2026 Messing About in Boats (CANCELED)
UPDATE – This event has been canceled due to strong winds and high seas.
Friday, September 25th
Activities from 9am-3pm (sign up for one or stay for the day)
Messing About in Boats is a free, fun-filled day for UConn students, faculty, and staff that celebrates the Avery Point waterfront campus with opportunities to fish, kayak, row, and participate in other boat and water-related activities for all skill levels. No experience, equipment, or skill needed. Just come and have fun!
Registration is strongly required as space is limited for some activities. Questions? Contact the CT Reserve’s Education Coordinator, Larissa at Larissa.Graham@uconn.edu
Activities offered:
Catch and Release Sportfishing – Climb aboard Project Oceanology’s research vessel and head into Long Island Sound to use a fishing pole to catch fish, identify and measure your catch. No experience is needed and all fishing equipment will be provided.
Beach Clean Up on Pine Island – Travel by Project Oceanology’s skiff to Pine Island for a beach clean-up. We’ll record and categorize the trash collected, participate in a global citizen science effort by logging our trash with the Ocean Conservancy.
Kayaking (guided) – Join a guided paddle in Pine Island Bay aboard one of UConn Waterfront Program’s kayaks. No experience needed and all equipment will be provided.
Sailing (guided) – Hop aboard one of UConn Waterfront Program’s sailboats with a guide and sail around Pine Island Bay. No experience needed and all equipment will be provided.
Eelgrass kayak tour (guided) – Join a guided kayak paddle to learn about eelgrass, an important habitat right off the Avery Point campus. No experience needed and all equipment will be provided.
Awe Nature Walk – Join a guided exploratory nature walk alongside the campus shoreline path and immerse yourself in the unique sights and sounds by the waterfront of the Avery Point campus.
Watercolor by the shore (Win a raffle ticket!) – Stop by this table to learn how to paint with watercolors. We’ll have all the supplies you’ll need to create your own piece of artwork. Show us your artwork when you’re finished and you’ll be entered to win a raffle prize.
Scavenger Hunt (Win a raffle ticket!) – The Avery Point campus is your life-sized gameboard as you follow clues on foot to collect and photograph specific items and places related to boating and marine science. Those that complete the scavenger hunt will be entered to win a raffle prize.
Nature journaling (Win a raffle ticket!) – Stop by this table to pick up all of the supplies you’ll need to nature journal. Show us your artwork when you’re finished and you’ll be entered to win a raffle prize.
Explore the mobile Aquaculture Lab – Come explore this lab on wheels that CT Sea Grant uses to grow kelp for educational purposes.
Tour R/V Sound Outlook – Come tour CT DEEP’s new research vessel and learn more about their monitoring program and opportunities for additional research.
Tour R/V Connecticut – Ever wonder about the huge research vessel at our dock on campus? Visit for a tour and see how researchers use this vessel.
Lighthouse viewing – Did you know you can see FIVE lighthouses from campus? Swing by this station to look through a telescope and see the coastline and lighthouses up close.
