What about School Groups?

Part of the Lannon's mission is to help spread the word of Gloucester's place in history, to tell the story of Gloucester's fishermen, those who braved it all to fish on the big Essex-built Gloucester fishing schooners. We are available to take school groups sailing in the fall and spring of each year. When you are planning your field trips, please think of us. We are working with the Cape Ann Historical Museum, the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center and the Essex Shipbuilding Museum to coordinate programs for students. A visit to any of these museums can be followed up with a sail on the Schooner Lannon to reinforce and expand upon our programs. Think of the Lannon as a floating classroom. There are numerous possibilities for programs involving math, science, history, language, etc. The Schooner is truly a way to make education come alive!

Hands-on Learning

Eight years ago, we took all of Gloucester's fifth grade classes for a sail on the Lannon. The students learned several sea chanteys and sang them while they hauled up the sails. They also learned about the navigation methods of a hundred years ago vs. today's hi-tech methods. The students also learned about swordfishing, how the boat sails, as well as the names for many parts of the boat. Everyone got a chance to steer the boat and everyone enjoyed themselves. Several teachers told us that it was the best field trip they had been on. As a result of the positive reaction of the students and teachers, the Gloucester Superintendent of Schools decided to incorporate a trip on the Lannon into the fifth grade curriculum, so we've been taking each class of fifth graders for a sail ever since. Last year we added units on fancy ropework and simple machines. We look forward to our time with the Gloucester fifth graders sailing each year.

We would love to talk to you about what we do. Discounted school group sailing rates are available in May and June and again in September and October. Check with us for rates and availability of sailing dates.

A look into Gloucester's history

Seeing Gloucester from the water gives students a whole new perspective of the city. The working waterfront, lighthouses, and castles are just some of the sights our passengers see on their sail. We can provide your class with a unique, safe and fun adventure that they will not soon forget. Yes, they will participate in hands-on learning. No, they won't get seasick. Yes, they will have fun! Call us soon to talk about the best school field trip of the year.

Comments from Teachers

"I saw just what I had hoped to see. It was hands-on learning and kids actually participated in the learning. They didn't just sit there and listen. They got to sail, they sang chanties. The kids were very engaged, every single one of them." Thomas Consolati, former Gloucester Superintendent of Schools.

"They (the students) were active participants from the time they left the dock to the time they returned." Miffy Somers, Principal, East Gloucester Elementary School

Thanks so much for a tremendously successful trip. Needless to say- the kids loved it. It was so new to them- they really enjoyed every aspect of the experience. I'd forgotten what a powerful experience steering a boat could be. Weren't we lucky to have two such good weather days too!! Already looking forward to next year!.....As a charter captain myself, I certainly understand that you are a bargain...and the best field trip I've ever been on." Nancy Ames, sixth grade teacher, Nathaniel Bowditch School, Salem

"Tom, We all loved our sail. Thank you so much. You're terrific with the kids. Your additions of the bilge pump and the windlass with the simple machine lesson was fab! Shanties cool too!" Marianne Sheridan, fifth grade teacher, Beeman School, Gloucester

"In June, our group from the Harborlight Montessori School of Beverly had the pleasure to sail aboard the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon. The experience of chanting while actually raising the sails, steering the schooner was incredible for all of us. We were real crew members for the day. The history of the Schooner and of the fishermen of Gloucester taught me how hard and dangerous work the fishermen do everyday. I have a lot of respect for sailing the seas. My experience will never be forgotten." Jessica Peake, Harborlight Montessori School, Beverly

Comments from the Students

Thank you for letting us ride in your wonderful boat. It was probably the best field trip I've ever been on. I hope we can come again.

It was so cool when we got the sails up. I liked it when we used the lever to pull up the anchor with Michael. It was awesome when we got to look at the radar and computer with Erin. I learned a lot from that. It was cool steering the boat with Heath even though I wasn't good at it.

If I had to change something I don't think I would because I liked it the way it was." Raghar Anantharaja-Nathaniel Bowditch School, Salem

"The field trip on the Lannon was the funnest field trip this year." Hidenori Ono, Fuller School, Gloucester

Dear Captain Tom and all of your Crew,

I had so much fun on the boat trip. I liked everything we did on the trip, but my favorite parts were when we got to pull up the sails and when we got to steer. It's fun when we helped do something because it's fun to be involved in something important." Jeremiah Jennings, Nathaniel Bowditch School, Salem

Thanks for the awesome field trip. On a scale of 1-10 it's a 10. The Thomas E. Lannon shows kids what people used to do a long time ago. It was really fun, especially driving the boat. The crew was phenomenal." Chris Muise, Fuller School, Gloucester

Schooner brings history to life

The eldest of seven children, Ellis never set foot on a boat until he met friends in high school who had boats.

Decades later, not only has his dream materialized, he is sharing that dream with children across the city as part of a special program focusing on Gloucester's heritage.

Ellis never met his grandfather, Thomas Lannon, a Newfoundlander who arrived in Gloucester in 1901 and fished from the harbor for 43 years.

But he named the schooner he finished building four years ago after his grandfather, who died three years before he was born.

When Ellis' plans to build a schooner were being developed, he talked to local school officials about the potential for its use in teaching children local history. He planted a seed then that sprouted into an even larger plan for school children years later.

A program designed by local educators takes the children on a voyage back in time. But it also propels them into the computer age as they see first-hand how the most modern navigation technology is put to use while sailing Gloucester Harbor.

This month, all the city's fifth-graders went on a two-hour sail aboard the Thomas E. Lannon. They also toured the historic schooner Adventure, where they learned about simple machines and the life of fishermen long ago. Next year, a third component will come together when the children visit the Cape Ann Historical Museum.

"As I started learning the majestic history of Gloucester, I made a commitment to myself that I would try to find ways to make sure the youngsters of the community had a dynamic introduction to their home history so they would be proud of where they came from, never forget it, and protect it and honor it," Supt. Thomas Consolati said.

After taking part in the program last week, he said he witnessed the students being excited about the ocean, natural sciences and developing pride in their community.

Last Friday, students and crew on the Lannon had to depend on modern electronic navigation equipment because they sailed out in a thick morning fog and every person on board was asked to be a lookout.

"I saw just what I had hoped to see. It was hands-on learning and kids actually participated in the learning. They didn't just sit there and listen," said Consolati. "They got to sail, they sang chanties. On the Adventure, the props they had were very real. The kids were very engaged, every single one of them."

About the time Ellis planned to build the vessel, educators at East Gloucester Elementary School were developing social studies lessons to meet the mandates of the state's education reform law.

"We wanted to integrate some of the history of Gloucester and we didn't want it to stand alone but be integral part of the lesson," said East Gloucester Principal Miffy Somers.

So when Ellis approached the schools offering his vessel for student learning, "it was a perfect match for what we wanted to do," said Somers.

The Lannon is a 65-foot replica of a 1903 schooner called the Nikomus. The boat was six and a half months in the making, designed by Harold Burnham, an 11th-generation boat builder from Essex.

Lannon trip

Each of the school district's fifth-grade classes went on board the Lannon over the course of two weeks.

After Ellis went over safety information, the children were divided into three groups.

One group went to the helm where each student had a chance to steer and get a sense of the energy of the wind.

"I learned that driving a schooner is a lot harder than driving my go-cart," said Adam Quinn, a West Parish fifth-grader.

In another station, the children went below deck for a technical talk, in which Ellis showed them the radar and how a laptop computer can be used to show exactly where the vessel is at sea at any time.

Ellis explained to the children that learning math is still important in spite of the technology. If, for some reason, the electronics or computers cease to function, one has to do the math and calculations to find the way back to shore.

At another station, Michael O'Leary talked to the children about the history of sea chanties and how they were used to help the men work on board, particularly in raising the sails. He worked with them to create verses to sing as they pumped out the bilges.

Ellis noted that O'Leary's vocal work with students indeed helped the youngsters take part in the work on board.

"Before we had him helping with the songs, we couldn't get the kids to raise the sails by themselves. But by hauling the sails to the rhythm of the songs and by working together, they really see first hand how the songs helped the sailors do their work," said Ellis.

Raising the sails was no easy feat because they were large and heavy. But the students felt a sense of accomplishment when they were finished, said Somers. "They were active participants from the time they left the dock to the time they returned."

After the sails were lowered as the Lannon returned to dock, the fifth-graders sang their own version of a sea chanty pertinent to their experience, which they created on the sail.

Consolati noted that many of the students already had connections to the sea and fishing through their families. But for many, that legacy became vivid aboard the vessels.

"For some, this was the first time they saw their city from the water," he said.

"It's such a great classroom," he said. "It's a floating reality that offers a real learning experience."

Fifth-grader Jillian Swett said she learned more about fishing and sailing after this program, than what she had studied in school, by being on board both vessels.

"It's more fun to be actually doing something than just hearing about it," agreed classmate Samantha Davis.

When Ellis was putting together his business plan to build his boat, he talked to school officials about offering an education component for students.

"This was so kids in Gloucester could see what it was like to go out on these boats that their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents went out on," he said. "The more we can expose the kids to their background and their history the better. I'm interested in keeping the memory of our fishing heritage alive and getting the kids excited about sailing and learning about their history."