Looking for a fun experience on the water? The nonprofit Gundalow Company offers after school sailing programs in the spring (and fall) as well as week-long or single day camps in the summer for your seaworthy kids ages 5-15. Each program has an educational theme and offers a hands-on sailing experience. A great way to learn about the cultural and natural history of the region while sailing aboard the only gundalow in the world!
Gundalow Company
60 Marcy Street, Portsmouth NH
603.433.9505; education@gundalow.org
2021 Gundalow Company SPRING Camp Programs
Afterschool Adventure
Dates & Times:
- Program runs May 3 – May 28, 2021
- Tues 4:00-6:00 Grades 1-4
- Friday 4:00-6:00 Grade 2-5
- *Wednesday afternoon is also available if a group is interested, please email education@gundalow.org for more details.
- Register Here!
We design our programs to maximize safety, promote outdoor student learning, and provide new opportunities for students. These programs will operate primarily outside in small groups of 5-12 students* and will welcome both NH and ME residence. Most programs run for 4 week session. You are welcome to sign up for back to back programs on the same day. All programs will use our facilities in Prescott Park and at Creek Farm in Portsmouth.
* We need a minimum of 5 students to run a program – please help us spread the word about these new programs! There is funding available for individual students in need. Please contact us for more information.
** See our Program Covid-19 Guidelines to see the safety precautions we have in place for this spring & summer – THESE MAY BE UPDATED BASED ON THE STATE OF THE PANDEMIC.
Below are a few highlights from these guidelines:
- Programs will be run outside as much as possible
- Masks are required inside and whenever we are unable to maintain social distancing
- Programs are open to NH and ME students. If you are coming from elsewhere, please contact us for more details
- We will do a short health check up arrival and take students temperatures
- We have developed extensive cleaning procedures before, during and after camp to ensure everyone’s safety
- In the case of a positive COVID-19 case in any staff, student or someone who has been in direct contact with a staff member or student, we will follow state guidelines and may need to stop operation of our programs.
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2021 Gundalow Company SUMMER Camps
“Crew for a Day” (info below) still has spots open! All other camps are Sold Out for 2021!
Note: As our registration fills up, we have opened waitlists for popular camps and will consider opening multiple sessions based on demand.
For more information on a particular camp, or to register, click on the Camp Title.
River Rats Camps
Horseshoe Crabs (Ages 5-6)
Session 1: June 28-July; 9:00am-12:00pm SOLD OUT
Session 2: and July 12-16; 9:00am-12:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $190 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Our youngest campers join us for a week of discovery and adventure at the water’s edge near Creek Farm in Portsmouth, NH. Each week, our Horseshoe Crab campers gain confidence near the water by meeting marine critters, doing projects, singing songs and most importantly playing in nature along our shorelines. Horseshoe Crab campers will also explore on the water in our sit-atop kayaks and in motorboat rides. Through these activities, campers become budding naturalists and river explorers. Please note: Our Horseshoe Crab campers do not sail on the Gundalow, but may do a dockside program.
Seals (Ages 6-8)
Session 1: July 6-9 (4 Day Program, $280) SOLD OUT
Session 2: July 19-23 SOLD OUT
Session 3: August 9-13 SOLD OUT
Time: 9:00am-3:00pm
Cost: $340 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Our Seals are ready for fun and adventure on the water and on shore. Each week Seals will explore the shoreline of Creek Farm, row in our wherries, play games, do projects and head out on the Gundalow for a sailing adventure. Seals are full of fun and truly love the chance to simply ‘mess about in boats.’
Sturgeons (Ages 8-10)
Session 1: July 6-9 (4 day program) SOLD OUT
Session 2: August 2-6 SOLD OUT
Session 3: August 16-20 SOLD OUT
Time: 9:00am-3:00pm
Cost: $340 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Our Sturgeon day camp gets campers out on the water both on the Gundalow as well as our small boats. We’ll visit islands, learn to row, become naturalists at the tidepool, create our own maritime art, raise the sail and swab the decks on the Gundalow and so much more. Sturgeon Campers will gain a deeper understanding of the marine environment through a variety of fun activities and learn to sail the only operating Gundalow in the world.
Lobster (Ages 10-13)
Session: August 2-6; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $340 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Our Lobsters are ready to delve into the maritime world through a variety of experiences both on and off the water. Lobsters will take more responsibility on the Gundalow including navigation, learning about points of sail, as well as take a deeper look at the marine world through plankton tows, otter trawls and tidepooling.
Gundalow Discovery Camps
STEM at Sea (Ages 10-15)
Session: July 19-23; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
This year we’re taking STEM into the water with us! This week will incorporate multiple STEM activities including building and testing a Sea Perch, sailing a traditional vessel, and engineering challenges. On our final day of camp we will launch our Sea Perch from our boats or dock and use underwater cameras to explore the Piscataqua River and Sagamore Creek. Sea Perch is an underwater robotics program that includes building a small ROV. Learn more at Seacoast Sea Perch. Each camper will leave camp with their own Sea Perch to take home! When we’re not building our Sea Perch campers will spend time on the water towing for plankton, testing the water quality and more!
Take the Tiller (Ages 8-10)
Session: July 12-16; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Learn sailing and water stewardship this week aboard the Gundalow and our fleet of MerryMac sailboats. In partnership with the Great Bay Yacht Club, we will focus on more advanced seamanship skills and learn basic sailboat racing. Campers are encouraged to register for the MerryMac sailboat race series held throughout the summer at Great Bay Yacht Club. MerryMac Sailboats were designed right here in the Piscataqua Region. Campers will also have the opportunity aboard the Gundalow to learn navigation skills and how to operate a larger traditional vessel.
Life at Sea (Ages 6-9)
Session: August 16-20; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Become a lobsterman, a scientist, a shipbuilder and more this week as we take a closer look at the people who work with the sea. Campers will explore a different job each day through hands-on activities that may including pulling a lobster trap, fishing, building boats, monitoring for marine invasive species and more. We’ll explore our dynamic working waterfront throughout history and up to today. On the final day, come dressed as your own favorite person who works on the water.
River to the Sea (Ages 10-14)
Session: August 9-13; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $525 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Seven Rivers Paddling and the Gundalow Company have teamed up once again to offer an action-packed summer camp. Participants will kayak, swim and learn the ropes of running a traditional Gundalow. Throughout the week kids will be immersed in the natural flow of the Oyster River and Great Bay, discussing local history, science of our Bay and how to navigate our local waterways. All this will be done through fun engaging hands on activities. Midweek we will follow the Piscataqua River down to Portsmouth Harbor on the deck on the Gundalow and spend the end of the week exploring the Portsmouth waterfront, as well as venturing out to the mouth of the river.
Marine Science Adventure (Ages 8-12)
Session: July 26-630; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
The Piscataqua Region is part of a complex estuarine ecosytem. During the week we will build on camper’s natural curiosity to explore the marine science of the rivers and ocean. Campers will each design their own projects throughout the week and will explore topics such as marine invasive species, plankton, water quality, eel grass, oyster restoration, seaweed monitoring and more.
Crew for a Day (Ages 8-13)
Offered June 30 or August 18; 11:00am-3:00pm
Cost: $40 per day (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
*This is a single day program
Join the Gundalow crew for a day! Come aboard and become a real member of the crew. Learn to raise the sail, navigate, tie knots, stand bow watch, respond to emergency situations just like our own crew. During the 4 hour programs, campers will get to experience modern sail training at its best.
Camps with Strawbery Banke Museum
Anchors Aweigh (Ages 6-8)
June 28 – July 2; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $340 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
It’s time to set sail on a maritime journey through the past. Spend time onboard the gundalow, Piscataqua, and try out different jobs on board a ship. Learn to tie knots, raise the sails and swab the decks. Try out crafts, games and hands-on activities to discover what it was like to be a sailor (or a pirate) long ago. We are looking for new recruits. Join us for fun on land and sea.
All Hands on Deck (Ages 9-12)
June 28 – July 2; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $340 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Set sail on board the Gundalow, Piscataqua, and try manning the sails, navigating, steering and much more! Then become immersed in an historical seaport neighborhood. Cook a ship’s meal, develop a cure for scurvy, join a maritime trade simulation, visit a sea captain’s house, and engage in a variety of antique arts and nautical games. Don’t miss the boat!
Camps with the Boatshop at Strawbery Banke Museum
Bosuns and Boatbuilders (7-10)
July 12-16: 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $425 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Make new boats while making new friends! Cast off on a new adventure with the professional boatbuilders at The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke and the crew at the Gundalow Company for a fun-filled week. Budding boatbuilders ages 7-10 will join the crew at the Boatshop to discover the wonders of transforming raw materials into a simple cat rigged model sailboat. In this hands-on camp, participants will work to produce their very own boat that we’ll launch and sail on the final day. Along the way we’ll introduce some basic tool usage, measuring, knots, and examine concepts such as buoyancy and displacement. When we’re not in the shop, we’ll keep the energy high and the learning flowing through cooperative team building games.
After a morning of boatbuilding, campers will head out for some time on the water. We’ll sail the Gundalow, row our Piscataqua Wherries, paddle small kayaks and explore the rivers and waterfront of the Portsmouth region. Campers will help the crew set the sail, steer the boat, tie knots, and learn to navigate from the deck of the only Gundalow in the world.
Sailors and Shiprights (Ages 10-13)
July 26-30; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $425 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Campers will join the professional boatbuilders at The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke for an exciting week of building their own wooden model sailboats from scratch. Each camper will discover the fundamentals of boatbuilding and learn how to use basic woodworking skills to experience the magic of transforming a drawing and raw materials into a 3-dimensional model sailing boat. The week will culminate with campers launching and sailing their finished boats before taking them home for future adventures.
Each day campers spend part of their time in the boatshop and part of their time sailing and rowing on the Piscataqua River. Campers will join our crew aboard the Gundalow and learn to navigate and sail this traditional vessel. In addition, campers will have the chance to venture our in our wooden wherries and learn to row and explore the hidden spots on our rivers.
Captains and Carpentry (Ages 12-15)
July 19-23; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $425 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
Campers age 12-15 will join the professional boatbuilders at the Boatshop at Strawbery Banke in the mornings to build a sailing rig for two 12’ Bevin’s skiffs, which were built as part of a previous Captains and Carpenters camp. In this hands on program, we’ll explore the fundamentals of boatbuilding by learning proper tool usage and then dive right into the design and construction of the mast, boom, rudder, tiller, dagger board, and sail. With guidance, participants will work in teams to construct every aspect of the sailing rig. By week’s end, we’ll launch the skiffs and each student will have the opportunity test out the new sailing rig.
Each afternoon, campers will head out on the water and learn about sailing and our waters from the deck of the only Gundalow in the world. Campers will explore the fundamentals of seamanship including sail theory, plotting, navigating, and knot work. Captains and Carpenters campers will also spend time in small boats learning to sail Merrymacs and row Piscataqua Wherries.
This camp is open to first time participants as well as campers who have previously participated in a Boatshop or Gundalow camp.
Art on the Piscataqua River
Art at the Water’s Edge (Ages 7-10)
July 26-30; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
During this week of camp, we dive deep into developing our sense of place. Through explorations at the water’s edge and on the water aboard the Gundalow and our other small boats, we will play, discover, explore; deepening our connection to places where the land meets the water. We’ll use this connection to explore multiple art projects that reflect our time near the water. Campers will make their own model boats and take their artistic expression outside where we’ll create art in this beautiful place.
Art of Adventure (Ages 10-13)
August 2-6; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
This year we are excited to bring campers a week of art and adventure right here in Portsmouth. Campers will sail on the Gundalow, explore islands by rowboat, and study nature at the water’s edge. Throughout the week campers explore the connection between art and adventure.
Portraits of Piscataqua (Ages 11-15)
August 9-13; 9:00am-3:00pm SOLD OUT
Cost: $350 (10% sibling, friend or member discount)
How can art connect us to the water? During the Portraits of Pisctaqua camp we will explore our artistic connection to the water around us. Each day campers will learn a different medium or artistic technique, encouraging new artistic skills, and new kinds of connection the natural world, specifically the water. We will write, sculpt, paint and more all while enjoying time sailing and being on and near the water.
Other Camp Details
After Care
After care is available for each camp with a few exceptions. After care is from 3:00-5:00pm for full day programs. The cost for after care is $8/hour and must be scheduled at least 1 week prior to the start of camp.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available for campers in need. Campers should fill out a scholarship application and submit it prior to registration. In addition, campers must fill out and mail in all camp forms at least 1 week prior to the start of camp.
Friend & Sibling Discount
Receive a 10% discount when you register with a friend or sibling or become a Gundalow Company Member.
Gundalow Company
60 Marcy Street, Portsmouth NH
603.433.9505; education@gundalow.org
