The VOYAGE OF SOUTHERN CROSS CONTINUES

So it's game on in the life of the little ship Southern Cross and her best friend.

The photo above of me and my young friend in Puerto Williams, Chile. The photo was taken by his father and my friend John Cano. I like it and think it is a great way to introduce a unique project I have a role in along with my boat Southern Cross. Read on for a glimpse of the ongoing adventures we are planning. This is now the official blog of the Voyage of Southern Cross Education Program.

Where is Southern Cross now and where is she headed next?

The "Little Ship" is in her dedicated shipping crate sitting on the shore of the Strait of Magellan just north of Punta Arenas Chile. Winter is coming on there and her crate is covered in snow.

At the end of June she will set forth on the next leg of her round the world journey. In her crate she will be placed in a container and put aboard a ship bound for Seattle Washington. She is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Seattle on about August 6th, 2017. She will be refit in Port Townsend and will appear at ther Northwest Woodenboat Festival in September.

This is an experientially based live stream education program offering great benefit to students and teachers. Perhaps more appropriately put this is a program of "education made better' through real time adventure.

Stay tuned for the soon to be publication of "Voyage of Southern Cross" web site and support campaign, both of which will explain the Little Ship's ongoing mission. VoySC.com

The Voyage of Southern Cross project is about a "Little Ship and Her Best Friend" exploring some of the worlds most unique places and sharing the experiences with students and friends who wish to follow the day to day challenges and adventures. Man and boat plan to explore via sail, oar and ship visiting 14 countries in just under three years. I will be filming our daily experiences, challenges and adventures and at times live streaming into classrooms in as many countries as feasible. I welcome friends to follow the adventure through this blog and through our Voysc web site. In addition I will again be using MapShare tracking enabling anyoone watching to see where we are at ten miute intervals.

Leg One Complete: One Down and Thirteen To Go!

Chile and my voyage down the Strait of Magellan into the southwest islands of Tierra del Fuego was leg one of what has now become a direction and a driving force to continue. Interactive live stream broadcasts to schools is a great idea and it has been field tested and deemed a success by teachers, students and parents alike.

What I envisioned while preparing to set sail in Chile and through interacting with elementary school classrooms was the desire to do more and I thought of a simple way to do it, a way to make a tangible difference. Why not ship my boat on across the Atlantic and continue voyaging and live streaming to schools and friends.

The Voyage of Southern Cross is a big idea for certain. It is often the case that it takes a big idea to capture hearts and minds and to make what a short while ago seemed impossible, possible.

My desire to continue on was fueled by the enthusiasm of ther teachers and students who interacted with me from me live from the wilds of Tierra del Fuego.  Students were engaged and following my course via live mapshare tracking. I ended up having a fantastic experience working with the students from three schools. Thank you all again for being pioneers!

So I thought and thought and decided that if I finished the voyage I was embarking upon that I would dedicate my time and energy to sharing the world of science, sustainability, math, humanities, culture all spiced with a major dash of real time adventure, nothing staged, all true in field and on the water experience as it unfolds. This to be broadcast live through our central web site and offered for free to any and all classrooms in the world who might benefit from such an experience.

So I sketched out a different kind of circumnavigation. Under sail, oar and ship to 14 countries all the while sharing the voyage via live stream broadcasting. That done, whew, now what? Assemble a team and find some financial support!

What started as  the Strait of Magellan, sail south south and done became a bit of a life and focus changer. Through the challenges I faced I learned many things. I changed my world view in some respects and discovered a tangible way to actually make a measurable difference for good.

This is in my wheel house so to speak. As a former college professor and program director I know the value and the challenges of delivering real engagement in the classroom. I have done this for years and have witnessed first hand the tangible student learning outcomes that come from these types of experiences. Like all well intended ideas this one requires thoughtfulness, creative thinking, a gathering of like minds, refining and defining what the purpose of such an endeavor will be, how to offer it at no cost, so many questions and yet how fascinating to simply try.

Use The Little Ship For Good

A noble cause? Yes! Impossible? No! We, a group of friends have banded together to make this happen will need lots of help and support as the project comes together. Please note this internet URL, it is the address to our soon to be published web site. I will be posting here when the web site is published, which is planned for about two weeks from now or about July 1st, 2017.

VoySC.com

On our web site you will be able to learn about our vision, mission, goals and objectives plus the nuts and bolts of making such an ambitious project work and how you as a teacher, parent, arm chair sailor or kindred sailing and adventurous friend can help us bring this no cost program to fruition. You will be able to read about how you can be an actual part of the project, offer advice and even how you can join us in one of the thirteen planned countries as "part of the crew."

A Brief On The Project:

Who is bringing this project to reality:

Southern Cross-    The Little Ship

Howard Rice-        The Little Ships Best Friend and Project Director.

John Welsford-      Designer of the Little Ship and Project Logistics Director

Gary Gnade-          Creative Design and In Field Technology Director

Kate Ebert-            Education Director

and we have a knowledgeable Advisory Board to help guide the way.