Day 7-8

With a whoosh and a wish we set off on Day 7 for fun times across the bay, rapping up our tour of the eastern shore with a final glance at Tilghman Island and its Environmental Center and a class on buoyancy in which the students built their own boats from aluminum foil.  After enjoying some sailing in silence, we asked for Poseidon’s blessing by tossing in a penny each to the deepest point in the bay.  The students then studied for their presentations the next day and enjoyed a classic dessert of s’mores around the campfire.

An early rising lead the way into a great day as he students celebrated the final moments of camping. Starting at a nearby beach, the students took time to learn about local flora and fauna that they were interested in even more and finish their presentations as well as enjoy the the hot sand and cool waves.  We then visited another beautiful museum dedicated to the bay and the oyster industry.As they set up camp they took a few moments to play some frisbee and finally enjoy some sparklers with  the crew.  Suddenly, the moment had arrived for presentations, and the students nailed every single one of them discussing some of the most interesting and enticing natural aspects of Maryland and the bay.  Tomorrow starts our last day and yet as much as home is missed the waves will be missed just the same.

Day 6 CTY Session 2

After a storm for the ages, the students visited one of the hallmark of the Chesapeake Marine Biology  studies: an oyster hatchery and conservation station.  The students learned about the entire development cycle of oysters and oyster bed ecosystems from some of Maryland’s finest biologists.  Next came  a nice lesson on the history of sailing and some fun bonding over Disney movies.  After a long day of storms and clouds, the sun rolled through to show off some new tie dyed bandannas and we continued our study of knots and fishes.  As we fell asleep, our bellies full of ice cream sandwiches and delicious pasta, the students rested little as they were excited for tomorrow.

Day 5 CTY Session 2

With a great and restful morning, the students started today off with a knot tying class for all sorts of important sailing ties.  Following this fun time, Sigsbee returned to its original purpose as the students dredged oysters and mussels from the bay.  Instead of eating such delightful and astounding little creatures, however, they instead learned of the ecosystems in which they survive and thrive.  This included experimenting with said ecosystems as an exfoliating mud mask and finally a lovely swim in the water.  As we finished our final meals, we could not be more excited for what tomorrow brings!

Day 4 CTY Session 2

Today began with our longest journey yet and what a successful trip it was!  An amazing class on plankton and its vital role in the bay concluded with our instructors, Katie and Jacob, actually collecting plankton and displaying it to the students.  We followed that up with an exciting exhibition on triangulation and navigation based on a compass with Captain LP and Julia.  After a long day, what’s more lovely than enjoying a game of frisbee and washing clothes?

Day 3 of CTY Session 2

After starting our voyage off on such a great note yesterday, today was more of the same!  With a great of sailing (with a large human knot) as well as a fun time in Solomons Island, students learned about the nautical history of the Chesapeake in all its grandeur.  This included some exciting visits with important creatures like river otters and lionfish, as well as tours of similar boats and an old lighthouse.  This was all capped off with a delicious meal and fossil hunt on the beach which lead to a discovery of sharks' teeth.  All in all, a great day has been had and another exciting adventure starts tomorrow.

With our first sailing day underway, Chesapeake Bay 2 already is excited about the new adventures enjoyed today and the ones on the horizon.  A fun time of hauling in crabs and fishes of the Potomac River as well as exciting times of learning how to actually sail made today a fantastic, knowledge-filled trip.  Exciting days of seafaring to look forward to as we get underway tomorrow following the holiday.

Last day sailing! Today students did some early morning fishing and caught 11 crabs and a couple of fish. They learned about the fish they caught and deepened their knowledge of crabs. Later in the morning they got time to work on their final projects. The day was ended with the Skipjack Races, which was a series of events that the students competed in. In their separate teams they had to race to finish coiling rope, cleaning the deck, putting on emergency life jackets, tying knots, and putting up the sails. When putting up the sails the students endured the added challenge of the crew simulating harsh storm conditions using the ship’s hose.

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday! We had technical difficulties but I’ll outline the past few days here. Students have been learning about GPS fix navigation and three point fix navigation which are two ways to find our location when we are sailing. We had a very windy day on the water and in the turbulence students learned how to perform a deck wash. They also learned about plankton and expanded on their knowledge of water quality. The final project was introduced and students spent some time on the boat researching their chosen topic with books from the ship’s library. At camp students got to tie dye some handkerchiefs.

Today students spent the entire day at camp and visited an oyster hatchery. At the hatchery they cleaned the oyster tanks, got to cool off with a water fight, and helped the staff clean the oysters themselves. Afterwards students returned to camp for a lesson on squid dissection. They learned about the different organs found in squids and got to see them in person. Free time was once more spent locked in competitive card game competitions.

Today students had a long and exciting day on the boat. They learned about water quality and how it is measured with the crew of the boat. They also learned about some of the aquatic life in the bay. This was followed by a hands on activity that involved fishing and sorting their catch. Students caught some bay anchovies, a toadfish, and multiple crabs. To get out of the hot sun for a while students got to jump off the boat and go for a swim. At camp they spent their down time locked in competitive card games.