Day 4 - June 27th, 2013

Good morning to all!  Today is the fourth day on this epic 9-day journey. We began this day with the breakdown of the camp site and a nice little breakfast. Then it was off to the sailing. Once aboard Sigsbee, the kids started off with the practicing of knots used a lot on board – including the slippery clove hitch, the bowline, and the stopper knot. Once the sails were set, the kids got to work. Just like yesterday, there were lessons on navigation and lessons on the Chesapeake Bay, estuaries and water quality. Since the watches were split yesterday for the two lessons, they switched places today. Port watch now got their lesson on the Chesapeake Bay while Starboard watch got their lesson on navigation. 

After the rotations of the kids in starboard watch for their three hours doing navigation, it was time for lunch. Now after lunch, the kids were given a very nice lesson on how one “drives” the boat, and how the winds work in unison with the sails. They learned more about tacking and gybing (two methods used to turn the boat with and against the wind), and how the wind splits on the main sail, creating more presser on the leeward side, and lesser pressure on the windward side. They also learned a lot more about wind speed, the speed measurement of the boat in knots, and even more about the shapes and sizes of the different clouds in the sky – and what it meant for our sailing. To go along with these lessons, they were given reminders of the commands that relate to the turning of the boat – these include the captains yelling of “Ready About” and “Helms Alee”. After this lesson, there was a small break before there next lesson. What’s the next lesson? All about oysters! The kids got to learn a lot more about the keystone species of oysters. They were informed of their importance in creating and maintaining habitats in the Bay, and how there have been restoration projects to increase the population of the oysters throughout the entire Bay. 

Finally, we arrived at our fourth site. Once camp was setup, the kids got to hang out, play some games and relax some of the afternoon away. Then came dinner – which I must say was awesome. Once dinner was complete and all the dishes had been cleaned, the kids were surprised with an awesome treat. I’ll give you a guess as to what their treat was. Here’s a hint, it’s lovely, cold, yummy, and typically eaten with some type of syrup or “dressing”. Did you guess yet? Yes, the answer is ice-cream! We all got to enjoy some self-made ice-cream as dessert tonight. And yes, I did say self-made. To make our ice-cream, we used ice-cream balls. We filled the balls with the necessary ingredients, and began to roll and/or shake the balls to mix it all up. Since this process had to be done for about 15-20 minutes, we made it interesting by sitting in a circle and creating a story while we shook. Whoever had the ball in their hand had to continue the story from where the last person left off. Our story was by far one of the most unique and fantastic stories I’ve ever heard – it had magical flying ponies, nations being formed, and ended in a hunger game styled ice-cream making contest. After our wonderful story telling and home-made ice-cream, we made our circle for the night, and discussed things we liked about our day, and the things we wanted to improve on. We explained our plans for tomorrow and called it a night. So until tomorrow, take care.

Day 3 - June 26th, 2013

Rise and shine on this third day of our journey. We all woke up early this morning and got our tents taken down and packed away. After a nice little breakfast – cereals, blueberries, yogurt and bananas – we headed to the Sigsbee and prepared to set sail. Today the Sigsbee kids were split up into different watches (a term used to refer to different groups). One group was the Starboard* watch and the other was the Port* watch. 

Starboard watch began with a lesson about the Chesapeake Bay. They learned that the Bay was an estuary, and that it was fed by 19 different rivers along with the Atlantic Ocean. They also got to learn more about the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delmarva (the peninsula that covers Delaware, Maryland and Virginia). A demonstration using a salt bridge divide helped illustrate the mixing of fresh water and salt water into the estuaries creating brackish water. Finally they got to practice water quality testing using different instruments on board. They measured the salinity and the dissolved oxygen, found the pH, and tested for phosphates and nitrates in the Bay. 

While Starboard watch was doing all that, Port watch was being kept quite busy doing navigation stuff. They got lessons on how to figure out exact locations on the chart. They were taught more about doing lookout, and about doing inspections of different parts on the boat – including the engine, the hatches, and even the head (i.e. the bathroom). They even got a chance to practice driving at the helm. The kids of Port watch worked on a rotation basis, switching duties between lookout and navigational stuff, for about 3 hours. During this time, the kids again got to see a huge cargo vessel. This time it was the Wallenius Wilhelmsen. 

After their lessons, the kids got to enjoy lunch. Now, after lunch, the deck was just a little messy, so it was time for a wash down. What is this wash down you may ask? Well it’s basically the crew members using a hose that is on board to spray down the deck to get it clean. Well this sounds simple and a little boring right? Well it gets so much better. Once the deck was clean, we started a party. Yes a party – a hose party. The hose was turned skywards, creating a waterfall, which the kids then got to go under and get wet. Considering it was quite hot today, this was an awesome way to cool down. But wait, it gets even better. We added buckets to our party. Crew members helped fill up some buckets on board with water, and we all got a chance to sit on another bucket and have our entire body covered with a bucket of water. The party was on! And to make things even interesting, we lined the kids up and the crew members and I poured water all over them at once. But don’t you worry, we made it fair and the roles were reversed. This time, the kids all got a bucket and the entire crew and I lined up  - with our hands behinds our back, like we’re facing the firing squad – and got pummeled by the kids and their watery weapons. This was the perfect party for a scorching hot day. 

After our party, we all cooled down for a little while, but then the action continued. The kids went trot line fishing once again. They got the net set up, and as a group tossed it out into the Bay. This time they caught a spotted hake fish, a small crab, and lots of see nettles (jelly fishes). They filled out their Marine data sheet once again and used their newly caught friends for educational purposes as they learned more about these specific organisms. They even got to do their own drawings of one of the organisms and label its anatomical parts. 

After a long day of sailing, and lessons, and an awesome party, we docked at our third site. We immediately got camp set up and since we arrived a little early, there was a bit of free time. We used this free time to all go canoeing/kayaking (the kids were in canoes and the crew members were in kayaks). After our relaxation on the river, we headed back to camp, got ourselves cleaned up and prepared dinner. Now, after dinner, and after all our dishes were cleaned up, we got to enjoy one of the most popular camp snacks of all times – SMORES! We had our smores and gathered in our circle around the fire pit, where we talked about the exciting parts of our day, and things we were still looking forward to or wanted to improve on. We discussed our plans for the following day, and all went to bed. Today was yet another fun day aboard the Sigsbee, and who knows what’s in store for the rest of the trip. We’ll just have to wait and see. Until tomorrow, take care.


* starboard refers to the right side of the boat, and port refers to the left side of the boat. This doesn't mean the kids were restricted to the side their watch was named after though. It was just a good way of naming to two groups

Day 2 - June 25th, 2013

Okay, so today begins our second day on this wonderful journey. And how are we going to start this day? Today we start with CRABBING! Yes, I said crabbing – and not some spontaneous dance style that someone made up, but the physical act of going out and catching crabs. With the help of Captain Clay – a dear friend to the Living Classrooms Foundation, the kids were taught how to catch crabs and were able to catch a bushel full of Maryland blue crabs. While crabbing, Captain Clay had a very interesting rule; if anyone missed a crab, they had to sing a song of their choice with their hands on their head. This made things a lot more interesting and really fun.

After crabbing, we set sail onto the Bay, and began with the lessons for the day. Today, they learned more about standing watch and boat maintenance. Captain Joe also went fishing and caught a striped bass – which the kids then got to examine and learn more about. They set their new friend free and started another lesson on reading the chart and doing navigation for the Sigsbee. While in the midst of this lesson, the entire ship was fortunate to see the E.R. Denmark (one of the largest cargo ships in the world) pass right in front in of the Sigsbee. And as an added bonus, they got to experience the fun of riding on the waves created by such a huge vessel. Now after a long day of crabbing, and lessons, we arrived to our second site. Camp was setup fairly quickly – as the kids were now used to it, and before long it was time for dinner. 

Now, guess what we all got a chance to enjoy for dinner? Did you guess yet? Well, if you guessed crabs, you are absolutely correct. After a lesson on opening crabs and finding the edible portions, the entire group got to enjoy the crabs that were caught earlier this morning – talk about working for your food. After a lovely feast, we ended the day with another circle of positives and instructions for the morrow. But wait, there’s more! After everyone was off to their tents and practically asleep, we got warning of a small storm in our area. So everyone who was at camp got out of our tents, ensured they were closed up and safe, and we piled into the van that follows the Sigsbee to our different locations. We hung out in the van, told awesome stories – some funny, some scary - told some riddles and had a merry time as we waited for the storm to pass over. Once everything was clear, we headed back to our tents and went to bed. After such an exhilarating day, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for tomorrow!

Our bushel of crabs after being steamed and cooked.

The Sigsbee bunch of C-Bay 1 enjoying our feast of crabs. :)

Day 1 - June 24th, 2013

Today is the day! Today is the day 12 CTY students, their R.A., Captain Joe of the skipjack Sigsbee and his crew, begin their journey along the Chesapeake Bay as apart of the CTY + Living Classroom Foundation Marine Sciences program. But you guys already knew that, so let’s begin! 

Once aboard the Sigsbee, the kids packed their day packs “down below” and the crew got them involved immediately. They were introduced to the different sails, the types of coils used to stow lines on board, the importance of fenders, how to remove and gather dock lines, and other terminology on the Sigsbee. They then got to assist with the actual setting the sails – the main sail and jib – and getting our journey on the way. 

Once the sails were set, and the engine turned off, the learning continued. The Sigsbee kids got their hands dirty early, as they were taught how to fish using an otter trawl line. They learned of the different parts of the otter trot line, the mechanism of how it works to catch fish, and the techniques used to cast the line. Once instructions were given, it was time for doing. All the kids were given a task to assist in casting the line and as a group they went fishing. When their otter trawl line was hauled in, the Sigsbee kids got to examine their prize – which consisted of white perch fish, a spot fish and a Maryland blue crab. The learning continued as students learned how to fill out a Marine Data Sheet to describe the fishing method they just used and the organisms they caught. As they were filling out their data sheet, they learned more about the fish they caught (including anatomy and physiology), and even got to handle a live crab – using proper techniques of course. Next they got to learn more about knots and their usage aboard the Sigsbee. 

Now, after a day of sailing, we arrived to our first site. The kids then got a chance to learn about the proper setup of tents and the camp site as a whole. Once camp was ready they were given some free time to relax, play and/or hangout. To close out their day, the entire group gathered in a circle and expressed things we enjoyed about the day and things we were looking forward to or wanted to improve on. Finally we discussed our plans for the next day and called it a night. Now I would tell you about the plans for tomorrow, but it would ruin the surprise – So until tomorrow, adieu!  

Summer 2013

Hello friends, families and campers!!!

The Sigsbee crew is busy doing all the important last minute preparations to start camp next week.  This week the crew has visited lots of the sites they'll be using this summer with students, worked hard on finishing up some new and exciting lesson plans, and even squeezed in a little bit of time for a BBQ!  Yesterday we had a great training with the RA staff from CTY.  What a great group of people.  We're looking forward to an awesome summer!

Check back every so often for updates of how things are going, but please remember, this blog is a low property item.  The boat isn't always somewhere that they have a strong enough Internet connection to post.  Additionally, there is so much learning and fun to be had that blogging often gets forgotten.

Have a great summer!!

~ The SIGSBEE Crew

Yesterday's training with the RA staff included learning how to properly put up and take down tents.