Day 6

As we pull out of Mystic Seaport for our final day of sailing, here is an update on the past couple of days.

Aug. 2, Day 6

Today it was my birthday! I have to say, it was a pretty awesome birthday. My day was full of continuous surprises, like waking up to my favorite breakfast of apples and cinnamon oatmeal, to ending the day with a giant card from the whole entire crew. We also did many other amazing activities like visit an oyster farm, have a pirate scavenger hunt, talk to my family, and take a shower after slapping on multiple layers of sunscreen each day for 6 days. The best part is now I smell like Greek shampoo and body wash and most importantly, my hair is once again under control! As we get closer to our ninth day on the boat, I start to realize how much I will miss the Lady Maryland and all the crew on it. I think that is the thing I am going to miss the most- the crew.

I will miss my friends but I can still keep in contact with them. The crew, however, is a different story. This is my first time away to sleepaway camp and the whole crew has been supportive of my on/off homesickness. I really have appreciated their supportiveness and look forward to my last days with them! We are now docked in Mystic, CT and are planning on staying here for the next two nights. Well, I better go and celebrate the last hours of my birthday and get ready for the adventures teenage-hood will soon bring me.

-Written by Olga

Days 4 and 5, P-Town to New Bedford

Greetings! We've had a lovely past couple of days here on Lady Maryland. On Saturday, we undocked in Provincetown and set sail for New Bedford. On the way, we passed by a fellow schooner, the Spirit of South Carolina. When we heard "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" we covered our ears as our boat fired a small cannon in greeting. We docked in New Bedford and got a chance to step on shore. We toured the Gazela, an historic Portuguese cod fishing vessel which was docked right next to us. It was quite huge in comparison to Lady Maryland and had several square-rigged sails up forward. Now I'll turn it over to the students to tell you about our day yesterday.

"Today on August 1st, we pulled away from the dock at New Bedford. We sailed much of the day while rotating watch positions. We saw a mola mola, also known as the ocean sunfish. Captain Sinker caught a bluefish. We also caught a lionsmane jellyfish, which we looked at in a bucket on deck before setting it free. It was very cool! We anchored near Fisher's Island, CT and we sung sea shanties! We not only sang sea shanties but we learned about them too! Overall it was a calm day with lots of new experiences."

-Written by Emily and Sofia

Day 3, P-town!

Today we went to Provincetown, MA. First, we docked the boat and walked through town to the Pilgrim’s Monument, which is the real first place that the English pilgrims landed. Then, we returned to the Lady Maryland to a pleasant surprise for lunch, pizza! After that, we left for the Whydah Pirate Museum and learned about Captain Samuel Bellamy and the wreck and treasure of the Whydah. Later we got ice cream on Main Street. We then returned to the ship and learned we would be whale watching aboard the Portuguese Pincess II. While aboard, we saw about 7 humpback whales swimming in line, skimming for food! We played an intense game of Egyptian Rat Slap on the way back to port. Back on our ship, we learned about estuaries and how they connect to whales with Leanna and listened to a ghost story with Chloe. Now, at 9:40, we are about to sleep on deck for the first time!

-Written by Emma

Lady Maryland Trip 4!!

Ahoy, landlubbers! Welcome to our Trip 4 blog. We are pulling up anchor outside of Provincetown as I type, and it's the first chance we've had to access the internet, so sit back and enjoy this update on our first two days at sea.

Day 1:

Today we set sail on the Lady Maryland. We raised the sails and sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Rockport, Massachusetts. Tomorrow we are sailing toward Gloucester Harbor, MA. For lunch today we ate hot dogs, baked beans, popcorn and chips. Thor is a great cook! We washed the soles (floors) and now they are all clean. Some of us also learned how to steer the boat. We were separated into two watches, Starboard and Port. We made flags to put up for each group. When we are not on watch we are in class learning about whales. We hope to see whales soon aboard the Lady Maryland!

-Written by Olga and Audrey

Day 2:

“Two, six: Heave! Two, six: Heave! Two, six: Heave! Big: Muscles! Big: Muscles! Huge: Muscles! Mitali Muscles!”

We started the day hauling up the anchor and raising the sails in the downpour. As Port Watch had class, Starboard Watch took turns navigating, being the helmsman/woman, being the bow watch, doing boat checks, and standing by. We ate a delicious lunch and switched watches. During the time Port Watch was on duty and Starboard Watch was in class, an amazing thing happened… WHALES!

We all stopped and gathered around to enjoy the 3 huge humpback whales! It was truly spectacular! We named them Bowie, Humpback Henry, and Eri (we named Eri and Bowie after our land instructor and TA). Bowie came up in a spy hop, Humpback Henry rolled on his tummy, and Eri kept diving and blowing through her blowhole. We got great pictures and videos that we’ll burn onto a DVD.

The whales were great, but they had to leave sooner or later… Ohhhhhh. We got assigned whale projects about evolution. Port Watch learned about ten lines and five different knots, which Starboard will learn about tomorrow. We finished the day with dinner, striking the sails, dropping the anchor, and enjoying the sunset off of Cape Cod.

-Written by Mitali, with the help of Emily, Audry, Henry, and Liam



Thanks for reading, and check back soon for a picture post and more updates!

CTY Whales and Estuaries July 25, 2010

Day 6: Whales!
Written by Samantha Moores and Adriana Gallardo

Today was one of the most exciting days of our journey. We saw whales!

Port watch had to wake up at 5:45am to raise the anchor and set off to Stellwagon Bank. We got underway and had grits for breakfast made buy our hilarious yet stellar chef, Thor (yes, like the lightening God).
After a few hours of sailing, we finally spotted whales. We folowed them around and turned off the engine. Two whales, which we named Lady and Maryland, stayed by our boat for 45 minutes. They seemed to have a particular interest in us. For the rest of the day we did not stop talking about Lady and Maryland. This was indeed one of the best days in our journey and was truly unforgettable.

Day 7
Written by Evan Wilson

We went on a real whale watching boat today!It was amazing. I got really good pictures and had a great time. As the trip is coming to a close, I have mixed emotions. I am having a great time on the boat but I am excited to get a shower and wear clean clothes. I really miss my family but I am confident that the rest of the trip will move fast. I can't wait to see my family or my dog.
Overall, its been a great trip. I've learned alot, made some great friends, and had lots of fun.

CTY Whales & Estuaries Living Classroom July 24, 2010

Day Two: Elizabeth Islands
By Zeke Blumenfeld

Waking up at 0700 as usual, we started the day anchored across from the Isle of Cuttyhunk, MA. Soon afterwards, we all piled into the Lady Maryland's single motor boat, the Swamp Fox, to spend the day combing the beaches of the Elizabeth Islands. Two hours later, we had failed to amass much shells, but instread had found various crab carapaces, fish vertebrae, and mermaids purses. We had almost an hour left unitl the boat returned so we spent the spare time swimming in order to beat the heat. We dried quickly as we then purmeyed up the main hill of Cuttyhunk to reach its radio tower, where we enjoyed the view of the surrouding geography. We soon returned to the ship, where after sailing for sometime, dropped an otter trawl net to see if we could find any interesting organisms. We dragged up a lot of kelp and although we caught no fish, we did find some sponges and small species of starfish known as a blood star. We ended up anchoring for the night at Tarpaulin Cove, across from Martha's Vineyard where we ended for the night to the view of bioluminescent comb jellies, bobbing in the water around us.


Day Three: New Bedford, MA
By Lauren Weinstock & Tori Brown

We woke up, ate delicious cinnamon bread, and set off from Tarpalin Bay to New Bedford. On the way there we passed through Woodshore, teh marine capital of the world and took mircoscope and water samples. After examining the water, we identified the plankton with a microscope. Before docking in New Bedford, we cleaned the brass which ended in gross black hand-rags. Once docked we walked through the cobblestone streets to the Seamen's Bethel. At teh non-demonimational Bethel, we learned about the hardships of whalers lives and how they could brutally end. WHile there we also learned about Herman Melville and his book, Moby Dick. Later we went down to a dock and went rowing like true whalers. After raiding the wending machine we stumbled upon the Dollar Store. The jumbled store was quite the adventure full of icream, cold food, and cheap sunglasses. Back on the boat we celebrated crew member Sarah's birthday with a surprise card, cake, and pirates attire. We ended the day with dock watches and sound slumber.


Day Five
By Daniel Kiselev & Leah Fortson

After four nights at sea, we began to understand more of what life was like on a boat. I had a much greater appreciation for food and was sure to finsih everything I was served. Thor is an amazing cook and prepared for us oatmeal with cinnamon apples. We were all greatful to have fruit. Then we were all given blueberries, Yum!
Our first destination was to the Providence Town Center for Coastal Studies. We learned about hte importance of keeping our oceans debris free and we hypothesized ways to reduce the amount of line used in fishing. It is very common for whales to get entangled in the fishing lines that connect the bouy to the pot on the ocean floor. Some of our ideas included: natrual fiber ropes, GPS trackers on the pots, magnets that would bring the pots to the surface, and complete irradification of the fishing industry.
We ate sandwhiches for lunch, they were really good. The highlight of the day was climbing the Providence Tower; it is the tallest granite structure. We all needed the exercise.
After we stopped at a local icecream store and our ice cream melted in the warm weather (though still delicious), we went to a ship supply store. It sold everything and it was amazing!
We returned to the Lady Maryland and sailed around the area for practice (we mainly practiced jibing). We had cod soup, the perfect meal for a raining evening.
The day ended with an all-hands muster.



More Adventure to come!

Seaweed!



Omar saying hello!




A Tall Ship in Mystic Sea Port

Day 7 Trip 2

For breakfast we had a really good meal of bacon, cheese and egg on a baibata roll. Normally, I hate eggs on anything but the cook, Gerry, made is so awesome. We docked in Mystic, Connecticut and its really intersting here. It's a museum so the docks and surrouding area is very similar to how it was in 1876. We saw two women dressed up like how women would have back then their whoes looked uncomfortable and they looked really warm in full dresses. The Mystic Seaport had so many mini museums to learn about life on board a ship in the late 1800s and also all the contruction and preparation that went into shipboard life. Last night we took a shower for the first time , it was so refreshing because we were getting smelly and coated in layers of sunscreen. I really enjoyed being able to walk around Mystic today and learn all about sailing back in time when whaling was big.

Written by Lizzy.

Activities on the Water Trip 2

Listening to Maritime stories




Looking out port side



Justine and Zoe in Class




Jim lowering the flag

Trip 1 on Board!

Trip 1 on the Lady Maryland last week whale watching. Look how close that whale is to the boat- how exciting! Trip 2 has seen some whales just as close.

Whales, Whales Whales! Day 2 Trip 2

Yesterday wewoke up and got ready in Provincetown while we were docked. We enjoyed an awesome breakfast of cornbread, yogurt and fruit. Then at 9 we took a long walk to see the Pilgram's monument. The tower seemed to sway in the wind, it was so tall! As we climbed the 116 steps and 60 ramps we said it was hard work but the view at the top was spectacular, and totally worth it. We had lunch and went to see a whale entanglement presentation. Then we walked around town, enjoying the local ice cream, fudge or taffy- delicious! Then we saw humpback whales on the Dolphin VII with a formal naturalist pointing all the whales out. We saw calves breathing, breathing again, and then breaching! We saw so many whales and the whole class was so excited to see them in a different setting. We could even see the glow of the white flippers against the green water- how massive! We returned to the boat where we departed for Greenport, NY. We are sailing through the night and will be helping the crew with watches the whole time.

Written by Justine



Picture by Andrea

Day 2 Whales Trip 2

First off we woke up at 7 in the morning and then we prepared the breakfast, we ate and we went right into cleaning the boat. Port watch was in charge of cleaning the cabins and the dishes from breakfast. Starboard watch was doing their job of cleaning the deck, and port watch took a bit of class. While we were in class we were interrupted by whales! We saw 3 pods or groups of whales including a ton of different humpbacks. There were a bunch of tourist boats who came and watched the whales with us, but we had a front row seat. The whales were spouting, fluking and slapping their fins while eatting. It was really exciting. After an hour watching the whales we went back to work, still having whales spouting around us. The watches took turns being on duty and taking plankton smaples and looking at them in the microscope. Captain Sinker caught a Blue Fish and the cook, Gerry, made it for lunch. It was delicious! We are on course for Provincetown and the Cape looks beautiful on sch a sunny day.

Written by Andrea.

Whales trip 1

7/4/2010
Day 7

Today we docked in Provincetown for most of the morning. The busy little town was full of people excited about the 4th of July. We climbed to the top of the Pilgrim tower and looked out at Cape Cod. The view was incredible.

After noon, we sailed towards Stellwagon Bank. The frenzy began with a few soft puffs of steam on the horizon. Everyone rushed to the front of the boat, cameras and binoculars in hand, to get a closer look at the world's largest mammals. As the Lady Maryland got closer, we became giddier. The whales surrounded us, and everyone was pointing at a different whale, a spout here, a fluke there.

When we turned off the engines, the whales got really close. You could see the wide, dark back of the whales, hear the deep intake of air as they filled their giant lungs. Some of us also felt the spray of mist as they spouted.

Next, they gathered in a tight circle. The water turned green as they blew bubbles. Whales came up in the center, mouths wide open. We recognized this as bubble feeding.

The few people that had managed to stay calm and relaxed through all of this could not hold it in any longer. The whales breached, leaping out of the water, and falling back down sending up cascades of water. We watched in disbelief as four of them breached, one after the other. I was hysterical. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen.

Written by Kate B

CTY Whales Trip Day 7

7/3/2010
Day 7

Today we left the New Bedford Harbor after we ate a breakfast of grits and sausage. The we sailed through the Cape Cod Canal. We had a lunch of chicken tacos while we were sailing. When we got to Cape Cod, we anchored in Provincetown. After that, we did an experiment showing different feeding types of whales. We filled a tub with tarragon, packing peanuts, and water. Then we used plastic bags as stomachs, and various other tools as "teeth."
After that, we were able to go swimming. We swam right next to the boat, getting in and out by a ladder. We washed ourselves with Dawn dishsoap and jumped in. When we finished swimming, we had eggplant lasagna for dinner. After we finished our evening chores, we did hygiene bowls and went to sleep. Throughout the night, we did nightwatches, making sure the boat wasn't drifting very much. Once we were done our shifts, we got back to go back to bed until the next day.

Written by Maggie W.

CTY whales session 1

Day 3

Today we all woke up at 5 a.m. to see the Statue of Liberty and New York City. AT 5:30 a.m., Jenna's mom saw us from the Brooklyn Bridge. Then port watch navigated and steered us up the Long Island Sound. Mel finally was able to meet up with us at Oyster Bay. We did a boat cleaning competition. Port watch had souls, bowls, and dish duty, while starboard watch did a full deck wash. Whoever finsihed first won. Port watch won and Josh and Sam claimed two small skeleton warriors named Pablo and Carlos.

When we docked, we went into town and we all got ice cream. After that, we went to a variety store and had a crazy adventure. We saw a ninja, played around with all of the clothes, and found some stylish rain gear for Harmony (but she didn't like it). We saw cheddar flavored meal worms and sour cream and onion flavored crickets.

When we got back to the boat, Rachel took us to the beach. We all got in, but only a few of us went under the water. Sam and Josh caught caught a fish, but they did not know what kind it was. We had a great dinner and had fun working on our whale project (even though we don't always agree on everything). Any way, today was a good day.

CTY Whales Trip 1 Day 2

Day 2
6/29/2010

Today we had cinnamon buns for breakfast : ). Then, when we were done with breakfast, we started watch. Some people got seasick and had to sit out on some of their watches. Then, before lunch we had a man overboard drill and we had to figure out how to get the "people" back onboard. After lunch, we saw porpoises and they were frolicking in the water. We learned how to navigate the boat and how to steer the boat. We did our first boat checks by ourselves. Josh and Sam broke the world record for fastest boat check. Tonight we have to do watches at night while underway. The weather today was overall kind of cool, but nice.

Written by Judith

Summer 2010 is HERE!!!!!

The crew of the Lady Maryland has been working very hard all week to get the boat pretty and the educational program completly finalized for the amazing summer adventure. We can't wait to meet all the students and their families on Sunday.