Monday, July 13, 2009

Sigsbee helps save the oysters!

An update on the day's happenings, in a student's words:

"Today we visited the Horn Point Biological Lab. There we learned about oysters and the progress that is being made to increase the oyster population. I really enjoyed having a waterfight after cleaning out the oyster tanks. We all returned to the campsite soaking wet and relieved that we sort of just received our first 'shower' in six days! :)"

(To the students' delight, we're having a real shower time this evening!)

Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Sigsbee sails on!

Two new posts from our awesome students on the mighty Sigsbee:

"These past few days have been different due to the change from a dorm to a boat. We've learned many different things like coiling, knotting, docking, and raising sails. We miss Noah [our fellow student who transferred to Whales] but we've become a family."

"We're having so much fun! We all went camoeing yesterday and saw a ton of awesome animals. This morning, we saw an osprey and an eagle fighting! With only a few snags, we've managed to pitch tents, survive spiders, and sail a boat. Right now we're at Horn Point, helping with oyster aquaculture. See you soon!"

Friday, July 10, 2009

Sigsbee goes trotlining!

Early Thursday morning the students aboard the Sigsbee had the chance to catch crabs with a longtime waterman using a method called trotlining. One of the students reports:
"Hi all! I am going to tell you of some of the great adventures we've had. The most exciting point so far was trotlining. Trotlining is complicated. First you put a 1000ft line filled with bait every 10 ft. Then the crabs latch on, and as they come up you have to grab them with a net. That day, we caught a whole bushel, which is about 50 crabs, and we had a huge feast that night, with a few jumbo crabs. Well that was the highlight, and we will be back with more soon. We are having lots of fun, and the Sigsbee handling is so fun."

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

And they are off!


Sigsbee just left the Baltimore Harbor headed for her Chesapeake Bay adventure. Sadly one student opted not to join the program but the group that is left is very excited! They did some basic boat orientation at the dock and got underway just a bit before lunch. Tomorrow will be an early day since they are going crabbing with a waterman. Hope camp set up goes smoothly and quickly!