BEAUFORT – The N.C. Maritime Museum offers programs in March that share the unique heritage of coastal North Carolina. For information on all of these programs, call (252) 728-7317.
Virtual Tour of the Coast. A free program that features slides of wildlife and habitats associated with the Cape Lookout National Seashore, Tuesday, March 17 at 11 a.m. at the Museum. Keith Rittmaster, Cape Lookout Studies Program Coordinator, will take visitors on a virtual tour of the seashore that touches on wild horses and sea turtles, lighthouse keepers, shipwrecks and storms.
Build A Boat in A Day. The museum will host the workshop “Build a Boat in a Day” on Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center, located across from the museum. Cost of the workshop, which will build a craft that holds up to 120 pounds, is $300 ($275 for Friends of the Maritime Museum). The class is suitable for adults and kids 8 years and up. Each team of two to four people will assemble a 7 feet 10 inches long by 32 inches wide flat-bottomed plywood boat suitable for rowing or paddling North Carolina’s waterways. At the end of the day, the 40-pound boat will be water-ready, with a clear-coated epoxy.
Discover Local Birds. The Museum will offer two programs that feature birds the week of March 24 that are geared toward beginners and experts alike. James Craig, PhD, a retired Virginia Tech professor, will give a free program at the Museum that features photos and tips on photographing wild birds on Tuesday, March 24, at 11 a.m. The Coastal Photo Club will meet at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center in Scotland Neck on Thursday, March 26, for a daylong workshop. Reservations are required for the event, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is $30.
Diesel Maintenance. A class in diesel engine maintenance will be offered Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, at the Watercraft Center, across from the N.C. Maritime Museum. There is a $75 fee ($65 FOM) for the class, which meets both evenings from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Participants will learn basic maintenance procedures for marine diesel engines including changing filters, bleeding air out of the system, proper lubricants, fuel additives, and troubleshooting engine problems. Students are encouraged to bring engine specs and owner’s manuals for their specific brand and model diesel engine. All tools and materials are supplied.
Spar Making Class. A variety of techniques for laying out and constructing both solid and hollow wooden spars will be offered in this hands-on class, Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29. The class will take place in the Watercraft Center, across from the Museum. There is a $125 fee ($100 FOM) for the class, which meets both days from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students will construct a hollow spar to be divided among class participants for a variety of decorative applications. Alternatively, participants in boatbuilding classes may take this opportunity to make spars for their boats. Materials are not included in tuition cost.
Carolina Maritime Model Society. The Carolina Maritime Model Society will hold its monthly meeting Saturday, March 28 from 2-4 p.m. at the N.C. Maritime Museum, 315 Front St. in Beaufort. The meeting is open to the public. The Carolina Maritime Model Society, the first organization of its kind for ship modelers in the state, was established by the museum in 1995.
The N.C. Maritime Museum is located at 315 Front Street in Beaufort. It is part of the Division of State History Museums in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture with more information at www.ncculture.com.
Museum hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday 1-5 p.m. For more information, call Lori Duppstadt at (252) 728-7317 or go to www.ncmaritimemuseum.org.