Started in 1996, City Sail Inc. is a boat-building and sailing enrichment program based out of Esek Hopkins Middle School in Providence’s North End. Created by history teacher Henry Marciano, the purpose of the program is to develop in youth vocational skills in the marine trade as well as critical personal skills like responsibility, teamwork, and self-confidence.

City Sail Inc. serves a small number of youth per year (approximately 10), all of whom are in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. This number is primarily due to both comfort level and production capability in the cozy boat building shop (located on the side of the school) as well as for optimal learning for the students in the program. Most of the youth in the program are, in fact, Henry’s history students. Being part of City Sail builds a stronger rapport between teacher and student.

Henry, who comes from a long line of sea captains, uses an innovative, hands-on curriculum, with a focus on the importance of maps for sailors and maritime cultures. Interestingly, ships are especially reflective of the cultures that build them, and Henry reinforces this fact by having the youth do research on other countries. In the recent past, they have contacted and worked with the Spanish and Italian governments in developing models of caravels.

Henry also incorporates history via the hands-on work the youth complete. For instance, they have made historical models based on boats helmed by John Cabot and Saint Brendan. They learn science skills and recycling awareness via the putt-putt boats they create. They learn about the environment, too, in a few different ways: whether by participating in community cleanups or writing pamphlets about the dangers of pollution.

The program occurs throughout the school year. Typically, the building season occurs in the fall and winter, while sailing season occurs in the late spring and summer. Since the inception of City Sail Inc., youth have built 13 sailboats, approximately one per year!

Henry has the students incorporate different building styles. For example, they build both wooden boats (the “old-school” style) but also learn about composites, which use epoxy and encapsulation techniques to better preserve wood and prevent it from rotting.

In addition to the building component, each student learns how to sail. Henry confides that most students can pick it up in one lesson. Most of the sailing occurs on Narragansett Bay.

City Sail is free; students are not required to pay a fee to attend. The program occurs afterschool, but the group also takes weekend trips to visit sailing museums in cities/towns (e.g., Bristol, Newport, and Mystic) that have rich nautical histories.

The program has been recognized in various publications, most notably Wooden Boat magazine.

What Henry takes most pride in is the smiles he sees on students’ faces when they accomplish projects (like building boats and learning how to sail!) that previously seemed impossible—they start to believe in themselves and see their self-worth. Henry prefers the students to get the limelight; this humble and kind teacher/storyteller/man is merely a vehicle by which his students discover themselves as well as their self-respect and -confidence.

POST SCRIPT: Henry was recently honored by the Providence After School Alliance with a “Three-Star Award,” designating him as one of their top enrichment providers. One of the three criteria to receive this award is having 75% or better daily attendance in your program; Henry had 100% participation. After meeting with and being spellbound by Henry, this fact doesn’t surprise me at all.

For more information about City Sail Inc., please email Sailboats18@cs.com.