Half Moon

Chip Reynolds: Jupiter, Galileo and the Half Moon

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What follows is a guest essay by Chip Reynolds, Half Moon Captain and Director of the New Netherland Museum.

Don’t miss a great opportunity that presents itself over the next two months &#8212- and not on the ship, the Half Moon is in for the winter! Just step outside on a clear night and take a look overhead.

Jupiter is clear and distinct in the constellation Taurus, which can be seen in the east early in the evening, overhead about midnight and in the west before dawn. It is the brightest object in the sky (except when the Moon is around), flanked by Orion below and Gemini above. Read more →

Replica Ship Half Moon Opportunities Announced

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William T. (Chip) Reynolds, Director, New Netherland Museum and Captain, Replica Ship Half Moon has announced that work is proceeding on fall programming and regular ship-board projects, and the ship will be holding an upcoming sail training opportunity.

On July 21-22 crew old and new alike will come together on the Half Moon to train in sail handling and ship operations. The two day program will depart from and return to Peckham Wharf in Athens, NY while anchoring out on the evening of the 21st. Crew will board 8am Saturday and depart late afternoon on Sunday.  No prior experience necessary- all training will be provided. Preference will be given to those who have volunteered with the Half Moon this season.

If you would like to participate in the sail training weekend, send an email with your name, phone number, location and the information for an emergency contact to: [email protected]

Dockside work continues on the Half Moon as they prepare for sail training and other programming through the summer and Fall of 2012. Crew have been working around the ship on various projects. Doug Lyke has been working on rewiring bilge pumps and radio wires- Gene Tozzi repaired the decorative anchor on the front of the ship- Woody Woodworth and Bob Hansen have installed new water pumps and other elements for the ship’s generator.

In addition to work around the ship, they’ve also said goodbye to bo’sun Wesley Jasper who spent three months living and working aboard the Half Moon, and who is headed to the Rotterdam Maritime Academy in the fall.

Work will continue weekdays throughout the summer. If you are interested in joining in and assisting with maintenance work around the ship, contact them at 518.443.1609 or by email at: [email protected]

This season, the Half Moon will be open for school and public tours in Albany NY Sept 22 & 23 and Sept 29 & 30 and public viewing in Connecticut.

Half Moon also offers school class tours. Educators looking to sign-up their class Sept 21, Sept 24-28 and Oct 1-4, should contact Carol Ann Margolis at the Albany Convention and Visitor’s Bureau: 518.434.0405

The 85-foot replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed while exploring the Hudson River in 1609 has a volunteer crew of 15 and was built in Albany, N.Y. in 1989 to commemorate the Dutch role in exploring and colonizing America. The Half Moon replica has six sails on three masts, sporting 2,757 square feet of canvas. It’s equipped with six cannons and four anchors.

The original ship, called the Halve Maen, was commissioned on March 25, 1609 for the Dutch East India Company. The company hired Hudson, an Englishman, to search for a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He thought he had found that passage when he sailed up the river that now bears his name. In making his trip up the river, Hudson claimed the area for the Dutch and opened the land for settlers who followed. His voyage came 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. 

For general information about the replica Half Moon check their website.

Photo provided.

Students Write About Place, Win Class Trips

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Teaching the Hudson Valley (THV) has announced the winners of its first student writing contest. Three winning writers and their classmates will visit the places they wrote about with costs covered by a THV Explore Award.

Aayushi Jha, a fifth grader at Main Street School in Irvington, is the elementary school winner. Her essay, Tug of War, describes an experience aboard the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Aayushi’s teacher, Susan Wallace, responded to the announcement with this note, “WOW! We are so THRILLED! Thank you so much for offering this opportunity to the future
environmentalists and writers of the world!” You can read Aayushi’s essay online.

“Climbing up Bonticou Crag, I split open the wilderness,” is the provocative opening line of Looking Topside Down, a poem about the Mohonk Preserve by high school winner Nicole Yang. The middle school winner is seventh grader Emilie Hostetter who wrote a poem about Minnewaska State Park called I Did Not Know. Nicole and Emilie are students of Janine Guadagno at Tabernacle Christian Academy in Poughkeepsie. You can read both poems here.

“We received many wonderful and inspiring pieces of writing,” said THV coordinator Debi Duke. “Although we could have only three winners, we’re looking forward to publishing more student writers throughout the winter and spring. Essays about Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val kill in Hyde Park, the replica of Henry Hudson’s Half Moon, and Muscoot Farm in Westchester County
are among those readers can watch for.”

Court of Appeals Hosts The Hudson: Yesterday and Today

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The New York Court of Appeals has announced &#8220The Hudson: Yesterday and Today&#8221 featuring Frances F. Dunwell, Hudson River Estuary Coordinator at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and William T. (Chip) Reynolds, Captain, Replica Ship Half Moon, along with an exhibit of Hudson River photographs by the Half Moon crew on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. A reception sponsored by The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York will follow.

&#8220The Hudson: Yesterday and Today&#8221 will take place at Court of Appeals Hall, 20 Eagle Street, in Albany. Court of Appeals Hall is the former State Hall, completed in 1842. It was renamed Court of Appeals Hall on January 14, 1917. The lecture will be held in the courtroom designed by H.H. Richardson and originally built as part of the Capitol. In 1916, the courtroom was moved, piece by piece, to a specially designed extension to State Hall. The entire building was beautifully restored in 2004.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. As space is limited, RSVP is requested by Monday, May 3 at [email protected] or 518-455-7817.

Replica Ship Half Moon Seeks Volunteer Crew

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William T. (Chip) Reynolds, Director, New Netherland Museum and Captain, Replica Ship Half Moon has announced that volunteer crew are needed to move the Half Moon from its winter berth at King Marine, in Verplanck, NY, to Peckham Wharf, Athens, NY from April 9 to 11th. This will be the first shake down cruise of the season as the ship is moved to Peckham Wharf in Athens for outfitting.

The voyage will pass the Hudson Highlands, Lange Rack, and along the Catskills. Both experienced crew and new comers are welcome. Crew should plan to board the ship at King Marine in Verplanck on Friday afternoon, April 9, and depart the ship Sunday afternoon in Athens. This is a working cruise, with emphasis on running our rigging, getting systems operational, and starting our annual refresher training with safety harnesses and procedures. In Athens the crew will proceed with rigging sails, installing tanks, and renewing woodwork.

If you are interested in joining the voyage, contact Karen Preston at [email protected]. Be sure to include your full name, address, and telephone in your e-mail, and tell &#8216-em we sent ya!

Replica Ship Half Moon Seeks Re-enactors

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In conjunction with the celebration of the Half Moon&#8216-s original voyage in 1609, the City of Albany will hold a festival on Saturday, September 26, 2009. The replica ship Half Moon is looking for 17th century re-enactors who can help re-create the Dutch presence during this time. In addition to the Dutch re-enactors, there will also be members of the Stockbridge Munsee band of Mohicans presenting native technologies and daily life activities.

With the Dutch re-enactors, they are seeking a minimum involvement lasting from 9AM Saturday morning, Sept. 26, to Sunday morning. Preferable would be arrival of re-enactors on Friday afternoon or evening, with departure Sunday afternoon.

Re-enactors working with the Half Moon may either establish a camp, or bunk on the Half Moon. Re-enactor emphasis will be on musketry drills and demonstrations, daily life activities, and individual interaction with visitors. Those with specific skills (coopering, woodwork, sail making and
canvas work, games and pastimes, etc.) are also encouraged to participate.

A minimum reimbursement of $150 is available for expenses of travel, etc., is available for the first 20 who commit to the program.

If interested, send an e-mail to the Half Moon’s crew coordinator, Karen Preston, at [email protected].

Replica Ship Half Moon Seeks Volunteers

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Captain W.T. &#8220Chip&#8221 Reynolds of the replica ship Half Moon has put out a call for volunteer sailing crew, cooks, and dockside tour guides for the rest of August, September, October, and early November. The 85-foot replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed while exploring the Hudson River in 1609 has a volunteer crew of 15 and was built in Albany, N.Y. in 1989 to commemorate the Dutch role in exploring and colonizing America. The Half Moon replica has six sails on three masts, sporting 2,757 square feet of canvas. It’s equipped with six cannons and four anchors.

The original ship, called the Halve Maen, was commissioned on March 25, 1609 for the Dutch East India Company. The company hired Hudson, an Englishman, to search for a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He thought he had found that passage when he sailed up the river that now bears his name. In making his trip up the river, Hudson claimed the area for the Dutch and opened the land for settlers who followed. His voyage came 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. For general information about the replica Half Moon check the 2009 Event Schedule at
www.halfmoon.mus.ny.us.

Contact Karen Preston by e-mail at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering with any of these activities:

August 23-27, the Half Moon will sail from Athens, NY, to Staten Island (see
item 2). A cook is needed for the voyage to Staten Island, and while
dockside in Staten Island- most sailing crew positions are filled, but one
or two slots may open.

August 27-September 1, help is needed with a variety of activities,
including set-up of ship on August 28, 30, 31 and Sept. 1- help with
managing or leading tours of the Half Moon on Saturday, August 29 and 31.

September 5-26, a cook is needed to help with the Voyage of Discovery from
New York Harbor to Albany.

September 23-28, help is needed to set up the Half Moon and prepare for the
festival on Sept. 26, and to help manage visitors and lead tours in Albany
on Sept. 26, and to help break down the ship and historical displays on
Sept. 28.

October 8-16, a cook is needed to help with the Masters Voyage of Discovery
to Yonkers, NY.

October 16-31, volunteers are needed to help set up the Half Moon for public
tours from October 16-31, and to help lead tours both weekdays and weekends
in Yonkers, NY.

November 1-10, volunteers are needed to help set up the Half Moon for public
tours on November 1, and to help lead tours daily from Monday, Nov. 2
through Sunday, Nov. 8, and to help break the ship down on November 9 and
10.

November 10, volunteer crew are needed to help move the Half Moon to winter
berthing at King Marine, Verplanck, NY.

Half Moon Update – Flitsbericht Halve Maen 2009

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Captain William T. (Chip) Reynolds of the Replica Ship Half Moon (and Director of the New Netherland Museum) forwarded the following notes on the Half Moon’s progress and events this 400th year:

1. Half Moon in the News/Major Winter Work Projects

Recent articles in the Albany Times Union and the Troy Record provide a good summary of work on the Half Moon over this past winter. This past season major efforts have followed two paths: first, to expand and improve our programming (with new artifacts, educational curricula, interpretive brochures, and programming)- and second, to make physical improvements to the Half Moon (renew the rig, rebuild the forecastle, improve the engine room, and rebuild the reduction gear).

See the video links at:
http://tinyurl.com/d2lxmc Times Union Fred LeBrun video in shipyard
http://tinyurl.com/cy9xjt Troy Record Mike McMahon video Half Moon in travel

See the stories and photos at:
http://tinyurl.com/cdgbnr Times Union Fred LeBrun story and Paul Bukowski Photos
http://tinyurl.com/cpb29b Times Union Paul Grondahl story

Both the program developments and the ship improvements are major efforts, and are nearing completion as we approach the start of our operating season. Special thanks are due to key donors whose contributions have made this possible: Dr. Andrew and Mary Hendricks, and the Hendricks Family Foundation John and Amy Peckham, Peckham Family Foundation, and Peckham Industries New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Robert E. and Lori S. Liebert Van Vranken

2. Volunteers Needed to Help Finish Work on Half Moon

The Half Moon will soon move from the Port of Albany to Peckham Materials, Athens, NY. Volunteers are needed to help move the ship from Albany to Athens. Once in Athens volunteers are needed to help finish the work aboard. We have a tight timeline, but expect to complete work at Scarano Boatbuilders in the Port of Albany about April 2, and depart there the weekend of April 4 and 5. Crew should board the ship on Saturday, April 4, stay overnight, and arrive in Athens mid-day on April 5. If you are interested in helping move the ship this weekend, please contact Karen
Preston, [email protected]

3. Crew Opportunity for Move from Port of Albany to Athens, NY

The Half Moon will remain dockside at Peckham Materials through mid May. While there, volunteers of all skill levels are needed to help with work on the ship. This work will continue weekdays and most weekends. If you can help, please contact Karen Preston, [email protected]. It is not possible to just walk up, as entry must be arranged ahead of time.

4. Schedule in 2009.

Our schedule for 2009 is developing well, with major program stops set. Additional inquiries arrive frequently, and some parts of the 2009 schedule will be refined as plans mature. The programs listed below are set:

VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY &#8211 Re-Creation of 1609 Voyage, Follow daily with postings on internet Sept. 14-Sept. 23, Sail with middle school students from New York Harbor to
Albany, NY Sept. 27-Oct. 8, Sail with middle school students from Albany to New York
Harbor

PROGRAM STOPS
* May 23,24,25 Memorial Day, Poughkeepsie, NY, Festival and Half Moon for tours
* June 6-13, River Day sail from New York Harbor to Albany, NY, and intermediate stops
* July (date to be determined) Goodwin College, East Hartford, CT, dockside programming and open for tours
* July 24,25,26,27, Hudson, NY Festival and Half Moon open for tours
* August 29,30, Staten Island, NY Festival and Half Moon open for tours
* Sept. 11,12,13, New York Harbor, Harbor Day festivities
* Sept. 26, Albany, NY Festival and Half Moon open for tours
* Oct. 16-31, Yonkers, NY Half Moon open for tours

You can keep in touch with the Half Moon’s doings through their website.