Day 5, July 4th

With Hurricane Arthur coming from the east,Captain Joe had to make some tough decisions.  With the winds picking up the Sigsbee changed course and headed to a port on the western side of the bay.  Even though this change of plan would mean that the trip would last 9 hours, the students stayed positive and had a good time learning how to operate the ship.

The next day the students enjoyed a delicious breakfast of pancakes and sausage and loaded into the van.  First we headed for the Calvert Cliffs.  From the parking lot to the beach was a quick 2 mile hike ending in a beautiful beach full of shells and sand.  The park ranger loaned the students some sifters so they could search for sharks teeth.  We managed to find two sharks teeth, one from a tiger shark and one from a sand shark.  After enjoying the beach for a few hours we headed to our next destination, the Calvert Marine Museum.  Here the kids went on a scavenger hunt to find different things around the museum.  They also got to see otters, rays, and skates.  The day ended with a fun surprise for the kids.  Due to the storm the kids got to spend the night in the dorm at St Mary's and take showers.  After dinner they got to use their phones to call home and let their parents know how much fun they were having.

Friday began with a trip to Saint Mary's historic village where the kids learned about the history of southern Baltimore and what it was like to live in colonial times.  The students also got to see a replica of the Maryland Dove and watch as it fired off it's guns in a salute to the United States of America on this day of independence.  After enjoying a quick lunch the students headed for another beach to learn about the plant and animal life at the beach and help pick up trash on the beach.