Tuesday, September 11, 2018
I was introduced to Bert, by my husband Dave Pilla , who in 1993 had a dream to take high school students on a wooden sailing schooner from Boothbay Harbor Maine to Puerto Rico. They dreamed of teaching sail training and seamanship as well as well as marine science, marine navigation, marine literature, and marine history. The hand-picked junior and senior students from Proctor Academy in Andover, NH would have to work who together aboard the ship in watch groups. David and Bert cofounded the Ocean /Classroom Program at Proctor Academy. It went through many iterations even representing the OCF for a fleeting amount of time. Their friendship and mutual respect r were sustaining for David. He held Bert in the highest regard and trusted his vision related to ships and sail training. David, our son Kai (OCR 2017, PA'19) and me spent a frigid weekend, January 29th, 2016, at Le Chateau Frontenac --Tall Ships America Conference, in Quebec Canada. We enjoyed great food and wonderful friends for the weekend. Wonderful conference highlighting the educational adventures that Bert and David created and brought from vision to reality. So many students now have a love of the sea thanks to these two men. David predeceased Bert by about a month. Both Kai Pilla and I extend our sentiments for peace and positive prayers to Donna, Victoria, and James. Fair winds. Terry Vaccaro and Kai Pilla.
