Showing posts with label inland seas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inland seas. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Traverse Tall Ship Company Offers Multi-Day Autumn Excursions Aboard the Schooner Manitou

Leave your busy schedules and the daily grind in the wind as you head out on the freshwaters of Grand Traverse Bay aboard the Schooner Manitou. The Traverse Tall Ship Company is once again offering a series of educational and entertaining multi-day cruises throughout the fall color tour months of September and October. During these trips, guests enjoy a relaxing, stress-free get-away, while visiting quaint coastal villages and soaking up the panoramic views of the northern Michigan shoreline. This is definitely a Pure Michigan experience.

Excursions with remaining availability for this fall include:

• 6-Day Explorer Cruise (September 9-15, 2015)
Cost: $704 per person


Join us on a longer cruise and fully embrace the rhythm of wind, wave, and shipboard life. This one books quickly!

• 4-Day Star Gazer Cruise (September 17-21, 2015)
Cost: $577 per person


We’re excited to be joined by Mary Stewart Adams, director of the Headlands International Dark Sky Park, who will guide us through a journey of the night sky. Mary is a star lore historian, storyteller and author who has been immersed in the history of star knowledge for nearly 30 years. She led the initiative that resulted in International Dark Sky Park designation for the Headlands property in Emmet County, MI, which later resulted in the State of Michigan passing legislation to protect the night sky over an additional 23,000 acres of state park and forest land.

Mary writes and speaks extensively to local, national and international audiences on our relationship to the night sky and its cultural consequences, and has received numerous honors for her work. In addition, she is a member of the International Dark Sky Places Committee of the International Dark Sky Association, protecting and designating dark sky sites around the world. Mary’s weekly radio program “The Storyteller’s Guide to the Night Sky” airs during Morning Edition on Interlochen Public Radio every Monday. Mary makes her home under the starry skies of Harbor Springs, MI.

• 4-Day Michigan Craft Beer Cruise (September 24-28, 2015)
Cost: $577 per person


In recent years, Michigan has made a name for itself as one of the premier craft brew states in the country. What better way to partake of these fine beverages than from the deck of a beautiful vessel resting in a peaceful harbor! Chef and craft beer aficionado Amy Sherman will serve as host and guide as we enjoy tastings with hors d’oeuvres, followed by specifically designed food pairings with dinner. After graduating from Aquinas College, Amy Sherman found her true calling in the kitchen.

A 20 year restaurant veteran, she’s held every job possible, from ravioli runner, prep chef, book keeper, waitress, to manager, sous chef and pastry chef. She has taught cooking classes throughout West Michigan, runs a catering company called Two Chicks and an Oven, and with her husband runs the local food company, Farmlink. As the host of the Great American Brew Trail, she drank her way across Michigan, one pint at a time. She currently hosts a podcast called “Behind the Mitten” with MLive’s John Gonzalez, and leads culinary adventures here in the states and Europe. Her main job, however, is being mom to three ruffians in Grand Rapids.

As one of the largest sailing ships on the Great Lakes, the Manitou is a replica of an 1800s “coasting” cargo schooner. A traditional two-masted, gaff rigged, topsail schooner, Manitou measures 114 feet in length with more than 3000 square feet of sail.

There is plenty of space for sitting and moving around the decks while under sail. While aboard the Manitou, passengers are free to leave the sailing to the experienced crew or lend a hand and learn the arts of the sailor. An excursion aboard the Manitou allows you to remove yourself from the trappings of modern life: no TV, phone (cell phones are discouraged), internet, email and definitely, no itinerary.

Trips are limited to 22 individuals, with accommodations provided in 11 double-bunk cabins. Fare includes lodging, all meals and sailing activities.

To make reservations for any of the 2015 Manitou sailing adventures, call toll free 800-678-0383, ext. 2 or order tickets online. Gift certificates are also available. For additional information about the Manitou, including its corporate charters, visit www.tallshipsailing.com.

Traverse Tall Ship Company is located at 13258 S.W. Bay Shore Drive (M22) in Traverse City and shares a dock with the fleet from the Maritime Heritage Alliance, creating a unique nautical experience for the area.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Inland Seas Announces its 2009 Northern Michigan Sailing Season


A true Great Lakes sailing experience – focused on hands-on science, maritime history and culture of the region – awaits this summer aboard the schooner Inland Seas. Family sailing and science adventures are the centerpiece of a summer of hands-on activity aboard the 77-foot tall ship, which sails June 26 through September 5, 2009 on the freshwaters of Grand Traverse Bay.

Celebrating its 21st season on the Great Lakes, Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) has already attracted nearly 80,000 participants to its award-winning science and sailing programs. Departing from the ISEA Center in Suttons Bay at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. throughout the summer, these three-hour learning adventures are conducted by ISEA’s professional staff and its volunteer corps of over 200 professionally trained instructors.

During these trips, groups of up to 30 individuals – including families, children, parents, teenagers and grandparents, work together as scientists to collect samples of fish, aquatic insects, plants and water. They examine fish, bottom organisms, sediment and plants; view plankton through a micro-video system; take turns steering the ship; and even make weather reports to the National Weather Service. While the Inland Seas programs area educationally focused, they are structured to teach in a fun and entertaining way.

In addition to the nearly two dozen three-hour science and sailing trips for families, ISEA offers several specialty sailing adventures for both families and adults in 2009. These day-long or multi-day programs feature a history, geology and ecology sail to Power Island and an underwater exploration of shipwrecks and other underwater features in Grand Traverse Bay.

On July 23, Inland Seas passengers will explore the rich maritime heritage of the coastal villages of Suttons Bay, Omena and Peshawbestown during a dinner cruise from 5-8 p.m., with a guest faculty of local historians.

ISEA will once again conduct its Invasive Species Research Program for High School Students. These overnight programs for teenagers will be offered on June 29-30 and July 15-16. A Technology in Invasive Species Research Workshop for high schoolers is scheduled for July 27-28. This two-day sailing experience includes seminars by researchers and professionals, as well as the opportunity for students to build a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) to take back to their school for classroom use.

On August 19, Inland Seas explores the Geology of Grand Traverse Bay where passengers will discover – both above and below the water – what gives the Bay its unique character. This sailing adventure includes lunch and a hike on Power Island.

The popular Astronomy Under Sail excursions, with astronomer Dick Cookman, are scheduled for the evenings of August 20 and 21, beginning at 9:00 p.m. Sailing eastward away from the shore, this adults-only adventure affords a clear view of the night sky and the constellations that have guided ships for centuries.

The Great Lakes Schoolship and the Inland Seas Education Association began in 1989 as the dream of Suttons Bay mariner and scientist, Tom Kelly. His vision was to develop a program that encourages young people and adults to sail the tall ships, while learning about the science and heritage of the Great Lakes.

The Inland Seas Education Association is a non-profit organization based in Suttons Bay, Michigan, dedicated to science education on the Great Lakes. Its shipboard and shore-side education programs are designed to inspire young people’s interest in science and to provide for the long-term stewardship of the Great Lakes. In 2001, ISEA was awarded the American Sail Training Association’s 2001 “Sea Education Program of the Year.”

For further information on program fees or to book a summer program, contact the Inland Seas Education Association at (231) 271-3077 or on the web at www.schoolship.org.

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Inland Seas Education Association
P.O. Box 218 – Suttons Bay, MI 49682