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     Pleasant Bay
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May 2017


   


May 2017 
 
   
Summer is here! Memorial Day has come and gone, boats are in the water and we are off and running! 

The Monomoy High School Sailing Team has concluded another successful season at PBCB and First Sail for area third graders is starting up in early June. We appreciate the generosity of the Friends of Pleasant Bay who underwrite a substantial portion of this wonderful program for local children.

Our Marine Science programs are underway as well. We recently conducted the second annual Bioblitz program in collaboration with Monomoy High School and Northeastern University. This summer we will also be introducing exciting new programs including Whiskers, Fins & Claws and the Shark Biology Workshop. 

On June 22, our Adaptive Sailing Programs for the Blind and Vision-Impaired, Wounded Veterans and Seniors will get a jumpstart with the screening of the film " Sense the Wind " at the Brewster Ladies Library. This film is an inspiration to us all, and we hope you will join us.
 
In mid-May we had a spectacular volunteer work weekend to get buildings and grounds ready for summer. And thanks to our partnership with Cape Tech, great progress has also been made on our Program, Administration and Meeting building and surrounding grounds. One of our biggest construction costs will be new windows and doors, so we hope PBCB members and volunteers will step up to donate some (or all) of them. More info on that is below.
 
Of course, PBCB can't accomplish much of anything without its fleet, which now numbers over 50 vessels of varying size and configuration (which, by the way, were all donated by generous supporters over the years). It's a big job to maintain the fleet, but we accomplish this through the efforts of our great staff and wonderful volunteers. Neil Tomkinson, a volunteer who has been maintaining our Catboats this winter, is spotlighted in this issue. Everything we do depends on the generosity of our volunteers, donors and corporate sponsors in addition to our talented staff. We are grateful for your contributions.
 
There is a lot of work to be done but also a lot of fun to be had at PBCB this summer. I look forward to seeing you on the campus soon! 
Ted
Ted Baylis,  President
Board of Directors,  Pleasant Bay Community Boating
NEWS & EVENTS
Bioblitz Returns for Second Year at PBCB

On May 25, PBCB again hosted "Bioblitz," our annual collaboration with Northeastern University's Ocean Genome Legacy Center, Friends of Chatham WaterwaysCenter for Coastal Studies, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, and Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance.  Bioblitz gives local Monomoy High School students the opportunity to delve into the genetic makeup of Pleasant Bay's marine life. It also provides scientists invaluable data. To read more and see photos of the event, click here.
Sense the Wind to be shown at Brewster Ladies Library
If you missed last month's screening of S ense the Wind: Blind Sailors Race Across Open Water at Harwich's Brooks Library, you have another opportunity to view this amazing, inspirational film. The Brewster Ladies Library will be showing it on JUNE 22, at 6:30 pm. Mark your calendar!   Read more about the film here

And did you know that PBCB has developed a Blind & Vision-Impaired Sailing Program?  We piloted a version last summer and are now set to launch full-scale in 2017.   To read more about it, click here.
FEATURED PROGRAMS
Fins, Whiskers & Claws-Oh, My! 

This summer, PBCB is partnering with the Center for Coastal Studies and the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center to bring a whole new dimension to its marine education and environmental stewardship programs. In  Fins, Whiskers & Claws, s tudents will join  scientists to  explore the incredible diversity of marine wildlife and habitats within Pleasant Bay, a  unique natural  resource protected from the forces of the Atlantic Ocean by a dynamic barrier beach and dune system.  Along with educators from Chatham Marconi Maritime Center and PBCB, CCS scientists  will share their latest research findings and increase students' awareness, understanding and appreciation of these dynamic ecosystems.  The week-long  Fins,Whiskers & Claws will give participants a chance to explore and learn about the amazing ecosystem of Pleasant Bay, and have a great time doing it! 

For more information and to register for this program, click here.
Sharks - Up Close & Personal!
Intro to Shark Biology Workshop

In another first-time partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, PBCB is pleased to offer this new  hands-on learning opportunity for young people! What makes sharks unlike other animals? What characteristics do they have that enable them to hunt so well? Swim so fast? Students will learn the basics of shark biology and develop an understanding of their anatomy by participating in this workshop. The program features several learning labs, and ends in a spiny dogfish shark dissection. This workshop will run on several dates over the course of the summer to provide an opportunity for locals and visitors to be immersed in shark biology.  For more information and to register for this program,   click here .
PBCB SIGNATURE PROGRAMS
"First Sail" Starts Its 3rd Year!
Expanded program now includes Monomoy and all Nauset Regional Elementary Schools
 
Thanks to the continued generosity and support of our friends and partners at  Friends of Pleasant Bay , PBCB will offer its signature program First Sail for the third year in a row. Dubbed "best field trip ever!" by last year's students, t he program takes all third-graders in the Monomoy and Nauset Regional School Systems --more than 300 of them!--for their "First Sail." Through this program, PBCB introduces kids, many of whom have never been on a boat, to the joys of sailing and wonders of Pleasant Bay. First Sail will occur throughout the month of June, and we'll capture the excitement, with photos, in our June newsletter!
MONOMOY SAILING TEAM   
Monomoy High School Sailing Team Finishes 2nd Year at PBCB
 
Once again this year, the Monomoy Regional High School Sailing Team has been conducting practices and drills at PBCB. Under the direction of Coach Greg Kelly, the team spent the spring practicing, using PBCB's fleet of 420's. Photographer (and PBCB board member) Bill Hayes caught the team in action one April afternoon.
Click here to see Bill's photos of the team in action.

GOINGS-ON AROUND CAMPUS  
Spring Volunteer Day
A huge THANKS to our volunteers!

On a damp spring morning, they came. They came with brooms, rakes and shovels. They came with buckets, cleaning products, sponges and scrub brushes. They rolled up their sleeves and, well, they worked some magic. A small army of intrepid volunteers throughly scoured and scrubbed our rental house, Square Top, until it shined brightly. They cleaned the yard, raking out the debris and detritus of the long winter.  They cleaned up the patio, the kitchen, washed windows, painted the upstairs bathroom, put up curtains and readied Square Top. And just in time - now, we're ready to greet our first residential members! A huge Thank You to all who helped out.  Click here  to see photos of the effort!
"Adopt-A-Window" Opportunity 
If you've been to the PBCB campus or participated in our programs, you know that we work hard to create a boating, marine education and environmental stewardship center on Pleasant Bay that is affordable and accessible to all.  But we can't do what we do without your help! We are dependent upon the generosity of individual donors and businesses to carry out our mission.

Last month, we showed you the great work that Cape Tech students have been doing on our soon-to-be administrative and educational building. While the students provide their labor free of charge, we must pay for the materials. 

Want to be a part of this exciting venture? If you'd like to help build our new office and administrative building, we surely could use the following:
  1. Skylights - 3 skylights at $495 per skylight
  2. Meeting room windows - 14 windows at $590 per window
  3. Meeting room & kitchen patio doors - 2 doors at $4,456 per door
  4. Summer office slider door - one unit: $2,145 
  5. Summer office window - one unit: $2,276
  6. Summer office skylight - one unit: $495

If you--or someone you know--would like to make a financial contribution or an in-kind donation toward these items, please contact Executive Director Charlie Sumner at csumner@pbcb.cc or 774.353.7033
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MEET PBCB'S VALUED PARTNERS   
Friends of Pleasant Bay
 
Friends of Pleasant Bay (FOPB)  is an important grassroots environmental group dedicated to the preservation of Pleasant Bay--Cape Cod'suarine system and one of its largest and most important environmental, scenic, and recreational resources. Among its many achievements since its founding in 1985, FOPB has sought and successfully achieved state designation of Pleasant Bay as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. And it was instrumental in developing and obtaining state approval for a critical Resource Management Plan for the Bay.

FOBP's generous support helps to make PBCB's First Sail program possible. We know we speak for all the 3rd graders in the Monomoy and Nauset schools when we say, "Thank you for this best field trip ever!"
To learn more about the Friends of Pleasant Bay, click here .
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT  
Neil Tomkinson

PBCB is fortunate to have some exceptionally hardworking and skilled volunteers on our team, and this month we are shining our Volunteer  Spotlight on one of them: Neil Tomkinson. 

During the long, dark days of winter, Neil kept himself busy restoring --and transforming--a couple of PBCB's cat boats. And the results are brilliant!  To read more and see photos of the cats, click here .
 

Pleasant Bay Community Boating |   news@pbcb.cc | http://www.pbcb.cc
Mailing Address: P.O Box 21 -  North Chatham, MA 02650
Physical Address: 2287 Route 28, Harwich, MA 
info@pbcb.cc