Sunset Cruise Tonight

Join the Gundalow Company for a sunset sail tonight

Gundalow Company News

Gundalow Company August Newsletter

2012 Annual Gundalow Meeting

For more information and to register for the 2012 annual Gundalow Company meeting click the link below:

• 2012 Gundalow Company meeting invite

Sunset gundalow cruise this Thursday

Don't forget to purchase your tickets for this Thursdays gundalow sunset cruise with special guest Geno Marconi, director of NH ports and harbors.

For more information and tickets click here

Check out the June Gundalow Newsletter

Highlights include:

• Free Opportunties for Teachers
• Thursday Sunset Sails on the Piscataqua
• Volunteer with the Gundalow Company
• Gundalow Annual Meeting Invite

Click here for more information

Geno Marconi to speak aboard the gundalow Piscataqua

The Gundalow Company will begin the first summer concert and lecture series of the season by hosting an evening sail with Geno Marconi aboard the new gundalow Piscataqua this Thursday, June 7 from 6-8 PM. Marconi, who serves as Director of the New Hampshire Ports and Harbors, is a Portsmouth native and former commercial fisherman who has been with the NH Port Authority since 1995. He will provide an insider’s view of Portsmouth Harbor and the working waterfront as the gundalow sails on the Piscataqua River.

The Piscataqua is docked in Prescott Park, next to the historic Sheafe Warehouse. Reservations are required and tickets and can be purchased online at www.gundalowtickets.org or at the gundalow office at 60 Marcy Street in Portsmouth.

Each Thursday evening sail throughout the summer will feature live music or programs on maritime and environmental issues. During these informal programs passengers are invited to help set the sail and steer the gundalow while enjoying a sail on a historic wooden vessel.

Please contact the Gundalow Company for additional information: 603.433.9505

The new gundalow Piscataqua to open for the summer sailing season Memorial Day weekend

For centuries, shallow draft, barge-style sailboats called gundalows connected up-river communities with Portsmouth, the region’s seaport and primary market town.  Harnessing the wind and riding the tide, gundalows moved bricks, hay, firewood, and goods crucial to the economy and everyday life.

To revive interest in gundalows and the estuary they served, a replica of these once prominent ships was constructed in 1978, and named after the area’s pioneer watershed protector, Captain Edward H. Adams.  In 2002, the nonprofit Gundalow Company was formed to protect the Piscataqua region’s maritime heritage and environment through education and action, using the Adams as a dockside classroom.

The Gundalow Company built a new gundalow named Piscataqua in 2011 to serve as a sailing classroom for school groups and to provide a unique sailing experience for local residents and visitors.  The Piscataqua was constructed using traditional materials and methods while upholding the safety standards and structural integrity required by the U.S. Coast Guard for passenger-carrying vessels.

Starting Memorial Day weekend and sailing through October, the Piscataqua will begin its inaugural season as a public sailing vessel. Two-hour trips will depart three times a day, Thursday through Monday.  Thursday evening Specialty Sails will include concerts and educational lecture series, and guests are welcome to bring picnics aboard. In addition to a knowledgeable and experienced Captain, two Onboard Educators will provide information about the natural and cultural history of the Piscataqua watershed region.  Private charters and school group programs are available throughout the season.  

Reservations for day or sunset sailing trips may be made online by visiting the Gundalow Company website: www.gundalow.org, or by calling 603-433-9505.  

Gundalow Company

Protecting the Piscataqua Region's maritime heritage and environment through education and action

Thursday Sunset Sails on the Piscataqua

Join us onboard the Piscataqua this season as the celebration continues with live music and special presentations during our Thursday evening sails. Thursdays, June through September, will feature either live, local music, or a speaker on environmental issues or cultural and maritime heritage.

The Thursday evening sails in June run 6-8 pm and include:

June 7             Geno Marconi
                       Director of NH Ports and Harbors

June 14           Joyce Andersen and Kent Allyn
                      Veteran seacoast musicians

June 21           Peter Wellenberger
                      Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper

June 28           Susie Burke and David Surette, and daughters
                      Longtime seacoast folk duo

The once-a-month Contemporary Coastal Issues programs, sponsored by the New Hampshire Coastal Program, will begin with a free presentation in the Gundalow Office at 5:00 pm, followed by an optional sail with the speaker. All other Thursday evening programs will begin at the dock just before the Piscataqua casts off.  The Music Series is sponsored in part by The Press Room.

Sail on the new gundalow Piscatagua!

Sail with us on the Piscataqua! Public Day Sails, School Groups and Private Charters welcome aboard the new gundalow

The new gundalow Piscataqua constructed last year at Puddle Dock and launched from Peirce Island December 10th 2011 is now taking reservations for public day sails, private charters, school and camp groups. Public Day Sails are available from the dock at the end of Water Street (off Marcy Street) Prescott Park, Portsmouth, NH during the sailing season from May through October starting Memorial Day weekend. The 2-hour Public Day Sails are a great way to explore the Piscataqua Maritime Region and learn about the unique waterways while sailing aboard a traditional gundalow. The wind and tidal currents will determine the journey along local rivers, bay and harbor. Aboard the Piscataqua, passengers can raise the sail, take the helm and enjoy environmental and heritage programs taught by the crew. There isn’t a better way to see the gorgeous inland rivers and bays of the seacoast.

The Morning Sail is from 10am to 12pm, in time to visit local museums, shop and grab a bite to eat at many of the local restaurants. The Afternoon Sail leaves early afternoon, returning to the dock in time to visit one of the many popular outdoor decks for a refreshing drink, some evening shopping, or a great meal at one of the many restaurants in the area. The Sunset Sail is a wonderful way to see the lights and sounds of the riverways and harbor at dusk. Specialty Sails on Thursday evenings give an authentic New England experience like no other. (Sail times vary by month.) Entertainment by local musicians and special maritime and environmental expert guests will be aboard to educate and entertain you.

2012 Public Sail Rates are $35 Adult, $15 Youth (5-12). School and camp groups can take a 2.5 hour sail that includes a variety of hands-on activities including water sampling, and navigation, and combines history, science and social studies. For a private charters, contact us directly - these charters help underwrite our environmental education programs.

Tickets and additional program descriptions are available online at www.gundalow.org, or 603-433-9505.

About the Gundalow Company: Since 2002, the non-profit Gundalow Company has used the Captain Edward H. Adams – a replica modeled after the last gundalow to carry cargo on the bay – to provide “dockside” programs to more than 100,000 visitors. Recognizing the need to get students of all ages to genuinely connect with their rivers and bay, the Gundalow Company has built a new sailing gundalow Piscataqua, which meets the USCG requirements for carrying passengers.

For centuries, gundalows connected up-river seacoast communities with Portsmouth, the region’s seaport and primary market town. Harnessing the wind and riding the tide, gundalows moved bricks, hay, firewood, and goods crucial to the economy and everyday life. The Piscataqua carries an educational message that will create the next generation of river and bay stewards. The Gundalow Company takes its inspiration from the vital role of those historic gundalows, vessels unique to the Piscataqua Maritime Region. The educational purpose of the new gundalow is as important for the future as its predecessors were for the past. For more information: www.gundalow.org, info@gundalow.org or 603-433-9505.

One Night. Many Dinners. Hundreds of Stories.

Join friends of the Gundalow Company in the home of one of our generous Seacoast hosts for an evening of food, drinks and maritime conversation with our guest experts.

$50 per person. RSVP by April 4th. Last year’s sold out fast, so get your reservation in!

Attendees will receive a confirmation and directions to their Gundalow Gathering address by April 10th.

We strive to fulfill your first choice. Questions? Email or call Meridith at 603-433-9505

Portsmouth

“Private Aims and the Common Good:
 Water as the Resource We Need”

Tom Chappell, Founder, Tom’s of Maine


Hosted by Dave & Ellie Sanderson


Dinner #1: Limit 20 guests

Durham

“From Log to Launch:
The Embedded Photographer’s View”

Ralph Morang, Ralph Morang Photography


Hosted by Peter & Marjorie Smith, Jere Lundholm & Harriet Forkey


Dinner #2: Limit 30 guests

York

“Working Waterfront”

Hosted by Cynthia & Cal Hosmer


Dinner #3: Limit 24 guests

Cape Neddick

“Thai Barge to Gundalow:
 A Look at Onboard Education”

Shaye Robbins


Hosted by Tim Ellis


Dinner #4: Limit 20 guests

New Castle

“Perspectives of Piscataqua: A Photographer’s View”

David J. Murray, ClearEye Photo


Hosted by Bill & Mil Duncan


Dinner #5: Limit 25 guests

Portsmouth

“Tall Tales & Sails”

Charles J. Doane, Executive Editor, SAIL Magazine


Hosted by Meg & Phil Cavanaugh


Dinner #6: Limit 20 guests

Durham

“Great Bay in Crisis”

Frederick T. Short, Ph.D., University of New Hampshire


Hosted by Doug & Susan MacLennan


Dinner #7: Limit 16 guests

Durham

“Who’s Your Waterkeeper?”

Peter Wellenberger, Great Bay Waterkeeper


Hosted by John & Diana Carroll


Dinner #8: Limit 14 guests

Portsmouth

“Meet the Crew & Tour Piscataqua”

Matt Glenn, Captain
- Megan Glenn, Onboard Educator
- Daisy Wilson, Business Manager


Hosted by Molly & Jeff Bolster


Dinner #9: Limit 40 guests

RSVP by April 4th

New crew onboard for the new Gundalow Piscataqua

With the launch of the new gundalow Piscataqua from Peirce Island in December, the Gundalow Company has set a new course bringing a US Coast Guard approved sailing gundalow that can take 30 passengers around the waterways of the Piscataqua Maritime Region. Starting Memorial Day weekend, public day sails, school trips, and private charters will be available from Prescott Park, and a new online ticketing system will be ready after April 1st for reservations.

The addition of the Piscataqua has brought new staff to run the gundalow and day-to-day operations. Portland, ME resident Daisy Wilson has joined the Gundalow Company as the first Business Manager. Daisy grew up sailing the waters of Casco Bay and exploring the rivers of Maine by Canoe. Her affinity for the ocean and the outdoors has served as the cornerstone of her personal and professional endeavors, and she has worked with organizations including Outward Bound and the Girl Scouts of Maine. She holds an MS in Organizational Leadership and Management from Antioch University, and is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Most recently, Daisy served as Operations Manager for Sail Acadia in Bass Harbor, Maine, and has also provided consultation services to companies within the area of Human Resource Management. On a recent sailing trip from St. Thomas to Bermuda, she logged close to 850 nautical miles, and hopes to make a transatlantic passage as well.

Matt Glenn holds the first Captain position, with a 500 ton Ocean Masters license - he has sailed for years as Mate on the Bounty, the SSV Corwith Cramer and SSV Robt. Seamans and Captain of the Liberty Clipper. He also spent a season as deckhand on a tug boat – moving barges under tow on the Delaware River. Most recently, he spent two years as Captain of the A.J. Meerwald, a restored 1928 115’ oyster sloop operated by the non-profit Bayshore Discovery Project in Bivalve, NJ. The A.J. Meerwald is a vessel with a historic connection to the Delaware Bay and as Matt explains, her mission is “to motivate people to take care of the environment, the history, and the culture of New Jersey’s Bayshore region through education, preservation, and example.” Prior to going to sea, Matt graduated magna cum laude from Boston University with a B.A. in History and enjoys hiking, bicycling and paddling a kayak he built.

Megan Glenn will be the first Onboard Educator, leading programs aboard the Piscataqua while under sail. Megan completed a college semester program in the North Pacific Ocean with Sea Education Association on the SSV Robt. Seamans assisting with oceanographic data collection and analysis, and working onboard as an Educator/Deckhand. After finishing her senior thesis on “Teaching Global Climate Change: Why and How” she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from University of Pennsylvania. She spent two years as the Shipboard Program Coordinator/Educator for the Bayshore Discovery project onboard the A.J. Meerwald - teaching thousands of students about marine and coastal ecosystems in Delaware Bay. Megan “enjoys connecting students with the marine environment . . .and opening the door for many who had never experienced their surroundings in such a personal way before.” She is currently finishing her position as Educator at City Lab in Boston where she facilitates biotechnology labs for students.

Gundalow PISCATAQUA is Launched!

Thank you for making this historic moment possible: the Gundalow PISCATAQUA is in the water and (nearly) ready to sail!


With hundreds of friends and volunteers gathered on and around Peirce Island, the Gundalow PISCATAQUA was launched on a bright and sunny day - Saturday, December 10, 2011.

We can all feel fortunate to live, work and play in a stunningly beautiful place – a place steeped in history and a place known as the Piscataqua Region that is defined by its connection to a network of rivers and bays. We built this boat with a huge outpouring of community support to be the flagship of the next generation of river and bay stewards. We built this new gundalow as a way to celebrate the past, present and future of the Piscataqua Region – this area of a dozen towns along eight rivers, bays and harbors in coastal New Hampshire and southern Maine. A place that 350 years ago was known simply as PISCATAQUA – because the Piscataqua River is the thread that connects all the riverfront towns and because the Piscataqua was the major highway that supported the economic development of all the towns connected by water.

THIS IS THE PISCATAQUA REGION

The PISCATAQUA will carry a different cargo than gundalows of the past – she will carry a cargo that is a message of appreciation for our maritime heritage as well as hope and action to protect the rivers and bays in the Piscataqua Region. We believe that when you take a trip on the PISCATAQUA it will give you a chance to experience and care about our rivers – and if we care about our rivers we will protect them. The PISCATAQUA will awaken in all of us a “sense of place” – a link to the past but also a bridge to the future as we confront the results of 400 years of human impact on our estuary. We want the PISCATAQUA to be a sailing classroom for kids growing up in this area and we want it to be an attraction for locals so you can experience your rivers from the deck of a regionally significant historic vessel. And we want this to be a tourist attraction that sets the Piscataqua Region apart from other seaport towns. Because where else in the WORLD can you go sailing on a gundalow but here! We hope you will ALL come sailing with us – so you can see your place from a historic and future perspective!

Please see our website for a full listing of all the business sponsors and over 500 individuals who have contributed to this effort. We launched the PISCATAQUA for all of you– long may she sail and carry a message of hope and action to protect our rivers!

Help us finish the PISCATAQUA!

The Gundalow PISCATAQUA is in the water, and after a quick test of the engine is wrapped up for the winter. She still needs her yard, mast, sail and some important finishing touches to sail in the spring. Won't you consider a year-end gift to help finish her and reach our campaign goal? Thank you!

It takes a community to build a gundalow

PORTSMOUTH, NH: As part of the campaign to raise $1.2m to build a new gundalow and expand Gundalow Company programs and operations, efforts were boosted at the shipyard from the early support of some special people and businesses from the seacoast area. In-kind services and materials have been valued at over $50,000 towards the project. Strawbery Banke has been instrumental in giving the location to build the boat and site support. Collaborative education programs are ongoing with both organizations.

In the fall of 2010, Appledore Engineering – a division of Tighe & Bond, provided pro-bono civil engineering and site plans for the Puddle Dock construction site, and supported the gundalow staff through the regulatory and permitting process. McLane Law Firm’s team fielded various legal questions, while Gove Construction created a level gravel pad as the base for the shipyard.

Tony Coviello at Summit Engineering provided structural engineering plans for the shipyard cover from conceptual designs by the Steve Jones Architectural Design Program at Portsmouth High School. The tool shed that is now at the Puddle Dock shipyard was also designed by students, and built by Dexter Roblee’s Building Trades program students. Over 700 hours were donated in labor to design and build the impressive 10'x20' shed, delivered in early April. Four Seasons Fence donated the labor to surround the shipyard in fencing, and gundalow volunteers crafted the gate.

Vince Todd of V. Todd & Co., built the temporary shipyard cover and contributed his time to plan and oversee its construction. The shipyard was completed by early May with the support of Moores Crane Company, Ricci Lumber, Second Nature Landscape Outlet, A.H. Harris & Sons, Inc., Green Velvet Landscape, Independent Boat Haulers, Jackson’s Hardware & Marine, Jeffrey Knapp Construction, Keith Bridge Electrical, Kevin Knapp, North Hampton Grocery, Peter Coren Builder & Cabinetmaker, Rainscape, Rick Stevens Custom Lumber, Rockingham Electric Supply Co. and Tri-State Fire Protection.

Construction of the new gundalow began in early May under the direction of York, ME Paul Rollins, boatbuilder. Materials, services and supplies were supported by Bartlett’s Farm & Sawmill, Brentwood Machinery & Tools, Dixon Mills, Fastener Warehouse, Lamprey Oil, Rand Lumber, Sanborn Mills Farm, and Urban Tree Service. Early corporate and business donations from Appledore Real Estate, Piscataqua Savings Bank, Infinite Imaging, Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café, Federal Savings Bank, Granite State Minerals, Property Tax Advisors, Waterfront Engineers, and Jeffrey H. Taylor & Associates covered early costs associated with the start of construction.

About the Gundalow Company: Since 2002, the non-profit Gundalow Company has used the Captain Edward H. Adams – a replica modeled after the last gundalow to carry cargo on the bay – to provide “dockside” programs to more than 100,000 visitors. However, the Adams is too authentic to comply with modern U.S. Coast Guard safety requirements. Recognizing the need to get students of all ages to genuinely connect with their rivers and bay, the Gundalow Company is building a new gundalow that will have the safety features and structural integrity required by the U.S. Coast Guard for passenger-carrying vessels.

For centuries, gundalows connected up-river seacoast communities with Portsmouth, the region’s seaport and primary market town. Harnessing the wind and riding the tide, gundalows moved bricks, hay, firewood, and goods crucial to the economy and everyday life. The Gundalow Company takes its inspiration from the vital role of those historic gundalows, vessels unique to the Piscataqua Maritime Region. This new gundalow’s educational purpose is as important for the future as its predecessors were for the past. For more information, www.gundalow.org, info@gundalow.org or 603-433-9505.