Lesson in 19th-century seafaring history

Andrew Wainer

Huntington Beach fifth-graders recently flocked to Dana Point to get a

taste of 19th-century life.

Docked in the placid port against the shore’s white cliffs is a replica

of the brig Pilgrim, the ship Richard Henry Dana sailed in 1835. The

130-foot replica now serves the Orange County Marine Institute’s

overnight maritime education program.

Students from John R. Peterson school boarded the ship this week and

spent a night on the vessel, where role-playing actors showed students

what life aboard a 19th-century trading ship was like.

“For many students, this night is the most memorable one of their

grade-school career,” said Ardis Bucy, a teacher at Peterson.

But their night on the Pilgrim was not easy.

Students became an integral part of ship life for the day and were

constantly engaged in seafaring activities, said institute vice president

Daniel Stetson.

An initiation speech by the ship’s “captain” was intimidating for some,

Bucy said.

“The captain calls the students green hands and pig farmers before they

board the ship,” she said.

Although the program was done in fun, the actors tried to recreate some

of the harshness of a sailor’s life during this period. The strict

discipline also helped bring the class together and foster teamwork,

institute officials said.

Their night on the vessel involved many new activities. Students raised

and unfurled the sail, moved cargo, operated a pulley, and cooked their

own meals -- just a few of the tasks the students completed during the

18-hour field trip.

They were divided into four teams, and each team was given a series of

tasks to complete throughout the night. The “sailors” got only about five

hours of sleep, and each student was required to stand a two-hour watch

on deck -- rain or shine.

“Students really get the flavor of what it was like to be on the ship,”

Bucy said. “The officers tell sea tales and [sing] songs, and they do

dances from that era.”

But the lesson also has a strong educational component. Stetson said the

students used math and science skills to work the mechanics of sailing a

ship and moved cargo around.

Students also got a lesson in literature. Bucy’s class read Dana’s

popular novel about his experiences at sea -- “Two Years Before the Mast”

-- before starting the program.

The Peterson students also brushed up on California history and the

trading the local San Juan Capistrano mission did with East Coast cities

via vessels like the Pilgrim.

Participants in the program said the overnight stay on the ship gives

kids an experience they don’t soon forget.

“Ten years after the program, former students have told me they remember

the night on the ship,” Bucy said.

Bucy’s students, who had studied background about the field trip for

weeks, said they were happy to begin the program.

“It will be fun, but it will also be a lot of work,” said David Rock, 10,

of Huntington Beach, before boarding the ship. “Sailors had a lot of work

to do, and we are going to be like them.”

Most of the students looked forward to the authenticity of the

experience. And some may even have been a little overzealous.

“I can’t wait to stand watch in the rain!” said 11-year-old Travis

Holler.