Wanted: Kids 13 to 18 years old with a taste for adventure and vegetables."
Jack Stevenson (left), Elliot Morris, and Ryan Antolick provide auxiliary oar power to move Mabel a few years ago. Photos courtesy of Sidney Morris
In an inspired collaboration between two Vineyard youth program organizations, this summer will see a great new opportunity to experience something unique and educational in true Island tradition. Vineyard Voyagers and The FARM Institute of Katama have joined forces to offer a combined sailing and agriculture experience that involves the historic use of an open sailing vessel and bringing Island-grown produce to market.
Called Mabel to Table, the program is the product of the pursuit of interests by a very talented and diverse group of people brought together by their common goals: the continuation of maritime heritage and the traditional local production of good clean food. All it takes is the participation of energetic young people willing to literally get their hands dirty.
Mabel in open water on her maiden voyage in 2002 to the Hudson River.
The program will utilize the open 28-foot ketch Mabel in a weekly round-trip sail between her home port of Vineyard Haven to Edgartown Harbor. At Edgartown she'll head down to the southwest corner of Katama Bay, where her crew of six, plus captain, will go ashore at The FARM Institute to harvest produce which they will then load onto the ketch for the return sail to Vineyard Haven.
On arrival in Vineyard Haven, the produce will be sold at the farmers market at the Tisbury Wharf to all comers wishing to take advantage of fresh organic fruits and vegetables brought to market by an age-old traditional manner.
Participants will gain working knowledge of commerce under sail, of the importance of navigation and working with weather and tidal conditions, and of part of a crew with a mission. The sailing will be done during daylight hours, so if circumstances dictate, the vessel will anchor for an evening aboard in sleeping bags with plenty of fiber in the diet.
The vessel Mabel is a working boat designed by Myles Thurlow, who based his plans along the lines of the traditional Nomans Land fishing boats. She was built by Myles in 2002 and her maiden voyage took four young local sailors under the guidance of Sidney Morris and Malcolm Boyd to the Clearwater Festival up the Hudson River. She has since been available for charters around Vineyard Sound.
Lily Morris, who did a hitch aboard the Alabama when she was 14 and was immediately and inextricably hooked on sailing, will direct the water-borne part of the program. Lily has worked with kids as an Outward Bound instructor and participated in tall ship operations.
Ray Connor is the assistant education director at The FARM. Besides taking on the produce portion of the Mabel to Table program, Ray is responsible for up to 130 kids that come to the farm to participate in the care and feeding of all the animals, maintaining the gardens, and overseeing the curriculum in agriculture and farming.
The primary captain of Mabel will be Teresa Carey, who has also been an Outward Bound instructor. She has worked in and around boats on both coasts of North America. She has a practical understanding of the natural elements and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with the kids lucky enough to sail with her.
Sidney Morris, the education director at The FARM and also the executive director of Vineyard Voyagers, will be available in an advisory capacity for the young people running the program. This is a high-energy undertaking on the part of qualified and serious young people who want to share what they have learned in extensive outdoor experiences.
The purpose is to provide an extraordinary experience for young people. These bygone practices are all but gone, but the lessons learned by participating in such activities are no less relevant. In fact, they may be that much more relevant.
If you are interested in supporting this program, it is as easy as going to the Farmer's Market at Tisbury Wharf between 11 am and 2 pm. There will be an assortment of organic fruits and vegetables as they come into season. The idea is to make this program self-sustaining, and with the patronage of Islanders, this is entirely possible.
There are still spaces aboard Mabel for her first trip, on July 6. To sign on, or for more information, call Vineyard Voyagers at 774-563-0200 or 508-627-8894.
Seaver Jones's column, "Breakwater News" appears monthly in The Times.
