Our New Gundalow!
Construction of a school ship for New Hampshire and southern Maine Youth
The Piscataqua Region’s coastal and estuarine environment is an irreplaceable resource essential to quality of life for present and future generations. The Gundalow Company’s mission is to “promote awareness of the maritime heritage and the contemporary coastal environment in the Piscataqua Region using a replica gundalow.” The Gundalow Company operates the world’s only remaining gundalow, Captain Edward H. Adams, which was built at Strawbery Banke Museum in 1982. The replica gundalow visits riverfront towns in the Piscataqua Region, providing a stationary platform for “dockside” maritime heritage and environmental education programs. The Gundalow Company’s programs incorporate awareness of contemporary coastal issues such as water quality, habitat restoration, and stewardship, as well as NH and southern ME history. More than 10,000 people visit the gundalow each year in Portsmouth, Dover, Durham, Newmarket, Exeter, Stratham, Greenland, Newington, and Rye in NH as well as York, Eliot, South Berwick, and Kittery in Maine.
While the Captain Edward H. Adams is historically accurate, it was not built to the high standards required by the US Coast Guard in order to carry passengers. As a result, people may board the gundalow but ONLY when it is tied to a dock. No programs may be offered while the vessel is underway. The impact of school ship programs is magnified considerably aboard vessels underway.
The Gundalow Company is building a new gundalow at Strawbery Banke that will be certified by the US Coast Guard to carry 40 passengers on educational trips on the Piscataqua Region’s rivers. Responding to the desires of teachers and our collaborative partners (including Great Bay Discovery Center, UNH Jackson Estuarine Lab, and UNH Marine Docents), a field trip on the new gundalow will provide an on-the-water experience - on a regionally significant vessel - for students and the public. Based on the success of dozens of traditional sailing ship educational programs throughout the USA during the past three decades, the Gundalow Company intends to provide that opportunity for students in New Hampshire, and southern Maine.
Every coastal state except New Hampshire has at least one replica school ship for local youth. Ample evidence indicates that educational programs on traditional sailing vessels foster awareness of regional heritage, perpetuate traditional skills, and enhance understanding of coastal marine life. Significant statistics also indicate that at-risk youth benefit from school ship programs designed to increase self-esteem and leadership skills in addition to academic themes.
Programs on the new gundalow will be designed for ages ranging from elementary to adult, for audiences such as students, scouts, at-risk teens, 4-H groups, and the general public. All activities will be inquiry-based and hands-on while combining concepts of Science, Social Studies, Literature, Math, and History. All programs will meet or exceed NH and ME Curriculum frameworks.
Sailing the new gundalow will give students and the public a rare chance to experience their riverfront communities and the Great Bay Estuary. The educational programs on the new gundalow will have an enduring impact on people’s connection to and appreciation of this region’s maritime heritage as well as heightening awareness of our irreplaceable coastal environment.
For more information, contact the Gundalow Company info@gundalow.org 603-433-9505
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