Here's the Sigsbee, checking in again. We had a great sail yesterday, which brought us from Tilghman Island to St. Michael's. The marina was home to a number of impressive boats, including two other skipjacks. After a hearty lunch, the students got a chance to explore the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The Oystering exhibit was particularly interesting, since we've spent a lot of time talking about oysters and this industry that surrounds them. The testimonials from real-life oysterman made us all proud to be sailing on a skipjack!
Today is our last full day of sailing and the students are taking primary responsibility onboard. Its amazing to see how much we've improved in these eight days, and how close everyone has become. We're all excited to get back to friends and family, but saying goodbye might make even Captain Joe cry!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
7/11/11
Yesterday was another great day on Sigsbee. The students continued to improve their sailing, knot tying, and navigation. All that hard work was interrupted by a much needed swim call. After everyone cooled off, some students learned about the water cycle while others investigated samples of phytoplankton. As one student wrote, "the day just drifted by like the birds flying past the Magestic Sigsbee." We stopped off at Solomons Island, where our first stop was a local pizza joint. We set up camp in a beautiful state park and finished the day by hunting for fossils of shark teeth on the beach.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
7/10/11
Greetings from Skipjack Sigsbee!
Trip 2 is nicely underway and we've got many exciting things to report. On our second day we caught 3 flounders, 2 Burr fish, a Northern Sea Robin, and an uncountable number of comb jellies. Burr fish are a type of puffer fish which inflate when threatened, which we've learned makes them float on their backs. The Sea Robin is a bizzare looking fish with modified fins that act as feet!
On day three we left Sigsbee behind for a day trip to Tangier Island, an isolated community only accesible by boat. They still speak with accents which linguists say closely resmebles 17th century Cornwallish. The students got to talk to locals during a scavenger hunt, and even went crabbing with some of the best 7 year old watermen we've ever seen!
Everyone is having a great time onboard and at camp. Students are learning tons about sailing, and even how to talk like sailors ("haul away the jib!"). We've had to deal with plenty of mosquitos, but great food and a lack of rain has kept everyone's spirits up.
Bon voyage!
Trip 2 is nicely underway and we've got many exciting things to report. On our second day we caught 3 flounders, 2 Burr fish, a Northern Sea Robin, and an uncountable number of comb jellies. Burr fish are a type of puffer fish which inflate when threatened, which we've learned makes them float on their backs. The Sea Robin is a bizzare looking fish with modified fins that act as feet!
On day three we left Sigsbee behind for a day trip to Tangier Island, an isolated community only accesible by boat. They still speak with accents which linguists say closely resmebles 17th century Cornwallish. The students got to talk to locals during a scavenger hunt, and even went crabbing with some of the best 7 year old watermen we've ever seen!
Everyone is having a great time onboard and at camp. Students are learning tons about sailing, and even how to talk like sailors ("haul away the jib!"). We've had to deal with plenty of mosquitos, but great food and a lack of rain has kept everyone's spirits up.
Bon voyage!
Monday, July 4, 2011
7/2-3/11
On Saturday we went to the Calvert Marine Museum on Solomon's Island. They had otters, sting rays, and other wildlife. We got to explore an old lighthouse and examine boats. After, we went to Jerry's for pizza.
The next day, we ate breakfast in the rain and then went sailing to Point Lookout. During the trip, we used the otter trawl net to catch around 250 comb jellies. They were a few inches long and bioluminescent. When we arrived at the campsite, we ate dinner and roasted marshmallows. Half an hour after lights out, it started to storm. We all piled into the van and played games and sang songs until 11:30pm. We went to bed an when we woke up we got to take showers in nice bathrooms!!
The next day, we ate breakfast in the rain and then went sailing to Point Lookout. During the trip, we used the otter trawl net to catch around 250 comb jellies. They were a few inches long and bioluminescent. When we arrived at the campsite, we ate dinner and roasted marshmallows. Half an hour after lights out, it started to storm. We all piled into the van and played games and sang songs until 11:30pm. We went to bed an when we woke up we got to take showers in nice bathrooms!!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
7/1/11
The young, talented explorers prepared themselves for a new day, while reflecting on the previous events. All had improved on knots, coils, and working as a team. The trawl was fruitful, bringing in a variety of animals and learning experiences. One explorer wondered how many oyster spat were added to the reef each year. How many oysters did the reef itself produce each year? As well, at this rate, when could the Bay be nearly as healthy as the Bay was originally.
6/30/11
Port watch examined the anatomy of an oyster. It was interesting to learn how an animal that can not move can still survive. I also liked to imagine how high the oyster reefs used to be. Later, we went trawling and caught blue crabs, a hogchoaker, and a croaker. Then, we swam in the Choptank River. I enjoyed getting wet and (sort of) taking a shower. Dinner was large and after we started designing the game boards for the final project.
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