Duxbury’s history ties her deeply to the sea. Long before the Europeans came, Mattakeesett meant “place by the water.” After Pilgrims and their descendants realized that farming Duxbury’s rocky, sandy soil was a fast track to hunger compared to the rich black soil found to the west, they prospered instead through their connection to the sea, with shipbuilding and global enterprise replacing the plow, and local lumber going into vessels from fishing boats to schooners to some of the most formidable tall ships of their time, near precursors to the speedy clipper ships that made Yankee sailors the fastest in the world.

You can claim that sea-going connection for yourself and your children at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School’s Opening of the Bay the week-end of May 25. The DBMS premier fundraiser is their gala Dockside Reception from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and will include the Sloop Providence, a 110-foot, fully-rigged replica of the first ship purchased for the Continental Navy and the first command of John Paul Jones in 1776. Jones is famous for his many victories over larger British ships, often when he was outgunned. During a six-week cruise in command of the Providence, Jones secured 16 of the ship’s 40 victories. He would later be remembered for his reply to a taunting British captain, who called for him to surrender when Jones’ position appeared in doubt. “Surrender?” he replied. “I have not yet begun to fight!” The result was the eventual victory of Jones and his ship, the 42-gun Bonhomme Richard, over the 50-gun HMS Serapis.

The Providence arrives on Friday, May 25 (the day of the Gala), and will be birthed at the Town Pier at Mattakeesett Court, off Washington Street. Advanced tickets for the affair are $40, and $50 after May 21. According to the DBMS Web site, the event will feature live music from the Williams Reunion Jazz Band followed by Connected the Band for dancing under the stars, an Island Creek Oysters raw bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres by The Silent Chef, a silent auction, and a cash bar.

Family Day on Saturday, May 26, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. will feature great entertainment, vendors—and “back by popular demand, bouncy houses and a dunk tank!” Last year’s dunk tank offered DBMS staffers and passers by a good-natured opportunity to soak Executive Director Chuck Leonard, a task they pursued with laughter and seamanlike zeal. You can also tour the Schooner Providence, enjoy face painting, live music, a balloon and “GIANT” bubble making man, and more! Admission is free and tickets can be purchased for food, ship tours and children’s activities and raffles. Note the times – the hours are long enough, but 3 p.m. rolls around on a Saturday before you expect it.

The cost for ship tours is always modest. I expect to pepper the crew with questions about the educational mission of the Providence – while secretly hoping to hear about her role in the Pirates of the Caribbean.

While you’re there, you’ll be able to check out the latest DBMS programs for the spring and summer. I noticed a new offering, launched this year – Stand Up Paddleboard. The idea is simple. Picture a large (by today’s standards) windsurfer, wide and steady enough to stand on with a single long paddle. In calm waters, you just paddle gently along, steering with a j-stroke (like a canoe) or by paddling on one side or the other. At last, there is a future for the Queen Mary-sized windsurfers often seen alongside Duxbury garages. Of course, you can buy one specifically designed for the sport as well, but the DBMS will have plenty for the classes. Like any boating sport, you must pass a swimming test. I notice that the pictures on the DBMS We bsite show paddlers wearing wet suits. No one stands forever, not even John Paul Jones, and the Bay Side, Bluefish River, and the marshes are still pretty cold when you inevitably fall in. There’ll be a “Stand Up Expo” at the Opening of the Bay, so you can learn all about it.