Logan Mendes and kids aboard the Ernestina-Morrissey

Sixth graders sit cross-legged on the deck of the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey waiting for the ship to get underway for their daytrip into Buzzards Bay. Buzzards Bay Coalition Outdoor Learning Manager Carly Baumann asks the group how many are on board a boat for the very first time, and a sea of hands shoot up. She then asks how many kids are of Cape Verdean heritage, and a similar number of kids respond.

The Cape Verdean ties to the region are strong, with the Ernestina-Morrissey being the most symbolic relic to that historical (and present) community connection.  For decades through the middle of the last century, Cape Verdean immigrants transited the Atlantic aboard this ship enroute to family and a new life in cities like New Bedford, Pawtucket, Brockton and Falmouth and work on cranberry bogs across Plymouth County. Today, the exchange between people and culture continues between the Buzzards Bay region and Cape Verde.

Coalition educator Logan Mendes plays instruments with the kids at his station to get them warmed up. He talks about a former owner of the ship during the mid-1900s. Some kids’ heads tilt quizzically, thinking how coincidental it is that the instructor shares the same surname as this historical figure.

But it is no coincidence. Logan is the great grandson of that Henrique Mendes.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is partnering with Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) now to bring outdoor exploration programming to New Bedford Public Schools.

Lynn Connor helps a sixth grader record water data from their onboard testing.

The outings feature five working stations. Lynn Connor, a former Old Rochester Regional High School teacher, engages kids on the water quality station. There, they use modern equipment to measure water temperature, pH, and salinity, among other things. Jeannine Louro teaches the kids about the varied lives of the Ernestina-Morrissey, from fishing boat and Arctic explorer to immigrant carrier and finally, living history vessel. Logan teaches the “Life Aboard-Cape Verde to America” unit.

The final two stations—navigation and responsibilities of a boat’s watch (which includes hands-on knot making and signaling)—are headed by Captain Tiffany Krihwan and her MMA crew, all of whom have diligently prepared the Ernestina-Morrissey for this three-week barrage of inquisitive youth.

Krihwan has started a sail training program at MMA from the ground up and helped integrate a tall ship into its curriculum. “Working with these historic vessels helps individuals become far better sailors,” she says. “You really need to observe the fundamental principles of sailing.”

The students attend a station for twenty minutes each. They record their findings and make other notes in their personal Voyager’s Journal. The Ernestina-Morrissey sets sail from its homeport at the New Bedford State Pier in the mornings and the kids eat lunches out in the harbor before returning to port.

After successful pilot trips in May and June 2024 serving 376 third- through twelfth-grade students, New Bedford Public Schools collaborated with the Coalition and MMA for 15 days of trips this year, allowing us to reach 650 students. The plan is to extend the program for four weeks in 2026 and 2027.