Leaving Tilghman Island

We've just set sail from Tilghman Island where we stayed after a long, hot sail. We spent the day before yesterday on Solomon's Island where the students visited the Calvert Marine Museum. The museum was filled with various marine animals including 2 albino blue crabs, dozens of unique species of fish, nettle jellyfish and sting rays, among others. During their museum visit, the students were given a scavenger hunt. They searched the museum for the answers to questions they were given and did a great job finding the answers. They learned about a lighthouse at the museum, several boat makers and famous older ships, as well as tools used for catching crabs and oysters. That night, a strong storm hit the camp, which was quite an experience. We were told that there would be a 50% chance of rain, so we decided to put the rain flies up, just in case. What actually happened were strong winds and a downpour. At about 11:30, things got a little crazy as everyone left their tents and moved into the safety of a building. It was quite a storm that had the left parts of Maryland and the surrounding states with some pretty serious damage, but thankfully our little part of the world was left mostly intact and we were all safe. Some of the students' things got wet, including clothes and sleeping bags, so we spread everything out and dried it off which didn't take long in the very warm summer temperatures we've been having.

Yesterday, the students' spent the day on the boat and docked at Tilghman Island at around 4. We set up camp, had some dinner, and decided to give the students a break from the heat by taking them to see the movie Brave. The heat has been pretty intense the last few days, but the rain cooled things off quite a bit. Today is supposed to be much cooler with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening, so the students got up a bit earlier than normal so we could dock before the thunderstorms hit. They're getting faster at setting up and tearing down the campsite, but improvements can still be made. Overall, however, we're hitting our goal times for when we want to get things done, which is great. We only have 2 days left of sailing, but I know we'll make the most of it.

Helping To Save the Oysters

The Sigsbee is on her way from Horn Point where the group spent one full day and two nights. Yesterday, we spent all day at an oyster hatchery where the students learned about the struggling oyster industry. The hatchery is making an effort to revitalize the population by growing millions of oysters each year. They were given a short tour of the facility and learned about all of the different aspects that go into growing and releasing oysters. After the tour, the students made oyster bags, which are bags of shells onto which the oyster larvae set. After setting the time record for making 100 bags, they took the bags to a tank where 3.5 million oyster larvae were released and would begin to set and grow. After that, they got to see some of the other projects the oyster hatchery was taking on. They hatchery also had some Maryland diamondback terrapins, some white perch, and some sturgeon, which are an endangered species of fish. They learned more about the eating habits of the terrapins and sturgeon and learned that the sturgeon are prehistoric fish that have gone unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs. After learning about the other projects, the kids broke for lunch and came back to clean. They helped clean out some of the oyster tanks and even the oysters themselves, helping to spot out dead oysters and spraying down the live ones. It was a great introduction to the world of oyster aquaculture.

The students are really getting along well and the group is starting to mesh wonderfully. Although they struggle sometimes with getting things done in a timely fashion, they're getting used to the camping lifestyle and are building skills and knowledge related to outdoor living, marine life in the bay, and sailing. Two days ago, while underway, they learned about various knots used to tie lines down and have been learning navigation techniques just about every day. At one point, Captain Joe even stopped the boat and let one of the students attempt to pinpoint our location by spotting out various landmarks around the boat, which he successfully did. Overall, the students are learning quickly and are getting more used to the way the Sigsbee works and are able to do more and more every day without assistance. However, they patience will be tested within the next few days, as the heat will be more intense this weekend, but I have confidence that they'll handle it just fine. Until next time!

"A great age for crabbing"

That's how birthday-boy Christian described today.  The Sigsbee Port watch woke up crazy early (5am!!!) to go meet Capt Clay for a trotlining adventure.  While the crabs were not plentiful, the ones we did catch were very large and very full.  The Starboard watch did a great job of cleaning up camp while waiting for their turn with Capt Clay.  All told, we only caught about a 1/2 bushel of crabs - a sad comment on how low the crab population in in the Bay.  The students will explore this topic and others during the rest of their time at camp.  However today, they only had to concentrate on singing whenever they missed a crab.

I was lucky enough to go join this great group of students and staff last night in Rock Hall for their first night of camping.  It was a very windy, but very comfy night for sleeping in tents.  Even through they had to wake up early this morning the campers maintained a great attitude and willingness to help out.  Even without being asked they helped unload a truck of food for the Rock Hall Food Pantry this morning!  Good job guys!!!

 Birthday boy Christian singing after missing a crab on the trotline.

 Waiting to retrieve and measure the crabs once they are thrown in the boat.

Happy crabbers!!

Sadly, I had to say good-bye to the group as they set sail for their next port, but I'm sure the group will have a great week.  I'm also very sure they will have better posts for you ;)

Lisa

Summer 2012 is here!!!

After a fun night on campus at CND, 11 students headed out aboard the Skipjack Sigsbee today.  There is a slight chance of rain, but the breeze is a welcome relief to all.  Hopefully everyone will stay dry today while learning all about how to operate the Sigsbee safely!!  The students should have a post for everyone in the next few days.

7/13/11

Here's the Sigsbee, checking in again. We had a great sail yesterday, which brought us from Tilghman Island to St. Michael's. The marina was home to a number of impressive boats, including two other skipjacks. After a hearty lunch, the students got a chance to explore the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The Oystering exhibit was particularly interesting, since we've spent a lot of time talking about oysters and this industry that surrounds them. The testimonials from real-life oysterman made us all proud to be sailing on a skipjack!
Today is our last full day of sailing and the students are taking primary responsibility onboard. Its amazing to see how much we've improved in these eight days, and how close everyone has become. We're all excited to get back to friends and family, but saying goodbye might make even Captain Joe cry!

7/11/11

Yesterday was another great day on Sigsbee. The students continued to improve their sailing, knot tying, and navigation. All that hard work was interrupted by a much needed swim call. After everyone cooled off, some students learned about the water cycle while others investigated samples of phytoplankton. As one student wrote, "the day just drifted by like the birds flying past the Magestic Sigsbee." We stopped off at Solomons Island, where our first stop was a local pizza joint. We set up camp in a beautiful state park and finished the day by hunting for fossils of shark teeth on the beach.

7/10/11

Greetings from Skipjack Sigsbee!
Trip 2 is nicely underway and we've got many exciting things to report. On our second day we caught 3 flounders, 2 Burr fish, a Northern Sea Robin, and an uncountable number of comb jellies. Burr fish are a type of puffer fish which inflate when threatened, which we've learned makes them float on their backs. The Sea Robin is a bizzare looking fish with modified fins that act as feet!
On day three we left Sigsbee behind for a day trip to Tangier Island, an isolated community only accesible by boat. They still speak with accents which linguists say closely resmebles 17th century Cornwallish. The students got to talk to locals during a scavenger hunt, and even went crabbing with some of the best 7 year old watermen we've ever seen!
Everyone is having a great time onboard and at camp. Students are learning tons about sailing, and even how to talk like sailors ("haul away the jib!"). We've had to deal with plenty of mosquitos, but great food and a lack of rain has kept everyone's spirits up.
Bon voyage!