Community Outreach

We are proud to work alongside our local schools and other community organizations in a unified effort to provide quality sailing and marine science education for local kids, families, and non-profit groups.

All of us at Pleasant Bay Community Boating are so excited to once again welcome roughly 700 local students to our campus in spring 2023 as part of our Community Outreach programs! Offering hands-on experiences to local kids is a huge priority of ours, in addition to the camps, lessons, talks, and workshops we offer to the public.

First Sail

We’re excited to invite 3rd graders from our local schools to participate in First Sail in spring 2023. First Sail was created by our co-founders as a means of introducing local kids to sailing and ensuring they each had access to at least one experience on the water. Many local children have either never been on a boat, or have never been sailing. PBCB is hoping to change this and ensure local kids have an opportunity to enjoy Pleasant Bay, like so many visitors do each year.

This program took a hiatus in 2020 and 2021, but we’re so pleased to have brought First Sail back in 2022. We had such a wonderful time on the water with our local kids and teachers. Absolutely nothing beats the energy of a group of first-time sailors enjoying a break from their classrooms. Many teachers remarked that the experience brought out confidence and camaraderie amongst their students.

Welcome Harwich, Eastham, Orleans, Chatham, and Brewster students!

Council on Aging Trips

We look forward to partnering with the local COAs once again to offer two low-cost experiences for seniors: sailing and trips on our floating classroom.

Floating Classroom Info:

Take a cruise around Pleasant Bay on PBCB’s floating classroom the Friend. The Friend is a 37’ USCG inspected, completely solar-powered pontoon boat that was donated to PBCB by the Friends of Pleasant Bay. This boat is truly unique and the first of its kind in the US. A guide will talk about the area’s history and ecology, while pointing out landmarks and points of interest around the bay. The Friend is fully accessible (via ramp), stable, comfortable, and mostly shaded. Those using mobility aids welcome!

Please pack an extra warm/waterproof layer, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, and your camera. Binoculars, if you have them! We will provide PFDs/lifejackets, but you may bring your own if you’d like. Please wear closed toed boat shoes or sturdy strapped sandals that won’t slide off. We can operate in light rain, but will switch to rain dates for thunderstorms, heavy winds, or thick fog.

Please contact your COA for more information! Each COA will share a roster with us, so we can then prompt participants to formally sign up via our software. COAs may also offer transportation, if needed.

Sailing Info:

Come for a spin around Pleasant Bay in a Flying Scot or catboat! You’ll learn the sailing basics with one of PBCB’s wonderful instructors and a handful of other COA members. This is a slightly more adventurous experience than the floating classroom…you may be splashed and you will feel the waves under the boat. First time sailors welcome!

Please pack an extra warm/waterproof layer, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat. Waterproof electronics only, please! We will provide PFDs, but you may bring your own if you’d like. Please wear closed toed boat shoes or sturdy strapped sandals that won’t slide off. We can operate in light rain, but will switch to rain dates for thunderstorms, heavy winds, or thick fog.

Please contact your COA for more information! Each COA will share a roster with us, so we can then prompt participants to formally sign up via our software. COAs may also offer transportation, if needed.

This program is funded in part by the James Holland Davis Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation.

We partner with:

  • Association to Preserve Cape Cod
  • Brewster Ponds Coalition
  • Cape Abilities
  • Cape Cod Children’s Place
  • Cape Cod Technical High School
  • Center for Coastal Studies
  • Councils on Aging (Harwich/Orleans/Chatham/Brewster/Eastham)
  • Derby Academy
  • Duffy Center/Alternative Peer Group
  • Friends of Pleasant Bay
  • MIT/PEARL Project
  • Monomoy Regional School System
  • Monomoy Community Services
  • Nauset Regional School System
  • Northeastern University
  • Orleans Conservation Trust
  • Orleans Pond Coalition
  • University of Massachusetts-Boston
  • University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth