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We Love Optis!

Last spring, we brought two Optimist prams that were in the rafters back to life. It was not long before a few of our instructors, like Eddie Goggin, and some of our little skippers were reliving a faint memory or experiencing an exciting, new to them, sensation. Afterall, the single-handed “Opti” truly is sensational for when you climb in one… you are in command! What this means is you are the skipper, you are the crew, and you need to learn what makes a boat sail and fast.  A tiller extension and hiking straps allow a young sailor to “hike out”. This can be crucial to maintaining the boat in near horizontal disposition during heavy air, allowing greater speed through the water. What a blast!

It registered very quickly, that if PBCB could organize a small fleet it would make an ideal transition boat between our Flying Scots, Sunfish, 420’s. The Opti is no slouch, due to its inherent stability, unstayed rig, robust construction and relatively small sail, the boat can sail in winds of up to 20 knots.

The word got out through social media and by summers end, we received donations of five of these late model dinghies and parts in decent shape. So, the PBCB Optimist Pram program is born and we now offer afternoon Optimist classes three day per week. These sessions will build on the elements of the rules of the road, fleet racing, with the goal of learning basic team racing, 3 on 3.  We are really looking forward to making this tick.

Sign up for the Opti fleet here

PBCB has a fascinating Speaker Series planned for 2019. Subjects range from climate change and sea level rise to the effects of nitrogen-loading on area waters. Don’t miss it!

All talks start at 4:30pm in our Hillside Center. Donations suggested!

Please reserve your seat here:

2019 Schedule:

• Friday, July 12
  • The Gray Curtain: Impact of Seals, Sharks and Commercial Fishing, by Peter Trull (Curriculum Director, Pleasant Bay Community Boating; Bird Expert; Author)
• Friday, August 9
  • Mission to Save the Right Whale: Technology to Reduce Harm to Marine Mammals, by Richard Reils & Kevin Rand (Founder & Technical Development, SMELTS — Sea Mammal Education Learning Tech Society)
• Friday, September 6
  • Earth’s Last Frontier: Accessing the Deep Sea with Robots, by Andy Bowen (Director, National Deep Submergence Facility, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)
• Friday, October 11
  • Beneath the Surface, by John Pappalardo (Executive Director, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance)
• Friday, October 25
  • Cape Cod: A “Front row” Seat for Climate Change Impacts, by Richard F. Delaney (President, CEO, Center for Coastal Studies)
• Friday, November 8
  • A New Program Just for You: Saving Energy, Money, and the Earth, by Maggie Downey (Compact Administrator, Cape Light Compact)
• Friday, December 6
  • Sustaining Pleasant Bay, by Mon Cochran, PhD (President, Friends of Pleasant Bay; Director, Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative)

See our Sailabration Gala Auction Offerings!

Pats, Sox & B’s!!

If you haven’t bought a ticket for Sailabration Gala, do it *now* so you have a chance to bid on this incredible New England sports experience!! 3 tickets to the New England Patriots, 2 tickets behind home plate to the Boston Red Sox, and 2 Loge seats for the Boston Bruins! Plus dinner at celebrity chef Jamie Mammano’s Bar Lyon! Too good to miss!

A Fisherman’s Paradise

Come party with us at the Sailabration Gala and bid on “A Fisherman’s Paradise” –You and your significant other (or a friend) will enjoy two nights in double room accommodations at a private trout club located in Vermont not far from Dartmouth College. So pack up your rods and flies for the “catch of a lifetime”! You will savor breakfast each morning and dinner one evening at the Club. Trout will be on the menu, presuming you’re as good a fisherman as you claim to be! Available 2019 Summer / Fall season. And, to ensure a successful fishing adventure, North Chatham Outfitters will be providing you with suitable equipment along with a fly-fishing lesson to get you on your way! 

Sunset Memories

Come to our Sailabration Gala and have a chance to bid on “Sunset Memories” for a party of 6! And we did say party! Board Shawn Delude’s super Trashy Thoughts Too for a spectacular two-hour sunset cocktail cruise and then return to shore to savor a bountiful lobsta bake at our boathouse or a location of your choosing, courtesy of Backside Bakes! Thank you Matt & Kristi and Shawn!! We love Nauset Disposal and Backside Bakes!

Old Harbor Hot Spot

Local artist John Hutchinson is donating a painting worth a thousand words depicting the Old Harbor Life Saving Station complete with “woodies” and surf fishermen.  Or, if you want to capture your own special memories, for the high bidder, John will create a commissioned work of art for your everlasting joy.  And, to complement John’s painting, he has donated autographed copies of his wonderfully illustrated children’s books, Bertie’s Adventure at the Beach and Bertie and the Lost Treasure of Skull Island.

Growing Commercial Sugar Kelp in Nantucket Sound: Idea to Reality

Friday, April 26th, 4:30pm, Hillside Center on the PBCB Campus

Carl Douglass, Richard Curtiss, Jamie Bassett

Co-Owners & Co-Founders, Chatham Kelp, LLC

Farming the sea has come to Cape Cod! Come taste some of our newest fresh local produce! Learn about growing methods and the many benefits and uses of Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissimi). The kelp, a member of the brown algae family, grows in the cooler waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Barents Sea. The rapidly-growing plant, predominantly a winter crop, forms a narrow blade that can grow up to 15 feet long and 8 inches wide.

Kelp farming can help shellfish growers and fishing families diversify, while providing the public with a new, sustainable, and local seafood product. Sugar Kelp is eaten in casseroles and Asian dishes, and alginate, a byproduct, is used as a stabilizer or thickener in many common foods. The plant is rich in iodine, protein, calcium, and vitamin C.

For more information in advance of this event please visit: www.facebook.com/chathamkelp. Jamie, Carl and Richard are all Chatham fisherman. The three fellows developed the idea to start a kelp farm a few years ago as they were frustrated by increased fishing regulations, substantially depleted ocean stocks, and the recognized a win-win opportunity in kelp farming (winter revenue stream, natural nitrogen removal method, healthy food production). The new farm, set out in Nantucket Sound, is in it’s first season of operation. Jamie Bassett has also branched out and offers presentations on the culinary uses of invasive green crabs, a major pest-species in the shellfishing community. All three can be found on stormy days discussing business plans at the Chatham Squire.