Instructor: Skia Laurence 5-10 students Suggested Ages: 13+ years old Meets: Tuesdays at 2:00 pm, 15 weeks. Starts February 2nd.
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Calling lovers of all things nautical. Come, gain some real understanding of the high seas. This is an interdisciplinary survey course that brings together physics, earth sciences, history, music, and folklore, as we dive back in time to age of sail. This course will give you a broader perspective of history and the world we live it and make you a better sailor to boot.
Topics include:
Students will be asked to complete short assignments to familiarize themselves with the material and ensure that they are able to explore any questions that arise. In addition, each student will be asked to propose a project which can be shared with the class in a short presentation. The topic and form of this presentation very much depend on your interests and inclination: Will it be a video about scrimshaw, charting a course to the Bahamas, or your take on a Shanty?
About the Instructor:
Skia Laurence holds a Masters in Archeaology, with a specialty in Vikings, from U.C.L.A. She was a Fullbright Scholar in Iceland and went on the work at the Arbaejarsafn Living History Museum in Reykjavik. Her father was a Navy Captain and she grew up around boats. She started to drive a powerboat at the age of 8 and learned to sail small craft solo as a teen. She took sailing lessons and began sailing larger vessels during the 1980s at the MIT sailing club. She has sailed extensively on her father’s 33 foot shallow draft wing-keel, mostly in the waters of North Carolina, visiting the places Blackbeard saw, and along the inland waterway between North carolina and Florida. She also served as a crew member and docent on the Spanish reproduction Tall Ship, El Galeon. She has taken courses in boat safety, tides and currents and modern navigation techniques from the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Power Squad and studied historical navigation, sailing instruction, first aid and water rescue at Mystic Sea Port. For several years, Skia volunteered at the Mystic Sea Port Museum, both in the music program and in the sailing instruction program.
