Day 8
8/6/08
This morning, we started off the day with a swim call in the fresh water of the Chesapeake Bay. We all jumped off the side of the boat while, of course, Meghan took millions of pictures. The huge current kept dragging us away from the boat, making it hard to stay in one place, but we felt the cleanest we had in 8 long days. When the pool closed, port watch raised the anchor with great difficulty as we sailed off the hook, on our way once again. When we anchored at night, we ate dinner, worked on our projects, and then presented them. Port watch did an episode of "Pimp my Whale" while starboard watch did an episode of "American Idol" whale week, featuring Whaleja Boy! After our presentations, we had muster where we read the very colorful story that we wrote, made fun of Bowie for reading Seventeen Magazine, and heard our night orders.
Tonight was the night that we would be on watch all by ourselves. After we all had changed in our pj's and were ready for bed, we played a game called Mallory Family Fun Game, which is a game that mixes Charades with Taboo to form one very fun game. When the game was over, we set up all of our sleeping bags on deck and snuggled into them. However, many of us sat up and talked while Bowie's cranky self kept telling us to be quiet. I think that we were all just too excited that our journey on the Lady Maryland was coming to an end.
Written by Jaquee and William Benjamin Phillips III
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 7
Day 7
8/5/08
Since yesterday was a relaxing day at the beach, today we sailed all day from Lewes, DE, through the C and D canal, finally anchoring in Maryland.
Last night we anchored in Lewes and got to sleep on deck. We woke up this morning to a delicious breakfast. We proceeded to see dolphins cross our bow and see sea turtles swim close to the port side as we set sail.
In the middle of tying the somewhat impossible bowline knot, I was relieved to be called down below for initiation. The adults on board the Lady Maryland in addition to Jimbo were dressed in costumes while they all too happily squirted us with miniature water guns and poured false-in bacon bits in our hair. We were all called up individually. We had to crawl through a life ring with a type one PFD on. Then Dylan stated something about each of us which ranged from being a rock star to always wearing your hair up. After this, we had to eat a cracker with leftovers on it, then have a mixture of mayo and blueberries wiped on our faces. I'm not sure what you would call all of that, but it was a good surprise. We cleaned the fake-in bits off the deck and did our best to wash our faces. We had a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce, which I have been craving. We then did an activity called scrimshaw. On old whaling boats, men would make these in their free time. Scrimshaw is carvings in whale bone filled with ink. Men were paid little or nothing at all, so they would use their art to buy food and gifts in town. We made our carvings on touga nuts, not whale bone. We mustered and got ready for another relaxing sleep on deck.
Written by Savannah
8/5/08
Since yesterday was a relaxing day at the beach, today we sailed all day from Lewes, DE, through the C and D canal, finally anchoring in Maryland.
Last night we anchored in Lewes and got to sleep on deck. We woke up this morning to a delicious breakfast. We proceeded to see dolphins cross our bow and see sea turtles swim close to the port side as we set sail.
In the middle of tying the somewhat impossible bowline knot, I was relieved to be called down below for initiation. The adults on board the Lady Maryland in addition to Jimbo were dressed in costumes while they all too happily squirted us with miniature water guns and poured false-in bacon bits in our hair. We were all called up individually. We had to crawl through a life ring with a type one PFD on. Then Dylan stated something about each of us which ranged from being a rock star to always wearing your hair up. After this, we had to eat a cracker with leftovers on it, then have a mixture of mayo and blueberries wiped on our faces. I'm not sure what you would call all of that, but it was a good surprise. We cleaned the fake-in bits off the deck and did our best to wash our faces. We had a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce, which I have been craving. We then did an activity called scrimshaw. On old whaling boats, men would make these in their free time. Scrimshaw is carvings in whale bone filled with ink. Men were paid little or nothing at all, so they would use their art to buy food and gifts in town. We made our carvings on touga nuts, not whale bone. We mustered and got ready for another relaxing sleep on deck.
Written by Savannah
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 6
8/4/08
Day 6
We started the Jersey Shore leg of our journey with a breath-taking sail through the night. We raised sails off of Sea Bright, NJ and sailed without engines almost the entire Jersey coast. We has a perfect point of sail with winds at 25 knots and an average speed of 8.5 knots. Everyone volunteered for an underway watch for an hour during the night. We awoke just off Cape May. A short while later, dolphins were spotted all over. We had a bagel and biscut breakfast as we sailed to Cape Henlopen, DE. We sailed again without engines across the mouth of the Delaware Bay with little wind. The trawl net was set in Captain Rich's special place, but only brought up jellyfish and a few hermit crabs. The boat approached the cove breakwater and motored with only the main to our anchorage. The anchor was set, the awning put up, and the bathing suits put on. We were brought to the little beach inside the cove by Swampy, the dinghy. The water was warm. We sained a bit, only catching a few fish. The ocean beach was filled with fishing poles so we couldn't swim there. It was after this that we had a little phone time before returning the the boat. We relaxed before a rosemary marsala chicken dinner was served. Next came the dog watch and more dolphin sightings. We used a hydrophone in the water which allowed us to listen to the dolphins clicking and sqeeking. Muster was on the foredeck. Captain Rich announced we could sleep on deck and most of us are planning on it. We all have anchor watches tonight. Tomorrow holds a transit to the mouth of the C and D Canal and light winds. See you on Friday!
Written by Jimmy
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 5
8/3/08
Day 5
This morning, we started with the opportunity to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and go swimming. Most people did. Thornton made everyone pancakes for pancakes and then we began our watches. We made our way to New York City, and at lunch as we passed through Manhatten. We saw the Christer building and then Empire State building, and shortly after, the Statue of Liberty. We sailed to New Jersey, and while passing a beach, Jimbo's dad kayaked over and came on board briefly.
Afterwards, we went abck to class and watch, and those in class cast a net to collect plankton. We caught a small fish, a tiny crab, and a bunch of microorganisms. We had dinner, washed the souls and bowls, and went back to sailing. We turned the motor off and went by wind. We watched the sun set during our muster (a meeting we have every night), and hung out and played cards below deck. When we got ready for bed, we were timed and we changed in under six minutes so we can sleep in for an extra 15 minutes tomorrow.
Written by Cosima
Day 5
This morning, we started with the opportunity to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and go swimming. Most people did. Thornton made everyone pancakes for pancakes and then we began our watches. We made our way to New York City, and at lunch as we passed through Manhatten. We saw the Christer building and then Empire State building, and shortly after, the Statue of Liberty. We sailed to New Jersey, and while passing a beach, Jimbo's dad kayaked over and came on board briefly.
Afterwards, we went abck to class and watch, and those in class cast a net to collect plankton. We caught a small fish, a tiny crab, and a bunch of microorganisms. We had dinner, washed the souls and bowls, and went back to sailing. We turned the motor off and went by wind. We watched the sun set during our muster (a meeting we have every night), and hung out and played cards below deck. When we got ready for bed, we were timed and we changed in under six minutes so we can sleep in for an extra 15 minutes tomorrow.
Written by Cosima
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 4
8/2/08
Day 4
Another day on the Lady Maryland! We woke up on this foggy Saturday morning to get ready for another day of work, same as all other days. The starboard watch had breakfast before the portwatch because starboard watch had the 8 am to 12 pm watch while the port watch had the 12 pm to 4 pm. However, at 3:30, our port watch was cut off by a thunderstorm. We were forced to retreat to below deck to continue our work. Later on, we returned to the deck when the storm had passed.
Dinner was great as usual. We continued the day with evening classes which included bow watch, navigation, and working the helm. What a day, oh, what a day!. With us in the Long Island Sound, everything seems just right.
Written by Nathalie
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 3
Day 3
8/1/08
We woke up to the putrid smell of the head and the bilge. We have slightly gotten used to the stench over the past couple days. My ears only slightly make out the words, "swim call" followed by a round of "YES" and "FINALLY." I caught a comb jelly during our swim call.
Next, we anchored in New Bedford, MA. There, we went rowing in whaling dories. Afterwards, we came back to the boat and had another delicious lunch prepared by Thornton. Then, we went to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where we completed a scavenger hunt. Afterwards, we toured the sailor's bethel, a nondenominational church featured in Moby Dick.
When we got back to the wonderful Lady Maryland, we set the sail (only the forsail) and trawled for the second time, catching many creatures including a Lion's Mane Jellyfish. We even were able to do a water quality test for the coalition for Buzzard's Bay.
Dinner was delicious and we cleaned the ship afterwards. Now, we sail on into the night, through the Block Island Sound and into the Long Island Sound. I close my eyes and wonder how much longer it will be until I am awaken for my night watch.
Written by Welles
Friday, August 1, 2008
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 2
Day 2
7/31/08
Greetings from our little piece of paradise! After the fantastic day yesterday, I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to have as much fun today, but I was most definitely proved wrong. After awakening from a lovely night sleeping on deck, we were treated to our first ever breakfast by Thornton (the Lady Maryland cook). Mmmmmm...Boy was that cranberry orange coffee cake YUMMY! We all helped with the dishes and did a wash down of the deck, which is more fun than it sounds! When you are sitting on a boat with waves lapping on the deck, even scraping crud out of pots is enjoyable! After all the cleaning, we headed down the dock for a professional whale watching excursion. I had pretty low expectations because the whales were so amazing from the Lady Maryland the day before and a thick fog didn't help my spirits. But we were treated pretty early on to a lone humpback showing us its fluke, nice and slow, perfect for taking photos. Soon, we met up with Salt, a well known humpback around Stellwagen Bank, who was nursing her calf. We stayed with the pair for quite a while, untile the calf became very curious. It swam RIGHT UNDER THE BOW where we were standing, spraying us all with whale snot from its blow hole. We could have touched it, it was so close. The calf then turned onto its back, and started flapping it fluke, getting us all wet! On our way back to P-Town, we came upon some humpbacks bubble feeding. Bubbling feeding is where whales blow bubbles around a school of fish, trapping them. Then, the whale swims through the school and sometimes out of the water, so you get a great view of the open mouths filled with baleen. I headed upstairs to talk to the boat's scientist about whales. It was the best decision I have ever made. When I raeched the upper level, I caught a glimpse of a humpback. As I followed it with my eyes, it suddenly leaped out of the water, breaching. It breached again two more times before disappearing. It was a stunning, once in a life time moment. The power and grace of the whale was simply magical. It is an even I will remember for the rest of my life. The whale watching ended with a group of four fin whales, the second largest whale. When we got back to P-Town, we headed to the Whydah Pirate museum, home to the world's only pirate treasure. We also took a trip to the real, flushing toilets, which are a huge step up from the head on the ship. We left P-Town and sailed through the Cape Cod Bay and towards New Bedford. We had our first real watch/class rotation which went well. Right before we went through the Cape Cod Canal, we put out a trawl net.
Among other things, we caught two skates, and fish, spider crabs, sand dollars and a star fish. We got to touch EVERYTHING! I even got to put a starfish on my face. We enjoyed a lovely dinner while motoring down the Cape Cod Canal. Late tonight, we will anchor somewhere near New Bedford, awaiting and exciting day. I have night watch tonight from 10 to 11 or 2200-2300 in sailing langauge.
Written by Meghan Shea
7/31/08
Greetings from our little piece of paradise! After the fantastic day yesterday, I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to have as much fun today, but I was most definitely proved wrong. After awakening from a lovely night sleeping on deck, we were treated to our first ever breakfast by Thornton (the Lady Maryland cook). Mmmmmm...Boy was that cranberry orange coffee cake YUMMY! We all helped with the dishes and did a wash down of the deck, which is more fun than it sounds! When you are sitting on a boat with waves lapping on the deck, even scraping crud out of pots is enjoyable! After all the cleaning, we headed down the dock for a professional whale watching excursion. I had pretty low expectations because the whales were so amazing from the Lady Maryland the day before and a thick fog didn't help my spirits. But we were treated pretty early on to a lone humpback showing us its fluke, nice and slow, perfect for taking photos. Soon, we met up with Salt, a well known humpback around Stellwagen Bank, who was nursing her calf. We stayed with the pair for quite a while, untile the calf became very curious. It swam RIGHT UNDER THE BOW where we were standing, spraying us all with whale snot from its blow hole. We could have touched it, it was so close. The calf then turned onto its back, and started flapping it fluke, getting us all wet! On our way back to P-Town, we came upon some humpbacks bubble feeding. Bubbling feeding is where whales blow bubbles around a school of fish, trapping them. Then, the whale swims through the school and sometimes out of the water, so you get a great view of the open mouths filled with baleen. I headed upstairs to talk to the boat's scientist about whales. It was the best decision I have ever made. When I raeched the upper level, I caught a glimpse of a humpback. As I followed it with my eyes, it suddenly leaped out of the water, breaching. It breached again two more times before disappearing. It was a stunning, once in a life time moment. The power and grace of the whale was simply magical. It is an even I will remember for the rest of my life. The whale watching ended with a group of four fin whales, the second largest whale. When we got back to P-Town, we headed to the Whydah Pirate museum, home to the world's only pirate treasure. We also took a trip to the real, flushing toilets, which are a huge step up from the head on the ship. We left P-Town and sailed through the Cape Cod Bay and towards New Bedford. We had our first real watch/class rotation which went well. Right before we went through the Cape Cod Canal, we put out a trawl net.
Among other things, we caught two skates, and fish, spider crabs, sand dollars and a star fish. We got to touch EVERYTHING! I even got to put a starfish on my face. We enjoyed a lovely dinner while motoring down the Cape Cod Canal. Late tonight, we will anchor somewhere near New Bedford, awaiting and exciting day. I have night watch tonight from 10 to 11 or 2200-2300 in sailing langauge.Written by Meghan Shea
Whales CTY Summer Session 4 Day 1
Day 1
7/30/08
Today, we finally set sail on the Lady Maryland! We were all exhausted from the train ride and car ride, but we managed somehow. We all learned how to set up the boat, including pulling up the sails, which was pretty fun. On the boat, we saw atleast 15 whales surface! We even saw some whales that were less than 100 feet away and feeding right behind the boat! The lunch was delicious on board.
When we experienced some boat chores like sweeping the floor, washing the floor, and piloting the Lady Maryland, we arrived at our destination for the night, Provincetown. We listened to an interesting speech about how some companies were working to free marine mammals (specifically whales) that were getting in fishing lines.
Afterwards, we were allowed to wander around in town. We encountered one store that had an randon selection eclectic marine necessities.
Tonight, we experienced our first time sleeping on deck and also our first time waking up at night for the boat watch. Today we learned and saw many things which got us all really excited for the next day.
Written by Suzanne Zhou
7/30/08
Today, we finally set sail on the Lady Maryland! We were all exhausted from the train ride and car ride, but we managed somehow. We all learned how to set up the boat, including pulling up the sails, which was pretty fun. On the boat, we saw atleast 15 whales surface! We even saw some whales that were less than 100 feet away and feeding right behind the boat! The lunch was delicious on board.
When we experienced some boat chores like sweeping the floor, washing the floor, and piloting the Lady Maryland, we arrived at our destination for the night, Provincetown. We listened to an interesting speech about how some companies were working to free marine mammals (specifically whales) that were getting in fishing lines.
Afterwards, we were allowed to wander around in town. We encountered one store that had an randon selection eclectic marine necessities.Tonight, we experienced our first time sleeping on deck and also our first time waking up at night for the boat watch. Today we learned and saw many things which got us all really excited for the next day.
Written by Suzanne Zhou
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