Maritime Education

Living Classrooms' Maritime Education has opened the Spring 2025 calendar for reservations! This spring we are operating all three of our historic ships, our flag-ship schooner Lady Maryland, skipjack Sigsbee, and power-vessel Mildred Belle. Our season starts in early-April with both boats operating out of Baltimore. The Mildred Belle will begin running programs in Washington, DC from the Navy Yard starting in July of 2025.

Each of our historic vessels can sail with 32 passengers (youth plus adults) and our 4-6 professional crew per trip. Each boat can be booked by the day or by the hour ($200/hour or $850 for a 5-hour day sail). For safety reasons, all youth/students must be at least 9 years old to sail with us.

If you are interested in sailing with us in the spring of 2025, please email us at MaritimeEducation@livingclassrooms.org for a list of dates that are still available. 

The spring season will fill rapidly, so please reserve your preferred date soon. As you may know, reservations are made on a first come, first served basis. Feel free to call me directly at 410.961.9931 or email us anytime with questions.

I hope you are having a great school year!    

Pricing Structure

Educational Full-Day Trip (4-5 hours)

Lady Maryland: $850

Sigsbee: $850

Mildred Belle: $850

Education Sailing Charters by the hour

Lady Maryland: $200 per hour

Sigsbee: $200 per hour

Mildred Belle: $200 per hour

*minimum of 1.5 hours

We offer two types of extended overnight programming on our historic vessels: sailing and camping and liveaboard programs. I would love to help you craft a unique program for your group next spring, summer, or fall 2025! Please email us at MaritimeEducation@livingclassrooms.org for more information and to explore options for a overnight trip in 2025.

Our smaller boats, Sigsbee and Mildred Belle, offer sailing/cruising and camping programs that can be uniquely crafted for any length of trip from 1-9 days.

Our largest vessel, the Schooner Lady Maryland, offers liveaboard sailing programs that can be any length from 1-12 days.

Sailing and camping programs on our boats offer unique access to the Chesapeake Bay. We offer single or multiple day overnight programs in the spring, summer, and fall and each program can be customized with different port stops, camping locations, and onboard activities and learning opportunities.

Our camping programs can accommodate a maximum of 20 total participants with a minimum of 1 adult from your group and a maximum of 4 adults.

For these camping programs, we provide tents and cooking equipment. Students/Scouts/participants are responsible for personal camping gear (sleeping bag and pad, flashlight etc.) 

Our liveaboard programs on the Schooner Lady Maryland offer unique ability for the students to really become the sailing crew of the vessel. They will participate in every aspect of shipboard life from setting sail, navigating, standing look-out, and even preparing meals. We offer single or multiple day overnight programs in the spring, summer, and fall and each program can be customized with different port stops, anchoring locations, and onboard activities and learning opportunities. Our liveaboard programs accommodate a maximum of 10 students and 2 adults.

Extended Programs Pricing 

Sigsbee: $2,000 per day+ $500 per night camping fee
Mildred Belle: $2,000 per day + $500 per night camping fee

Lady Maryland: $2,500 per day + $500 evening liveaboard fee

*Costs include daytime programming on the boat, evening programming, camping and/or docking fees, and food for all participants.

The Living Classrooms Foundation offers private charters and adventure sails on the historic vessels Lady Maryland, Sigsbee and Mildred Belle on weekdays and weekends during our April to November season.

Enjoy a relaxing sail or cruise on Baltimore's Harbor. Help the crew raise the sails and navigate the boat. Enjoy learning some local history or just relax with your own libations while enjoying the sounds and activity on the water. You are welcome to bring your own food and drinks.

During our April to November sailing season, Sigsbee and Mildred Belle offer unique hands-on sailing adventures for students from all over Maryland. Private charters and adventure sails book at $500/hour and all money generated by your sail will go to underwrite our education programs.

Feel free to call (410.961.9931) or email me at MaritimeEducation@livingclassrooms.org for available dates or more information.

Here is some more information:

• We leave from and return to Maritime Park (1417 Thames Street Baltimore, MD 21231) in historic Fell’s Point, but might be able to arrange a pick-up/drop-off somewhere else in Baltimore Harbor with enough advanced notice.

• You could choose to have the event catered by a professional (I have a suggested list of caterers if you need) or you could just bring some snacks and drinks with you. We can provide a cooler of ice for drinks (alcohol and glass are OK on our boats but no stemware like wine glasses please) and we have some basic catering supplies like non-skid and a trash can.

• On a 2-hour sail or cruise we typically tour the Inner Harbor and go out to see Fort McHenry. The crew is very knowledgeable about Baltimore sights and local history, and they love to share stories with guests.

• For safety reasons, everyone who sails with us must be at least 9 years old.

• There is a bathroom on the boat if anyone needs to use it.

Everyone always asks, "How can I sail on the Living Classrooms' boats?"... well now you can!

The Maritime Education vessels occasionally offer ticketed public sails during the summer and fall months. The next one will be a Sunset Sail on SIGSBEE on Saturday August 2nd from 6-8pm. This is an Adults Only relaxing sunset sail on the harbor. Tickets go on sale on May 1st on Eventbright and are $35/adult (18+). We will announce more public sails on the Schooner LADY MARYLAND, skipjack SIGSBEE, and buyboat MILDRED BELLE starting in January of 2025.

Visit our Facebook Events page or find us on Eventbright for more information and to buy tickets. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram so that you can stay in the loop on upcoming public sails and be the first to know when tickets go on sale. We also post promo codes for reduced priced tickets on out social media channels.
Please feel free to email Nick at MaritimeEducation@livingclassrooms.org with any questions.

Eventbright link: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/living-classrooms-foundation-maritime-education-67688061773 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LadyMaryland.Sigsbee.MildredBelle/

LM IG: https://www.instagram.com/ladymaryland_lcf/

SB IG: https://www.instagram.com/sigsbee_lcf/

MB IG: https://www.instagram.com/mildredbelle_lcf/

The Maritime Education Department is excited to offer Virtual Maritime Education programs for students in Maryland, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

From December to February, we are currently offering virtual programming for all ages. Virtual programs cost $300 per 30- or 45-minute lesson and $600 per 90-minute lesson. Activity supplies for the experiments are $2 per student and can be delivered to your school for a small fee. Please contact Nick Iannacone for more information and to book a virtual program this winter.

 Virtual Program via Zoom

During a 30 or 45-minute virtual lesson, we can teach one concept, and you can choose any concept from this list:

Note: We offer a 30 or 45 version of the same material, please decide if 30- or 45-minutes fits better into your school day

• Creature Feature: Diamondback Terrapin

We introduce students to the basic anatomy and lifecycle of Maryland's state reptile: the Diamondback Terrapin with our resident terrapin "Dewey".

• Creature Feature: Oyster

We will introduce students to the lifecycle and anatomy of the oyster and why oyster conservation is important in the Chesapeake and Delaware ecosystems.

• Paper Watershed Experiment: students use provided materials to construct a mini-watershed and then test it by simulating rain with a spray bottle.

• Water Filter Experiment: students design, build, and test a mini-water filter using provided materials and ones from the classroom.

• Biodegradation and Marine Debris Lesson
  We introduce students to the concepts of run-off pollution, why plastics are harmful in our marine environment, and what we can all do to help.

During a 90-minutes lesson, we can teach 3 concepts, please pick any three from this list:

• Creature Feature: Diamondback Terrapin
  We introduce students to the basic anatomy and lifecycle of Maryland's state reptile: the Diamondback Terrapin with our resident terrapin "Dewey".

• Creature Feature: Oyster

We introduce students to the lifecycle and anatomy of the oyster and why oyster conservation is important in the Chesapeake and Delaware ecosystems.

LADY MARYLAND is an authentic reproduction of a Chesapeake Bay pungy schooner. Beginning in the early part of the 19th century, pungies were considered to be among the fastest of all Bay watercraft. They were frequently employed in the carriage of perishable cargoes – such as fruits, vegetables, and fish – throughout the region. Similar in design to the famous Baltimore Clippers, pungies were noteworthy for their speed, maneuverability, beauty, and brightly colored green and pink topsides.

LADY MARYLAND is the only pungy schooner in existence today. Built in 1986 by a team of shipwrights and students, she was the first hands-on learning project undertaken by Living Classrooms Foundation. Sailing with thousands of students each year, LADY MARYLAND travels between the Chesapeake region and New England every season to continue her work as a “living classroom.” Students of diverse backgrounds and abilities “learn by doing” as they explore the unique ecology, history, and economics of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal regions.

• Length overall 104’

• Rig height 92’

• Length on deck 72’

• Beam 22’

• Gross tonnage 60 tons

• Draft 7’6”