Happy 2024! We wish you a very happy and peaceful New Year.
This month marks the 2nd anniversary of Mystic Whaler's arrival at Channel Islands Harbor! Early on January 9, 2022, our beautiful ship sailed past the breakwater and entered her new home port. She was escorted in by Harbor Patrol, and she was a beautiful sight for those waiting to welcome her.
But over the last two years, Mystic Whaler has shown the community that she is not just about her beautiful looks; she is so much more. Her true calling is to be the living heart of CCOAF and CCOAF's Mission to utilize adventure through sailing and the sea to promote STEM comprehension, environmental stewardship, teamwork, self-confidence, and nautical skills for local youth in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Mystic Whaler has, so far, welcomed almost 2,000 young people to its experiential education programs. If you are not too familiar with it, experiential education is a teaching philosophy in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people's capacity to contribute to their communities. Our education staff and crew continually strive to create engaging experiential content filled with living history, marine science, and so much more.
Mystic Whaler has also welcomed hundreds of community members from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to her decks with free deck tours and has also invited them to participate in sailing adventures that help support her experiential education programming.
So, we begin 2024 as we began 2022 when Mystic Whaler first arrived, dedicated to our Mission, our community, and making sure "No Child is Left Ashore."
Thank you for being part of this journey with Mystic Whaler and Central Coast Ocean Adventures Foundation. We couldn't do it without your friendship and support!
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