Cape Cod Catboat Crew Challenge:
CHALLENGE CAT-egories
CATegory #1: BOAT BUILDING |
Humans living near water have always made use of objects that float. Thousands of years ago, logs were lashed together to make rafts and later logs were hollowed out to make canoes. The history of boat building on Cape Cod is an important part of the area’s history. Boatbuilders have been sending boats of all sizes into Cape Cod waters since the days when the Wampanoag were the only humans to walk the shores and travel on the waters. They used fire to burn out and shape the insides of trees to make canoes. Later, shipyards, in towns with snug harbors like Hyannis and Osterville, began crafting sailing vessels to transport goods, hunt whales, and fish. Beginning in the late 1800s, boat yards like the Crosby Boat Yard in Osterville, MA constructed boats for people who wanted to use them for pleasure as well, rather than solely as working vessels. Sarah is a replica of an original Crosby catboat of the same name. She was built at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum. You can learn more about Sarah by visiting the CCMM link in the navigation bar above or by clicking here.
Today boats are constructed from many different materials in many different shapes and sizes. Some materials are natural like wood or bamboo.. Others are man made like fiberglass and steel. Regardless of the material or size, all boats have one common characteristic—they float. As a member of the crew, it is important that you understand and can explain why boats float. |
CATegory #2: NAVIGATION
Navigation is the task of finding your way from one place to another. People use maps to help them travel from place to place safely on land. When they want to travel from place to place safely on water; however, there is more of a challenge. Mariners, or sailors, can only see what is above the waterline. How do they know what is below the water? Nautical charts show what is under, in, on and around water. These can be hidden dangers like sunken shipwrecks and shoals or obvious landmarks seen on land like church steeples and lighthouses. As a member of the crew, you need to know some basic information about nautical charts and to be able to make connections between the symbols you see on them and the real world. |
Cape Cod Maritime Museum
135 South Street ~ PO Box 443 Hyannis, MA 02601
(tel) 508-775-1723 (fax) 508-775-1706
[email protected]
135 South Street ~ PO Box 443 Hyannis, MA 02601
(tel) 508-775-1723 (fax) 508-775-1706
[email protected]