Do you remember your first week at college? Whatever your experience, chances are it was quite different from the 12 Washington College students who spent last week living aboard the Schooner SULTANA as part of the C.V. Starr Center’s “Sail the Sultana: History on the Water.”
Now in its fourth year, the program allows for a mixture of incoming freshman, senior leaders, and faculty to get to know each other better while interacting with the colonial history and estuarine ecosystem that combine to make Kent County such a unique place.
For students who come here with an interest in America’s history, culture, or environment, the view of the Chester River from Sultana’s deck gives them an extraordinary opportunity to experience an American landscape little changed from its appearance 200 years ago,” says the C.V. Starr Center’s director, Adam Goodheart. “At the Starr Center, we believe education has to happen not just in the classroom but also by exploring the wide world beyond campus, which is why we teamed up with Sultana Projects several years ago to launch this program for new freshmen about to embark on the intellectual adventure of college.”
There was very little glamour on an 18th century ship. Present-day passengers aboard SULTANA learned this lesson quickly as a deluge forced them below deck to endure the stifling conditions of an August afternoon without air-conditioning. To their credit, there was very little complaining. Perhaps this was due to the lesson being taught by SULTANA’s Education Director, Kirstin Schoeninger, who passed around a Cat o’ Nine Tails and explained that in the late 1700s even the smallest rule infraction could incur a severe lashing.
As the weather lightened so too did the subject matter. Students emerged on deck squinting at the sight of sun-dappled farm fields and forests. Soaring bald eagles and osprey completed the idyllic scene. SULTANA came to rest at a dock on Comegys Bight and the Washington College students met Sultana Projects’ Vice President, Chris Cerino, for an introduction to two colonial games: Hoops and Graces. The students were divided into competing groups, Royal Navy and Buccaneers, complete with tri-corner hats and bandoliers. The wet grass proved to be as challenging as the games, which involved rolling or tossing wooden hoops to a partner. In the end, the Royal Navy emerged with a narrow victory.
The next day the group was rewarded with sunshine and clear skies. For the first time, they learned to raise the sails of SULTANA. With the diesel engine turned off, the only sounds were of the wind in the sails and the water rushing past the hull. Each student got a chance to steer the tiller and feel the power of a 43-ton ship.
Throughout the trip, students were given a crash course on the history and ecology of the region from the days of the original SULTANA up to modern times. Sitting around a campfire one night, Chris Cerino read passages from John R. Wennersten’s The Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay; some of which take place on the Chester River. He also sang a few of his songs about small-town life on the Eastern Shore. Students spent a morning in St. Michaels touring the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. A brief afternoon fishing session produced yellow and white perch, rockfish, and catfish.
The trip culminated in an unauthentic (yet highly entertaining) canoe battle between the Royal Navy and Buccaneers. This was essentially a game of “Capture the Flag” on Langford Creek, with each vessel “armed” with a water gun. The matches were hotly contested, but in the end the Royal Navy prevailed 3-1.
On the final day, participants were in high spirits as SULTANA made her way back to Chestertown. They had not only become more close-knit, but they also each possessed a more intimate knowledge of their surroundings.
It is my hope that this brief taste of Kent County’s great outdoors inspires them to continue to take stock in what the area has to offer. For whether you are a college student or a fulltime County resident, if you never take time to paddle the waterways, hike the trails, or walk the fields than your eyes will never see and your ears will never hear the thousand stories revealed each day.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum says
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum enjoyed our time with the Washington College’s students! And more importantly, sharing how people live, work, and play on the Bay with our next generation. Hope they are back soon, and often.