Day 2, July 10

Today was full of challenges and excitment! We began the day early, getting up around 6:00 and then quickly breaking down camp. We feasted on a breakfast of cereal and fruit, and by 10:00 we were ready to set sail again! Today was refreshingly cool and cloudy, but we were still careful to apply large amounts of sunscreen. The students were even more involved in getting the boat underway, putting their newly gained knowledge to the test through practice under the crews guidance.  They again showed great eagerness to learn and help out, and volunteers were never lacking! 

Unfortunately, the water was rougher this morning, and a few students temporarily battled slight sea-sickness. Soon, however, the sailing became calmer and all the students felt well again. During the morning the students were divided into the Port and Starboard watches. The two watches each went with a different crew member for lessons. During their lessons they learned about navigation and creatures in the Chesapeake Bay. 

After lunch, the students encountered more excitment when the crew announced that we were going to trawl fish. Trawling consists of dragging a trawling net through the water, catching fish and other creatures. Commercial trawling in the Chesapeake is illegal, but the Sigsbee has an educational permit that enables it to fish with a trawl net. Essentially, the crew on the Sigsbee is allowed to because it has a very small net which hinders it from catching too many species at a time, and they also throw back the creatures they catch. The students watched as Rohan prepared the net and stood by to pull it in. However, soon he needed the assistance of the crew and even the students as the net had become stuck on something. Everyone fought their hardest to free the net, and eventually the net was freed! Our catch was smaller than expected: just a bit of coral, a summer flounder, and an immature female blue crab. Still, the students had a great time examining and identifying the creatures. 

That evening we headed back to shore for a fantastic dinner of meatball subs! The students heard about the importance of not wasting food, and happily put this new-found knowledge into practice. The day ended with one last surprise, free time for games on the field or card games!