Summer Lovin’ Two-Day Milky Way Cruise Aboard Tall Ship Huron Jewel

We will set sail into the thickest part of the Milky Way by night, with the waning Moon to greet us in the morning sky. We’ll be cruising out past the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, but we may yet catch a stray falling star, streaking through the summer sky to join company with the great giants Jupiter and Saturn, and the great heroes Perseus, Hercules, and Boötes, where they adorn the night.

Our cruise will include engaging opportunities to learn your way around the summer night sky, and to celebrate its stories, from ancient and indigenous cultures to the latest findings of contemporary astronomers. No prior knowledge or technical ability is required, and all observing will be naked eye, for best experience of the natural world through which we embark.

Once on board, we’ll cast off the dock lines and have you participate in the tall ship experience by helping hoist the sails. Once underway, star lore historian Mary Stewart Adams will share lively stories and information about how to read the stars of the nighttime sky. We’ll spend the afternoon sailing and learning then find a nice anchorage that will provide us with an unfettered view of the nighttime sky for Mary’s stories to continue as night drops her curtain over the sky.

You”ll wake the next morning to fresh brewed Huron Jewel breakfast blend coffee and a delicious made from scratch meal. We’ll then weigh anchor and haul on the halyards to raise sail again for the day’s voyages. Mary will continue to tell us stories and teach us about star maps to make our star gazing fun. After another delicious dinner again on board, we’ll learn about the different stars and planets that begin their performance as they journey across the nighttime sky.

In the morning of the third day, after breakfast, we’ll make our way back to the dock and you’ll be full of fabulous memories from your trip.

The star stories and night sky guidance will be provided by Mary Stewart Adams, star lore historian and founder of Michigan’s only International Dark Sky Park. A celebrated and award-winning speaker, Mary travels extensively advocating for dark skies and teaching a humanities-based approach to understanding the celestial world around us. From her home in Northern Michigan, Mary hosts the weekly public radio program “The Storyteller’s Night Sky” on IPR, where you can access over five years of star story archives.

Huron Jewel image by Julie McKay Covert