Fall eNewsletter
Students Transported Back in Time and Make Timeless Discoveries!
October was a full month of thrilling events and educational programming for CCOA and Mystic Whaler! The highlight was witnessing the pride and camaraderie that grew among students as they participated in CCOA’s first delivery of its Trading in California adventure-learning program. Over two and a half weeks, nearly 300 students were transported back in time and recruited to learn the life of a merchant sailor in 1842 and the history of, what was then, Alta California. In partnership with Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, CCOA offered the immersive hands-on six-hour program to Santa Barbara schools, hosting 10 mostly 4th-grade classes in total. Trading in California is part of CCOA’s living-history programs, where participants reenact and role-play while learning important lessons from the past and connecting them to the present. They also make timeless discoveries through activity-based learning about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), leadership, and teamwork.
Santa Barbara Visit Includes Opera On Board and Cannon Battles!
Opera Santa Barbara gave a spectacular performance of selections from The Pirates of Penzance on board Mystic Whaler at the Harbor’s public dock on October 8. The event was a perfect celebration of the ship’s first visit to Santa Barbara and CCOA’s founders Roger and Sarah Chrisman’s passionate commitment to make the Santa Barbara Channel and adventure-inspired learning more accessible to the communities of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Mystic Whaler also honored the 150th anniversary of Stern’s Wharf on October 8 with sail-bys and a celebratory cannon battle.
Mystic Whaler Doubles as Haunted Ship for Channel Islands Harbor’s Parade of Frights!
More than 500 brave souls dared to participated in CCOA and the Channel Islands Maritime Museum’s Spooky Maritime Scavenger Hunt on October 30. Free for those 18-years-old and younger, the evening included a haunted tour of Mystic Whaler with her crew of ghostly characters and spooky setting!
November is Maintenance Month!
The crew is busy this November preparing the ship for Winter! With the upcoming Santa Anas, we need to protect the wood from grating sand and harsh UV rays by layering more coats of varnish on the decks, cabin tops, and anywhere else with exposed wood. Making sure Mystic Whaler stays beautiful and in ship shape is an around-the-clock job!
And Welcome to “Pug Watch!”
Every now and again we’ll be checking in with Mystic Whaler’s most loyal crew member Emma.
We asked the canine crew member what she’s been up to these last couple of months.
“Did you know Halloween is my favorite holiday? I had such fun meeting all my new friends who joined us for the Parade of Frights Scavenger Hunt! This month my main job as Morale Officer is to keep my crew warm with lots of snuggles, it’s starting to get cold out, and I’m an excellent cuddler. I love my crew, especially the ones who feed me my new favorite snack: puppy meatballs! I look forward to greeting everyone in my new holiday outfits in December.”
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