Aboard the Gulf Challenger, a University of New Hampshire research vessel, guests are entertained by the likes of sea stars, green crabs and plankton as they cruise through the Isles of Shoals to Appledore Island. 

The boat is heading to the Shoals Marine Lab, a facility for undergraduate research shared by UNH and Cornell University. Led by the UNH Marine Docents, the tour allows guests to explore the natural and cultural history of Appledore, one of the Shoals’ nine islands.

“It’s a nice opportunity to give people an education about that unique place,” said Mark Wiley, a UNH docent, and assistant director for education at the New Hampshire Sea Grant College Program. “We do about a dozen tours a year.”

As volunteer, non-professional educators, the UNH Marine Docents are dedicated to expanding the knowledge surrounding the marine and oceanography environments. Docents go through about a year’s worth of training, in which they learn about marine biology and are trained on how to teach, Wiley said.

In the midst of its 35th season, the Marine Docents program now has more than 80 members who participate in educational cruises and other events. In addition to the Isles of Shoals Discovery Cruise, the program offers a Great Bay Discovery Cruise and participates in various school functions and field trips each year in an effort to encourage marine biology-based education, Wiley said.

“We’re very proud of the 35-year history,” he said.

As engines rumbled and saltwater bubbled beneath the vessel in preparation for a recent trip, Rayla Putnam boarded the ship, excited to explore potential scholastic possibilities on Appledore.

“I’m going out to the UNH lab to look at internships, said Putnam, a 16-year-old high school student. She said her mother saw a segment about the discovery cruises on New Hampshire Chronicle and encouraged their family to check it out.

“I’ve never been to the Isles of Shoals,” said Putnam’s mother, Ann. “I’ve lived in New Hampshire since I was 4 but never been. Checking out educational opportunities for my kids was a great way to make that happen.”
The cruise is focused specifically on marine discovery and education. According to Wiley, there are few opportunities for the Seacoast community to physically explore the islands.

“We are the basic mechanism for the public to visit the Isles of Shoals on foot,” he said. “We take advantage of that partnership.”

On the Gulf Challenger, as lighthouses loom and sailboats  pass calmly in the distance, Wiley and other docents give presentations about local sea life found in the Gulf of Maine. Guests receive hands-on experience while various creatures are passed from person to person. They even examine plankton through a magnifying device.

Intern Abby Stuart assisted the docents in their presentations, making sure each guest got a chance to see the creatures up close. Stuart, a high school student at Pinkerton Academy, is participating in a program that educates students about college degrees and areas of study.

“Today was my first marine expedition type of thing,” she said. “I’m trying to understand how marine biologists work and see if it’s something I’d be interested in.”

Though the discovery cruise aims to provide an educational experience to guests, the tour also attracts people who simply want to enjoy the scenery.

“This is a little hidden gem,” Dennis Theriault said of the six-hour day cruise. He and his wife are volunteers with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and he said they were eager to glimpse  what Appledore has to offer. “We just love nature and had to check it out,” he said.

Upon arrival on the island, the visit consists of two parts: a natural history tour and a cultural history tour. A third tour option is a “Nine Isles” discussion, in which Wiley discusses in detail the history of each of the islands.

Gulls swoop in swirls above the island as walkers are guided through the rocky roads of Appledore. Guests visit the Shoals Marine Lab, where students study marine biology and other related sciences throughout the summer. The docents point out vegetation, historic locations, and animal life during the tours.

Leading the cultural history tour, docent John Lamson discussed historic figures from the Shoals, such as former lighthouse keeper and hotel owner Thomas Laighton and his daughter, poet Celia Thaxter. According to Lamson, Appledore was once called Hog Island due to its hog-like shape, but was renamed after Laighton built his popular hotel resort in 1847. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1914.

Through the winding trails, guests observe the site where the hotel once stood, as well as the location of the cottage where Thaxter once resided. Some of the cottage’s foundation still remains on the island today. The tour also weaves through Thaxter’s famed garden, which has been re-created to closely resemble the original, with many of the same plants and flowers. The tour concludes at the Thaxter family cemetery.

On the natural history tour, docent Doug MacLennan guides walkers to Appledore’s highest point above sea level while describing the plant life and shrubbery.

“A lot of what you will see is brought in,” he said, explaining that most of the plants growing on the island are not naturally occurring and were most likely shipped in by early settlers as remedies for common ailments.

MacLennan points out a spirea plant, which was probably used to treat headaches, like aspirin, which was originally derived from the plant. He identifies other exotic plants, including thistle, elderberry, scarlet pimpernel and celandine, which was brought to the island for its ability to treat rashes and warts, he said.

MacLennan also educates walkers on the herring and black-backed gulls that seem to engulf the island. He guides people through the “scrapes” where the gulls nest and explains their anatomy and habitats. According to MacLennan, there are about 2,500 pairs of gulls residing on the island.

When the entire tour convenes again, Wiley leads the group through the salty air to one final destination before boarding the boat back to shore: the radar tower. Once providing defense for for World War II, it now houses weather monitoring equipment. 

Prospective college student Putnam, who currently attends the Academy for Science and Design in Nashua, said the cruise proved valuable to her education.

“It’s really interesting to see how much life and background is here on this island,” she said. “I want to try and see if I could be a part of it at some point.”

There is one Isles of Shoals Discovery Cruise remaining this summer on Sunday, Aug. 26, departing at 9:30 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m. (tickets are $40). There is one Great Bay Discovery Cruise remaining on Saturday, Aug. 25, departing at 9 a.m. and returning at 2 p.m. (tickets are $25). Both cruises leave from the UNH Pier by the U.S. Coast Guard Station in New Castle. For more information, visit www.unh.edu/marine-education.

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