Day 9, July 12, 2012

My favorite thing on this trip so far has been going crabbing. Even though we had to wake up at 4:30, it was SO worth it. Crabbing is so much fun, especially with Captain Clay. Since it was so early, it wasn’t hot out yet and it was cool watching the sun rise over the water. I like how Captain Clay gave us an incentive to catch the crabs with the net. If we let it go or accidentally dropped it, we had to stand on the top of the boat and sing a song. I dropped two the first time so I sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Happy Birthday. Eiki dropped 9 crabs so he had to continue singing in the van ride back. That was really funny.

-Izzy

Crabbing today was so much fun! My favorite memory was whenever someone dropped/missed a crab, they would have to sing! We sang lots of songs. I’m sad that my trip on the Sigsbee is ending. I’ll always remember the fun times (playing Frisbee, working at an oyster hatchery, just to name two) and the awesome people I have met along the way!

-Andrea

This is the last day, not even a full day. While I’m looking forward to a cool shower and clean clothes, I’m going to miss Sigsbee and her crew. Life is going to seem boring without banjos and boats and funny dances, almost separate entirely from other people. The people on this boat are no longer my classmates and teachers, by my family who teaches and learns alongside me, and I am going to miss that connection too… I’ll never forget this. Arguably the best thing seems to have been saved for last though, as this morning we went trot lining. Today might turn out to be the best day… but it may also be the saddest.

-Storm

 Yum!

 Douglas catching a crab off the trot line.

 Andrea measuring to see if it is of legal size to keep.

 Go Julia!

 Check out this guy!

Well done, Rashabh.

Arun is singing for the crab he missed. He caught plenty, though.

Day 8, July 11, 2012

Today is our second to last day on the boat. I like the boat. We learn a lot. We about to go trawling and I am excited to see what we will catch.

Julia

Today we woke up at either 7 or 6 in the morning and prepared to leave… While we were on the boat the crew and I noticed that there was a giant bug that looked like a mosquito. In the end we end we found out that it was a crane fly and that crane flies do not bite. There were also a lot of Japanese beetles. Then we went trawling in 20 feet of water and caught a rock that had a lot of bay animals on it.

Douglas

Today is the last full day on the bay... We are preparing to trawl for organisms in the bay, and are thankful for a cool day after the rain. I have already enjoyed the many activities that we have done so far. I look forward to last day as we set sail to the harbor of Baltimore…

Arun

 Breakfast before leaving Annapolis.

Captain Joe gives a sailing lesson. Find the direction of the wind!

 Which side is low pressure and which side is high pressure?

 Using bubbles to demonstrate.

Storm steering.

 Can you see the Sea Dog?

 This crab is going to be a mommy soon.

We caught rock full of life.

Day 7, Tuesday, July 10

Today we caught 5 crabs, 2 white perches, a croaker, 6 oyster shells, and a bunch of jellyfish… The white perch had a spiky and soft dorsal fin. The croaker could croak and we caught 2 soft shell crabs. We also went trawling again and a caught a foot long white perch but we had to let it go because we didn’t have enough water for it to sustain life…

-
Rashabh

We went through Knapps Narrows today and it was not as crowded as I thought because the people there were out working. There were stil some people who saw and started taking pictures because there are only about 20 skipjacks in the Chesapeake Bay.

-Eiki

Today we sailed 35 miles from Horn Point all the way to Annapolis (Eastport specifically). We’re sleeping at the Annapolis Maritime Museum which looks out on the bay and the Sigsbee is docked right outside. A storm’s coming in and creating some very choppy water on the bay and some large storm clouds are brewing….

- Daniel

 Making memories and preparing to leave Horn Point.

 The students started navigating all by themselves. And Arun finally got his photobomb.

 Learning time.

 Passing through Knapp's Narrows.

 Skipjack graveyard.

 One of the last working screwpile lighthouses.

 What's on that old oyster shell?

 Identifying fish.

Sailing into Annapolis. That is the capital building and the Naval Academy.

Pictures from Day 6, July 9, Horn Point

 Holding an Atlantic Sturgeon

 Holding a terapin.

Cleaning an oyster tank.

 Cleaning oyster shells.

 Hose fight!

Counting spat.

Pictures from Day 5, July 8, 2012

 Testing turbidity.

 Navigating

 What levels of various water quality attributes do different animals need to live?

 Testing buoyancy.

 That's a lot of jellies!

 That fish is being eaten by that jelly.

 Feeling the hog choker

Pictures from Day 4, July 7, 2012

 Hose Party!

 Arun proves that comb jellies are edible.

 Laurel teaches us about a crab we caught.

 Cooling down after a hot day.

Circle time. What was your favorite part of the day? What is something on which you can improve? No repeats.

Pictures from Day 3

 Learning time.

 Esther testing water salinity.

Learning about the impact of rising sea levels on the Chesapeake Bay shoreline.

 Chuck the float!

 Chuck the net!

 Izzy and a comb jelly.

 Swim call!

Storm and Andrea pet a horseshoe crab at the Calvert Cliffs Maritime Museum.