As technology has enveloped the world of sailing, many (if not most) of the skills required to safely effect a passage at sea without the aid of technology have been lost. Sail Martha's Vineyard through its Vineyard Voyagers program is committed to making sure that these skills continue to be learned, practiced and handed down from generation to generation.
The Vineyard Voyagers program returns teenaged sail trainees to a time when there were no auxiliary engines…to a time when there was no radar, no GPS, no depth sounders, only the wind, the sun, the stars and a lead line, a lot of common sense and a deep respect for the sea. Conducted on the Island-designed and built s/v Mabel, a 28' Nomans Land ketch rigged skiff, and taught by a USCG licensed master and education officer, the courses are conducted in the waters immediately surrounding Martha's Vineyard Island, to include Nantucket, Block Island and Vineyard Sounds and Buzzards Bay.
Young sailors, typically graduates of Sail Martha's Vineyard's introductory, intermediate and advanced instructional programs, begin by being introduced to the Mabel, her design, rig and capabilities. They spend the initial part of the course sailing the vessel in local waters in a variety of conditions and begin mastering some of the skills underlying a safe passage without the aid of technology: chart reading, dead reckoning, sounding, the execution of a man-overboard recovery, and rowing. As their basic sailing skill-sets are developed, the captain and education officer begin to introduce more sophisticated skills, which the students apply in actual situations on the water, not in a class room. An example of such a skill would be the use of a hand bearing compass as well as the development of a clear understanding of the principles behind the use of one. With the development of more sophisticated navigational, sailing and seamanship skills, the curriculum begins to introduce some of the realities of cruising, e.g., pre-cruise planning, acquiring and stowing ship's stores, cooking, hygiene, ship's order, maintenance and the selection of personnel for watches.
When the captain and education officer determine that all members of the crew (a successful and safe cruise relies on the skills and capabilities of all of the crew) are ready for their "final exam", a three passage cruise is announced, and the sail trainees are given full responsibility for the planning and execution thereof under the watchful eyes of the captain and education officer. A typical final test of skills learned involves sailing from Vineyard Haven to Cape Pogue Pond. The next day might see a passage to Tarpaulin Cove on the south side of Naushon Island in the Elizabeth chain or perhaps to the Weepeckets on the north side of Naushon. The final day would find the trainees returning to Vineyard Haven. At all times the captain and education officer are on board and each of these legs stays within a twenty mile radius of Vineyard Haven and at no time is the Mabel more than 2 or 3 miles from land on either side of her, i.e., she is never offshore (in the classic sense).
