CBay Trip 2--Day Six

Ahoy! We on the Sigsbee are now on day six of our trip, more than halfway done! The last two days have been full of fun and education, and we’re excited to keep on going.

            On day five, we set sail from Solomons Island early for a long trip. When we reached the mouth of the Patuxent River, we were able to trawl again. We worked together as a team even better than the first time, as we learned how the process worked in more detail. When all was done, we had hauled in quite a catch! We got a big female blue crab, two small blue crabs, a hog choker, and a huge Atlantic croaker! After successfully identifying all of these specimens, we researched them a bit more, then made drawings and labeled them scientifically. Then, after a quick lunch, we got some time to be in watches. This time, Port watch learned about runoff while Starboard watch got to be “on watch.” Under the leadership of Starboard watch, we sailed all the way to the Choptank River, where we got to dredge for oysters! This was a great opportunity for a history lesson as well as a science lesson, as the Sigsbee was originally built in 1901 as an oyster dredging boat. We hauled in quite a few oyster shells, and even found some live oysters among them to study. We got to compare the oysters we caught in the bay to oysters bought in a seafood market, opening both kinds up and observing the internal structures. After the oysters, each watch group got some time to work on their project—the students are creating a newspaper about the Chesapeake Bay. We docked the boat at Horn Point on the Choptank river, made a delicious dinner of chili mac and cheese, and had an intense rematch of ultimate Frisbee. Then, we got to call home! After many happy conversations, it was time for bed.

            The next day, we got to sleep in a little bit, because we didn’t sail. Instead, we spent the day at the Horn Point Oyster and Fish Hatchery. In the morning, we got a tour of the labs, where we learned how the hatchery is working to replenish the oyster population in the bay. Then we got to work! We cleaned oysters and hauled oyster shells. Then, after a brief break for lunch, we got to help spawn the oysters! Everyone had fun and learned a lot as we got to do hands-on lab work. When we returned, we had more project time, then cooked up some quesadillas for dinner. Then, we got an awesome surprise—showers!! Clean and happy, we settled down to sleep.

            That’s all for now, folks! We can’t wait to set off on the next leg of our journey tomorrow!

CBay Trip 2--Day Four

Hello from the Sigsbee! We are now on the fourth day of our journey, and we have been so busy for the past three days learning how to sail and set up camp that we haven’t had time to blog! We have been having tons of fun though. Here are some highlights from the first three days of our trip.

            On our first day, we met the Sigsbee out at St. Mary’s City. There we first met the crew and Captain Joe, and learned how to help get the boat off the dock and raise the sails. Once we were underway, we went over some boat rules, and got to know the crew a bit better with some fun games. After a relatively short sail, we pulled in to dock at Point Lookout, and learned how to set up camp. We cooked up a delicious dinner of tacos, and then gathered to discuss the day. We hashed out the plan for the next day, and then it was time for bed.

            The next day, we woke up bright and early to get ready for a long sail. We learned how to break camp, ate a quick breakfast, and then were sailing away by the time our on-land counterparts were just waking up! Since this was our first full day on the boat, we were able to do lots of cool stuff. We started our day learning about sail theory, and asked tons of good questions in order to understand why the boat moves the way it does. We learned the different points of sail, and were able to successfully identify where the wind was coming from. Then we learned the basics of navigation at sea. We found our position using landmarks around us, and learned how to chart a course. Next, were broken into two groups, or “watches,” in which we will learn and work on the boat for the rest of the trip. The watch groups were labeled “Port” and “Starboard,” after the sides of the boat, and a temporary watch leader was appointed. Then, at the very end of our morning, we got do something really cool—trawling! We ran an otter trawl net, a special kind of fishing net, from our boat into the water, and then worked as a team to haul it in. We had quite a catch—two different species of jellyfish, a variety of sea grasses, a croaker, and two searobins! After a break for lunch, we got to hold many of the things we caught, and we learned how to draw and label them scientifically. We helped to dock the boat at Crisfield, our next campsite. We set up camp, and then cooked a delicious 4^th of July dinner of burgers and hot dogs. After a very intense game of ultimate Frisbee, we were tired enough to head to bed and prepare for our next big day.

            On day three, we slept in luxuriously until 7 am! After breakfast, we headed out for our next day of sailing. This was the first day that we got to be “on watch”—we helped to navigate, look out for objects on the horizon, check the boat, record the conditions in the log, and even steer! While Port watch was “on watch,” Starboard watch was “off watch,” but they were still busy doing other educational activities with the crew. They learned about the Chesapeake Bay and performed some interesting water quality tests. They measured the pH, nitrates, and phosphate content of the water using a variety of scientific instruments such as colorimeters. After this instructive morning, we all ate a quick lunch and then docked at Tangier Island, a small, isolated island in the bay. We were able to leave Sigsbee for a few hours in order to explore the island. We learned about the local history through conversing with the island’s inhabitants, and we even got a chance to buy some cool souvenirs. Then, right before we left, we got a surprise treat—ice cream! After this delicious snack, we piled back onto the Sigsbee to sail back to our campsite. On the way back, the watches switched, so that Starboard watch was “on” and Port watch was “off.” Then, as we got close to the dock, we experienced a freak rainstorm—that came from the Sigsbee’s hose! A good time was had by all as we cooled off. We helped the crew dock and headed back to our campsite at Crisfield. After dinner, we watched a beautiful sunset over the wetlands at Crisfield. But our evening wasn’t over yet—we still had fun to come! After discussing the ups and downs of the day and the plans for tomorrow, we made a fire and got yet another treat—we made s’mores! After everyone enjoyed their second delicious snack of the day, it was time for bed.

            On day four, we were able to set up all the lines and fenders on the boat to leave without the crew’s help! They helped us to actually get off the dock, but we are definitely learning our way around the boat. We were also able to set sails much more smoothly, and learned how to actually tie the sails off after we pull them up. Then it was time for more tying—we learned several new knots that are used around the boat, and practiced some knots and coils that we had been taught already. We then jumped right in with more advanced sail theory, where we learned about the center of effort and began to be able to predict how the Sigsbee would move based on how many sails were up and where we were. We also learned about tacking and jibing, the two ways to turn the boat. Then we got some watch time, with Port watch "on watch" and Starboard watch creating models to demonstrate the effects of runoff. After watch it was time for lunch. The afternoon brought some chill time, when we played games on board and enjoyed another freak rain shower. Then we dropped anchor and got to swim! After our swim, we docked at Solomons Island, and got an awesome surprise for dinner—pizza! When we were all full, we made camp and worked on our Frisbee game some more. (Our goal is to toss a Frisbee 96 times without dropping it. We’re not there yet.) Finally, we settled into bed.

            It’s been an awesome trip so far! I can’t wait for the rest of it! Stay tuned for more blog posts in the coming days!

Day 6 - June 29th, 2013

It's Saturday !

While most other kids are enjoying Saturday morning cartoons, or sleeping in till about noon, the Sigsbee kids had an early morning today. We got camp broken down, and enjoyed our breakfast. Then it was off to the boat.

Once on the boat, things began just like the other days. The engine was turned off, the sails were set, and the lessons began. One watch continued their lessons (as their is so much to learn, and we wanted everyone to get a fair chance of learning each part), while the other watch started a new lesson on pollution in the Bay. They learned how it affects the organisms of the Bay, and how things such as natural disasters can cause drastic changes. They also learned that a surprising number of pollution come from farms due to animal feces and fertilizers, and the fact that they are not monitored as closely as urban areas. These lessons continued until about lunch time.

After lunch, the kids got a small break, then it was time for a little tawl line fishing. They readied the nets, and prepared to toss it into the water and see what they could catch. Once the nets were tossed overboard, they waited a few minutes, and hauled it back in. Then they observed they carch of the day. And what did we catch today? Lots of sea nettles and an oyster toadfish. They learned all about the oyster toadfish's skills at camouflaging, its strong jaws, and its methods of feeding. After their lesson on their catch of the day, it was time to dock.

Now, typically, each time we dock, we head to our camp site and get it setup almost immediately after leaving the boat. Well today was a little different. We took a wonderful detour. We headed to the Calvert Marine Museum instead. The kids got to spend a couple hours in the museum, which included awesome attractions such as the drum point lighthouse, fossils from millions of years ago, history on the war of 1812 on the Patuxent river, and of course bubbles and squeak (two friendly and energetic otters at the museum). To make their trip to museum more interesting and fulfilling, the kids were split into partners of two and sent off on a scavenger hunt. They were given a sheet filled with questions, and had an allotted time to answer as many as they could. The team with the most correct questions answered then got to pick a prize from the bag of prizes. This was a great way to spend our Saturday afternoon.

Now after our adventure at the museum, the kids were given yet another lovely surprise. PIZZA!! They were all treated to pizza before heading to the campsite. The kids were very grateful, and enjoyed the many options they had to choose from. Once we feasted on our pizza, we headed to the campsite, and got ourselves ready for bed. Today was an awesome day. Let's see what's in store tomorrow.

Day 5 - June 28th, 2013

Restoring the Bay, one spat at a time!

Today we start our day focusing all about OYSTERS! We were given the opportunity to learn so much more about oysters, their importance to the Chesapeake Bay, and their life cycle as we visited Horn Point Oyster Hatchery. We started off with a tour of the facilities in the Oyster Hatchery, where we learned more about the oyster reproduction system, from spawn to spat, and how to determine the difference between a male and female oyster. We learned of the production of a variety of oyster larvae which were then used for restoration efforts, research and educational purposes. After our tour of the oyster hatchery, we got to go right next door to checkout the fish hatchery. Over there, we got to learn more about sturgeons, diamond back terrapins and some other cool fish. Once this tour was over, we got to get our hands dirty. We headed back over to the oyster hatchery, were we got to help one of the employees at the hatchery pack on of the tanks with bags of oyster shells. This was an amazing group effort, which helped pack a tank with 100 bags under 7 minutes, which was a great way to end of our morning.

We headed back to camp for lunch, and had about a two hour break. Once this break was over, we headed back to the hatchery and got our hands dirty. First we help spread oyster spawns into the tank filled with the shells we packed earlier. Then we split up into groups and went to different stations to help with either counting oysters or cleaning the conditioning stations. This was all that there was to do, and we got it done (as a group) in under an hour - Yet another fantastic display of group effort. After our record setting time for doing this work, our day at the oyster hatchery was practically over.

We headed back to camp to prepare for dinner. The kids were then given a very nice surprise. It was time for showers! The kids had been looking forward to a shower for a long time now. To make the showers more efficient and less time consuming, we limited each student to a 6 minute shower. I can safely say that they all did very well with this time limit, and got some good practice in using less water when taking showers - so when they come home, you can try out this time limit with them. :). After showers, we got to enjoy our dinner. But things get so much more exciting after this. We had warnings of a thunderstorm coming our way. As we waited for it to start raining, the kids were just looking up at the clouds (with a safe place to shelter of course). And in the span of 30 seconds we all experienced one of the most awesome things in our lives. The rain fell, but the sun was still shining! Then, we saw it! A rainbow, so bright and clear, right in front of us stretching over the river. BUT WAIT! What's that over the first rainbow? Is that a second rainbow? YES IT IS!! A SECOND RAINBOW!! We got to see a double rainbow very clearly in front of us over the Choptank river. Needless to say, the kids were excited, and we all got to take a picture in front of this beautiful rainbow gift from the sky. After our excitement with the rainbows, everyone just hung out and relaxed. We then did our circle for the night, and went to bed in preparation for the next day.

A beautiful sight to behold - a double rainbow right over our campsite.