Nautical skills, a new class of education
Mary Ellen Green
Staff writer
May 12, 2008
Photo courtesy Good Relations
MS Donald Dagenais teaches Eric Chow basic knot-tying technique at the Thrifty Foods Tall Ships University preview held Monday, May 5 at the Admirals Walk location. Chow, a Grade 7 student at Shoreline Middle School.
Under the guidance of naval sailors, school children from Shoreline Middle School’s Grade 7 class learned knot tying, line hurling and semaphore skills last Monday.
Sailors set up education stations at Thrifty’s Admirals Walk to promote Thrifty Foods Tall Ships University, a new attraction for children that will take place during Tall Ship Festival June 26-29.
“Tall Ships-U expands the activities at the festival for youth and is the next level of training for graduates of the returning and ever-popular Pirate School for Kids,” said Bob Cross, Chair of the Victoria Tall Ships Society.
Up to 50 sailors will teach the hands-on program at the festival, which will also feature navigation training and history lessons about the Tall Ships Festival and who sailed the historic ships.
Following their training, youth will visit a number of tall ships at the festival, where they will demonstrate their newly acquired skills to on-board crew and receive a stamp in their Tall Ships-U passport. A completed passport earns them a diploma and commemorative photo.
In addition to overseeing training at the Tall Ships-U, the Canadian Navy’s oldest serving vessel, tall ship HMCS Oriole, will once again be centre stage in the festival, as well as one of the navy’s newest Orca class training vessels.
The navy is also supporting the Victoria Tall Ships Festival behind the scenes with safety boats and the use of the Naval Reserve Division HMCS Malahat for the festival operations centre.
Tall ships will sail into Victoria’s Inner Harbour June 26, where they’ll stay at their moorings until June 29. There will more than two dozen ships on display at the festival, which is expected to draw up to 40,000 visitors.
Tickets are on sale at local Thrifty Foods locations, by phone at Tourism Victoria, 1-800-663-3883or on the Tall Ships website at www.tallshipsvictoria.ca.
