friends and sail onboard the world’s only square rigged schooner that operates without an engine while having the best week of their summer vacation! A literal time machine, the Shenandoah continues a type of traditional sailing that was once so common, but now has almost completely vanished with time.

Our passengers are kids and sailing needs to be FUN above everything else! The Black Dog Tall Ships embraces this which is linked directly to the success of the camp program. For those whose children have sailed with us before, we look forward to having them come onboard again in 2012 (when the weather will be far from what’s rolling through Vineyard Sound today). For those who are interested, please visit www.theblackdogtallships.com for details on the “Kids Cruise” Summer Camps.

Happy New Year everyone!