New Summer Course
Students will earn four credits and a sail training certificate while living, studying, and working aboard the U.S. Brig Niagara, a replica of an early 19th wooden square-rigged warship built for the War of 1812. Students (females and males are equally welcome) will be a "crew in training" working alongside the Niagara crew of 16 professional sailors to learn the seamanship skills demanded of sailors who operated wooden sailing ships. Students will learn by direct experience the arts of a tall-ship sailor and the inter-relationships between humans and the inland seas. Dependending on weather and other factors, the program will include day sails, overnight passages, port visits, and historic sites. Docked at the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, PA, the Brig Niagara is the official "tall sip" of the State of Pennsylvania. (http://www.brigniagara.org) Senior Captain Walter Rybka and Captain Wesley Heerssen, Jr. have extensive international experience as officers and captains of wooden sailing ships; both are U.S. Coast Guard certified and licensed. The ship's crew is experienced and U.S. Coast Guard certified. The ship is inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and fully insured.
Maritime History & The Great Lakes (History 0606, Prof. Timothy Walker) is a four-credit course that surveys the historical development of maritime power in the Great Lakes and their environs, focusing particularly on the role of wooden sailing ships during the 18th and 19th centuries. It examines the historical catalysts for European expoloration and colonization in this region, the strategic importance of the Great Lakes to the young American Republic, and the role of the Great Lakes in the international economic system. The class explores maritime history through readings, lectures, and direct experience.
The Daily Routine consists of two hours of academic instruction. Students will also stand "watches" with the Brig Niagara crew. During the daylight watch period, students will receive structured lessons from the Niagara crew in the blue water sailor's art, such as knots, line handling, working aloft, and the like. The rest of watch time will be spent performing the duties required to run the ship. A $400 down-payment is required at the time of registration. The course limit is 20 students.
For information regarding the course, course requirements, and registration, contact: Anthony Novosel (pugachev@pitt.edu) or Loretta Lobes (lsl10@pitt.edu), Department of History, University of Pittsburgh. 412-648-7451
