Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Eight)

Hard to believe, but it's already our last full day on the Lady Maryland! Today was a busy day as we tried to clean up the ship, squeeze in some last minute lessons, and, finally, end our adventure with some fun and games.

Before anything else, we started the day off with a swim call before breakfast. Almost everyone jumped in for one final swim, and despite the hour (7:00am), it was a fun and refreshing way to start the day.

After we hauled back anchor near Warwick, RI, we were headed, at long last, back to Bristol. We started off the day by throwing a plankton net into the water and collecting different samples of plankton to look at under our magnifying camera. We learned about the importance of plankton despite its small size -- for example, nearly 70% of the oxygen we breath comes from plankton -- and got a little more practice in identifying different creatures.

After playing with the plankton and returning them to the water, the cadets threw the trawl net one more time. This time, we hauled up a few blue crabs, which have a brilliant hue of blue on their legs and pinchers.

Finally, it was time for what the crew referred to as "Field Day", what we soon learned meant cleaning - a lot. We spent the afternoon scrubbing the lovely Lady Maryland from bulkhead to bow and left her in sparkling condition for the next group.

The second, and more exciting, half of Field Day was the Schooner Olympics, during which the two watches, Port and Starboard, faced off in various challenges, including identifying the different lines, knot tying, on-watch skills, recalling the ship's Standing Orders, and, as the grand finale, setting the jib in "storm conditions". This meant that the crew, standing in as stormy weather (since in reality it was another nice night), used buckets of water to simulate big waves at the bow and hoses to simulate torrential rain. The cadets did a great job, the Port watch team even singing sea shanties as they set the sail, and everyone had a lot of fun.

After changing into dry clothes and eating a great last dinner on the deck, each watch presented their final project. The Port watch group created a "whale of the past," the predecessor of the narwhal called a "narwhog", which had a tusk resembling that of the modern-day narwhal but lived both on land and in the water. The Starboard watch group created a "whale of the future", the descendant of a sperm whale called a "deviljho", which had various adaptations making it more suited for a far-distant future, where the ocean is more acidic and the whale hunting technology is much improved. Both groups did a great job.

We finished the night with a game of Whales and Estuaries jeopardy on the deck, and then, with a view of the Bristol harbor and skyline, we all settled into bed, ready to wake up for one final anchor watch. What an awesome trip it's been!

The cadets haul back the anchor as we leave Warwick, RI and head back towards Bristol.

The group catches plankton in a plankton net to study under the microscopes.

Studying different types of plankton under the camera -- here, a "megalops" (on the screen).

Ready to throw the trawl one last time!

The Starboard watch team tying various knots during the Schooner Olympics.

Captain Michael explains the last event in the Schooner Olympics -- setting the jib in "storm conditions"...

Starboard watch team sets the jib!

Port watch team sets the jib...

and still sings sea shanties, despite the terrible conditions!

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Seven)

Today has been fairly leisurely, as we were at sea most of the day, sailing through Narragansett Bay, finally headed back towards Rhode Island. The cadets split the day between being on watch and working on their final projects, which involves creating whales of the past and future based on what they know about whales of the present and the various adaptations of whales.

During the educational portion of the day, the cadets learned more about estuaries - how they were formed and why they are so important as mating and nursing grounds for so many different animals. They also returned to their lesson about water health, examining the results of their experiment from a few days ago. They found the calcium carbonate of the egg and crab shell entirely intact in both the fresh and salt water, and very much dissolved in the vinegar, to the point where the egg had almost no shell at all and the crab shell was flexible and bendy, almost like plastic. Though vinegar is an extreme example to represent the pH levels in our oceans, the levels are changing each year, and the cadets were reminded that if these shells could dissolve in strong acid in just a few days, they could definitely be effected by weaker levels of acid throughout their lifetime. Additionally, plankton has much thinner calcium carbonate shells than the full grown crab shells we used for our experiment, and should plankton stop being able to survive, it would effect the food chain all the way to the top.

The cadets, feeling a little somber after this lesson, were cheered up by the fact that we had accidentally anchored right in the middle of a cat boat race track. Though this meant we couldn't go swimming, we spent the night watching small boats race around us in Greenwich Bay, and were promised an early swim call in the morning.

Tomorrow, we head towards Bristol!

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Six)

"It was cool to see the ways things were long ago in Mystic, in the old timey days." - Sarah

Today we woke up early and sailed into Mystic Seaport on the Mystic River in Connecticut. The seaport is home to one of largest maritime museums in our country, with its shoreline set up as it would have been in the mid-1800s, back when Mystic was an important seafaring village full of big trade boats and skilled craftsmen.

Unbeknownst to us, we were sailing in on a very important day for Mystic – the birthday of Herman Melville, who wrote the American classic Moby Dick. Therefore, there were multiple celebrations going on around Mystic, including a 24-hour reading of Moby Dick which we were lucky enough to walk into during the climactic last chapter.

The cadets spent the day exploring the museum, one of the highlights of which included the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship in the world. The ship is under renovation, but visitors are still allowed to walk inside for a closer look at how and where the crew would have worked and lived. The cadets are now familiar with different parts of a ship, but this was definitely the more massive and impressive version we’ve seen so far. We learned a lot about the process of whaling and the dangers that sailors used to face as they attempted to find and kill whales. Even after the hunt was over, the whalers would have to drag the whale back to the ship using a small boat, often rowing for hours due to the weight of the whale, and then start the long process of cutting off the blubber, hoisting it onto the ship, and cooking it down into oil, often in a race against the sharks that would circle the whale and eat away at its blubber. We all agreed that we’d pass on a position as a whaler were it offered to us.

The rest of the museum was made up of other ships, various exhibits (a favorite being the exhibit on the history of tattoos), and old buildings set up as 19^th century businesses, including a bank, a publishing house, a grocery, a chemist, a ship supply shop, a blacksmith, and many others. A scavenger hunt encouraged the cadets to interact with the different staff members who were posing as craftsmen, and they learned a lot about how a seafaring village would have been run. We also joined a small audience to watch an interactive play called “Tale of a Whaler”, during which we learned more about life on a whaling ship (and reaffirmed our conviction that we wouldn’t want to be a “greenhand”, or an inexperienced sailor, on a whaling ship).

In the afternoon, we were treated to a lesson in sea shanties, or songs sung on deck to help in the hoisting of sails, the heaving in of anchors, and other jobs that involved rhythmic work. We were told that a shanty has been said to be equivalent to ten extra men on the line. Music was a big part of life for sailors, and the sea shanties had influences from all over the world due to the diversity of the whaling ship crews. There was also often a designated “shanty man” who would be responsible for leading the shanties. After our lesson, we went back inside the Morgan to witness a “dog-watch”, which is a two-hour shift on deck during which the men were allowed to socialize and, often, play music. Here, we heard more songs of the sea, this time mostly ballads, played on multiple instruments that the crew would have had on the ship, including a pair of “rhythm bones” made from real bone.

After a long day, we headed back to the Lady Maryland and settled in for a night at the dock. Thunder storms were rolling in all around us, but somehow avoided the area where we were docked, so that we had a great view of the storm without getting wet. Before bed, the crew had a surprise for us. Below deck, we got to watch a movie called Around Cape Horn about a man named Irving Johnson who sailed around Cape Horn aboard a shipping vessel in 1929 – and filmed it. The storms the crew encountered near the Cape were incredibly violent and dangerous, and the footage, some of it shot from the highest rigging, was extraordinary. Though we all went to sleep feeling a little less intense about our own adventures, I think it’s safe to say we all feel a little smitten with the sea.

Tomorrow morning, we head back towards Bristol!

Preparing to dock at Mystic.

Cadets ready to ease our docking with a few roving fenders.

A demonstration on the different positions of the crew during a whaling kill.

A small model of the Charles W. Morgan, the last remaining wooden whaling ship in the world.

(Almost) the whole gang of the Lady Maryland at Mystic Seaport!

Watching the storm settle over Mystic River.

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Five)

"My favorite part about visiting Block Island was getting to feed the dead squid to the spider crabs after we dissected them." - Harry

Another awesome day on the Lady Maryland! It's hard to believe that our voyage is halfway over already!

This morning we set sail early and headed towards Block Island, an island off of the Rhode Island coast that attracts a lot of visitors for its bicycling, hiking, fishing, and of course, its beautiful beaches. We started the day off by exploring more of the local marine life, this time using a tool called a "dredge" that sinks into the muddy ocean floor and catches sea life as it drags along the bottom. The cadets all helped to haul the dredge up, but they got a little timid when they realized that what the dredge had primarily caught was a whole lot of mud. Nonetheless, some jumped in to feel their way through the mud, and we eventually sorted out a few shell fish. Not entirely satisfied, we decided to throw the trawl again, too. This time, we hauled up a whole spectrum of creatures: small fish, starfish, jelly fish, crabs, shell fish, and more. The cadets spent the next hour identifying and studying our different species before we released them back into the water.

The group was feeling much more energized and alert today after a good sleep on a calm sea under the stars, and as we sailed towards Block Island, the group kept in high spirits by singing songs, new and old, as they stood watch and cleaned the ship. The cadets also learned about water health, and tested the varying levels of phosphate, dissolved oxygen, and salinity in samples drawn from the side of the ship. They determined that the water was fairly healthy, but talked about the overall health of water on our planet and how it is being affected by humans. We will take more tests tonight on anchor watch to see if the water where we anchor, near land, is any different from the water further out at sea.

Captain Michael had warned us that the Block Island harbor would be worse than the mall parking lot on Christmas Eve, and sure enough, when we sailed into the salt pond in the center of Block Island that serves as the harbor, there were boats everywhere: huge yachts, fellow schooners, fancy sailboats, small speedboats – even an old, rusty military tug boat! It was fun to look around at all the ways to travel over the water, and to compare our dear schooner’s various parts to other boats as we passed. Finally, we found a good place to drop the anchor, and a small transporting boat picked us up to take us ashore.

We were dropped off at BIMI, the Block Island Marine Institute, where we spent the next hour observing the marine life that BIMI had collected in observation tanks. In one tank, where scallops cohabited with starfish, the cadets attempted to place scallops near enough to starfish to witness the starfish catch and eat the scallops, as they had learned that starfish eat by vomiting digestive fluids into their prey. Though there were some close calls, the scallops always won out, snapping their shells and scurrying away at the last moment. Needless to say, it was very interesting to watch, and the cadets were amazed at the diversity of life in our waters.

After spending some time at the observation tanks, our cadets got the opportunity to dissect squids! Each cadet got his or her own, and they were taught how to cut a squid apart into its various organs, learning each organ’s purpose as they went. A few cadets were brave enough to eat the lens of the squid eye – supposedly full of vitamins – and most ended up with more than a little squid ink on his or her fingers. Afterward, they got to feed the squid pieces to the spider crabs in the observation tanks. Opinions were mixed about whether the lesson was gross or awesome, but overall it was very interesting. Afterward, the cadets were ready to head back to the ship and haul out towards the Fishers Island Sound, where we would anchor for the night.

The cadets continue to have a great time, and each day they become more comfortable with the different components of sailing, taking initiative and often handling the sails almost completely on their own. Tomorrow, we’ll sail a short distance to Mystic, Connecticut – our sixth state in as many days! The crew is very excited for Mystic, a port that they had to skip on the previous trip, so we're excited, too, though we're not sure what we'll find there. Another day, another adventure!

Cleaning out the trawl net after fishing.

Studying the animals we caught in the trawl.

Observing the marine life at the Block Island Marine Institute.

Squid, pre-dissection...

and mid-dissection.

Captain Michael lays the charts out to show us where we've been and where we're headed.

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Four)

“Everything about the day was good, but my favorite thing was anchor watch because I did all of the bearings and checked everything by myself.” - Scott

Today has been a day full of sunshine and a whole lot of learning as we continue to travel down the coast!

This morning we woke up to a calm sea and beautiful skies as we sailed away from Provincetown towards Sakonnet River in Rhode Island. Last night we each stood watch for an hour to ensure that the dock lines didn’t tighten too much or the fenders get pushed out of place as the tide shifted, as that could result in broken lines or a banged up ship. Despite some drizzle through the night, everything went well, and everyone was happy to wake up once again to clear skies. We’ve been extremely lucky with weather so far!

After breakfast, we split up, the Port team cleaning the galley and main salon while the Starboard team kept watch on deck. This was a very important job, as we spent the morning navigating through the Cape Cod Canal, where there was a lot of traffic and only a narrow waterway compared to what we have been sailing. The cadets did a great job working together and communicating about other ships as we made our way through and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the canal, including some awesome mansions along the water.

Once through the channel into Buzzards Bay, the crew had a surprise for us – trawl fishing! This is a type of fishing that involves dragging a large, weighted net behind the boat for a period of time in order to trap fish and other sea life. After working together to lower the net into the water (and smelling the net for good luck!), we talked about the dangers of trawl fishing and the detrimental effects it has when used as a means of catching large amounts of fish and sea life in commercial fishing. Luckily, the Lady Maryland has a license to use a small trawl in these waters for research purposes as long as we record what we find and throw it all back unharmed. When we raised the net, we had caught multiple crabs, mollusks, and shellfish. The cadets spent some time identifying the different species using field guides before carefully returning them to their natural habitat.

After helping to man the ship for awhile, it was back to learning – this time discussing the pH levels of the water and the changing nature of the oceans due to Co2 pollution. The cadets designed their own experiment to test how varying pH levels affect crab shells, immersing shells in fresh water, salt water, and vinegar, the vinegar representing what could happen to creatures with calcium carbonate based shells should the ocean continue to be polluted. We’ll check back on the experiment in a few days!

Once anchored in Sakonnet River – which the cadets were excited to find out shares some views with Roger Williams, though we couldn’t see the campus – Captain Michael asked if anyone wanted to go for a little swim. Positive responses were unanimous, and so we spent the rest of the evening jumping off the ship into the water (and washing up, finally, with biodegradable dish soap!), eating a great dinner on the deck, learning about constellations in the perfectly clear night sky, telling ghost stories, and finally, watching a fireworks show that just happened to be directly in front of the ship (we responded with blasts of the ship’s horn and lots of clapping!). It couldn’t have been a better night, and we all settled into our sleeping bags on deck under the stars, agreeing that it had been one of the best days we’d had so far. We'll wake up again for anchor watch, and tomorrow morning, we'll head to Block Island for more surprises and adventures!

Cadets work together to "sweat" the line, the last and hardest step in raising the jib sail, to ensure that the sail is taut.

Learning about trawl fishing in Buzzards Bay.

Getting ready to drop the trawl!

The cadets study what we pulled up in the trawl - here is a pregnant Spider Crab!

Creating an experiment to test the affect of different pH levels on marine life.

Swimming in the Sakonnet River!

A beautiful night - excited for tomorrow!

*Please note: Some pictures have been added to previous posts, so make sure to check them out!

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Life on Deck)

Matt plots a course on the charts.

The boys clean the dishes after a meal.

Sarah keeps lookout for other ships and potential dangers from the bow.

Scott steers at the helm.

The cadets scrub the floors, or "soles", of the ship as part of a twice-daily maintenance procedure.

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Three)

"It was so interesting seeing the whales up close after learning so much about them!" - Whitney

Today was filled from morning until night with what we all came to see -- whales!

We started the morning headed south towards Cape Cod, and since the crew was tired from sailing through the night, the cadets took charge of the deck: steering, serving as lookouts, and checking the ship. The waves from yesterday had calmed a little but now we were headed straight into the wind. The captain explained that we have to sail regardless of the wind direction, so with the wind at our bow we had to zigzag back and forth through the night, making the trip much longer than it would have been had the wind been behind us or to the side. Nonetheless, the cadets kept on with smiles, and we spent the morning manning the ship and reviewing what we've learned so far about whales.

As it so happened, we were crossing over a bank that attracts a lot of whales due to the shallower water levels, and just as we had hoped, we spotted whales just off our course to Provincetown. The cadets identified the whales as humpbacks, the largest population of whales in this area, and though they didn't get too close to the ship, it was still very exciting to see them breach and fluke in the distance, especially because for many of us this was our first encounter with whales!

A few hours later, we arrived in Provincetown and everyone worked together to pull the Lady Maryland up to the dock and get tied up. The first thing we noticed at the dock was another large sailboat, which the crew explained is a replica of a typical Dutch sailboat used in the 1600s. The cadets, with their newly acquired knowledge of sailing, analyzed the shape of the boat and the strange square sails. After we disembarked, the crew of the other ship offered to give us a tour, and we all noted the differences between that ship and ours and gained a better understanding of how sailboats have evolved over the years. We all appreciated our small bunks much more after we were told that the crew used to have to sleep on the deck with all of the lines!

In Provincetown (or "PTown", as they call it here), we poked around shops and enjoyed some well-deserved ice cream before heading for the final activity of the day – whale watching on a professional boat with the first whale watching company in the world! Though the weather was gray and overcast, we were assured that the whales would make-up for the dreary skies – apparently they like to play in the waves as much as we do! After a long ride around the Cape, we sure enough found ourselves right in the heart of what seemed to be a whale playground. Humpback whales were blowing through their blow-holes, breaching, slapping their flukes on the water, and just generally swimming around on all sides of our boat. At one point a particularly playful whale came right up to our boat, breached close enough to spray us all on the deck, and then swam under the boat, only to pop up and continue the show on the other side! Needless to say, it was a truly awesome experience, and we found ourselves running from side to side on the deck for over an hour as we watched the whales in their natural waters.

Back at the Lady Maryland (which after only a few days is beginning to feel like home), a few of the cadets wrote some reflective haikus about the day:

Bustling with life;/PTown on a cloudy day./I want seafood. -- Harry

Black flukes in the air/Come crashing down with a splash./Very majestic. -- Harry

Whale did breach, did breach/Whale breach splash splashed me, yes splashed/Now I am wet: darn. -- Max

Gray and overcast./Perfect day for watching whales/All around the Cape. -- Anonymous

Humpback whales at play./Sails full of wind and sunshine./Lady Maryland. -- Anonymous

Another awesome day!

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day Two)

"It was cool seeing all the fuzzy little new birds learning to fly and the sheer amount of birds was astounding!" - Matt

Today, after a great breakfast and a good half hour spent cleaning the boat, a task we must do twice a day to keep the boat in good shape, we got to disembark the Lady Maryland and spend some time exploring Appledore Island, one of the larger islands of the Isles of Shoals. Though the islands were once a fishing village, they are now used primarily for research on marine life and birds, specifically the gulls that inhabit the island during their migrations north and south.

After getting a tour of the labs and seeing all sorts of animal skeletons and interesting live specimens, we walked around the island and eventually sat down for awhile on the rocky shore, where we got a lesson on different types of birds from one of the crew members. The lesson was made even more vivid by the countless birds that surrounded us, continually screeching as they tried to protect the fluffy, dark colored gulls that we learned are the babies. We then continued around the island, checking out the beautiful views of the water from the higher points as we hiked and poking around the tide pools on the shore, where we found endless snail shells and skipped a few rocks. Finally, it was time to head back to the ship and get sailing again.

Back on the Lady Maryland, we ate a good lunch and then worked together to haul up the anchor, a job that took a good half hour and a whole lot of man power – we’ll all be in shape when we get back! Then once again we set the sails – a job that is starting to feel familiar – and set off towards Provincetown, MA on Cape Cod, this time with the wind in our sails.

Once we were sailing, the cadets broke up into two groups, one to keep watch on deck - a job that includes steering at the helm, serving as lookout on the bow, checking the boat for any potential problems, and various other, smaller tasks – and one to start learning about whales and estuaries from the awesome educators on the crew. Everyone agrees that it is great to be out on the water again, and it’s great to feel like we know enough to be helpful on the ship. Before we know it, we’ll be able to sail the Lady Maryland without much assistance at all!

Another wave of sea-sickness accompanied the choppier water of the late-afternoon, but we now have a whole day out at sea under our belt, and we’re excited to do more sailing and exploring tomorrow after a good night’s sleep -- this time below deck, as the crew will be sailing through the night so that we can be in Provincetown by tomorrow!

Skeletal samples, as well as a shark fin, at the Isles of Shoals research labs.

Our cadets pose with some marine life skulls and skeletons.

Learning about different bird species from up on the rocks...

and marine species from down on the shore! What an awesome stop!

Lady Maryland: Trip #4 (Day One)

Welcome! Lady Maryland's final CTY voyage of the summer is officially underway! We're excited for a great nine days, and so happy that you're interested in what we're up to out here at sea and at the different ports we'll stop at along the way! We'll do our best to document our adventures!

On Wednesday morning, as the rest of the CTY students headed off to their morning classes, our eight Whales and Estuaries students hopped into a van and headed north to Portsmouth, NH to board, at long last, the Lady Maryland. We boarded the ship around lunchtime and spent a leisurely afternoon in the sun, bobbing on the quick-running water of Portsmouth Harbor until the current had calmed enough for us to set sail. While we waited, we spent some time getting to know the energetic, eight-person Living Classrooms crew and the ship – a 104 foot pungy schooner modeled after work boats that would have sailed these same waters in the 1800s – as well as reviewing important safety information. Despite a little sea-sickness, the group took easily to life on a ship, and once underway we all began the long process of learning to sail – hoisting sails (which are much heavier than they look!), coiling ropes, and slowly acquiring the skills and vocabulary necessary for sailing.

Our first stop was the Isles of Shoals, a cluster of nine islands that breach the border between New Hampshire and Maine. Though the wind wouldn’t carry us all the way to the shore, we motored into the area around sunset, found a buoy to tie up to (though we eventually had to drop the anchor), and enjoyed a nice meal on deck before bed. Most of the kids opted to sleep under the stars on the deck, and everyone fell asleep quickly, especially with anchor watches to wake up for during the night and an early wake-up in the morning.

The last duty of the day was anchor watch, during which members of the crew and our awesome cadets took shifts through the night to ensure that the ship didn’t drift too much. During anchor watch, each group took bearings to record how the ship had changed positions in the water, and also recorded changing weather patterns. After our hour shift, we were all happy to crawl back into our sleeping bags for a few more hours of good sleep. What an exciting and educational first day!At Isles of Shoals, the Spirit of South Carolina, a fellow schooner, passes us on their way back out to sea, and we shoot our cannons as a friendly "hello"!

At sunset, the cadets review the standing rules of the ship before turning in after a long day.

Lady Maryland: Trip #3 (Day Seven)

Today the cadets disembarked Lady Maryland to board a whale watching ship that would set out from Gloucester harbor. After such an unexpected surprise yesterday, many thought it would be hard to top off such a great day of whale watching onboard Lady Maryland.

They were all pleasantly surprised (yet again). After almost a two hour journey, the whale watching ship reached the southern tip of Stellwagen Bank to come upon dozens and dozens of Humpback whales. They were literally everywhere! And what made it so special was that they were bubble feeding: where one individual circles around to form a bubble net to trap the fish while the others swim up to the surface at the same time top gulp all that prey. It was absolutely spectacular. Such bubble feeding groups were all over the area – it was hard enough to see them all!

Even the whale watch naturalist onboard said she had never seen sop mane Humpbacks in one place at the same time feeding – we all knew we were really lucky, you don’t see this everyday. One whale even breached as it jumped up spectacularly right next to another whale watching ship – its entire massive body minus the fluke perpendicularly above the water- and then came crashing down in an enormous splash!

After returning back to Gloucester just after 2:00PM, the cadets had lunch and then set sail to do some sailing outside of Gloucester harbor. The plan was to head up around Cape Ann towards Rockport to make up some time to the Isles of Shoals, our ultimate destination. But just after getting out of the harbor, the winds completely died out and we were not moving at all. Furthermore, the forecast called for some significant winds from the east so the captain decided it would be best to motor back into Gloucester harbor and spend the night anchored behind the breakwater wall, protected from the wind.

Lady Maryland: Trip #3 (Day Six)

This morning was an early all-hands on deck wake-up: 6:00AM – we had a long way to go to get to Gloucester. The crew and cadets were underway by 7:00AM but that morning the weather was not cooperating as large storm clouds with lightning and thunder were on the horizon on the boat’s course!

It was decided to alter the course to go around the storm which would mean a much longer journey than anticipated. Unfortunately, even with this maneuver, the storm caught up with us but the cadets stood on watch as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. The rain lasted less than an hour and the clouds gave away to warm rays of sunshine.

Lady Maryland was making her way across Stellwagen Bank - a major summer feeding ground for whales in the North Atlantic. The cadets were hoping to spot a whale but none of them anticipated so many and so close to the boat. There were Humpback whales left and right and the excitement on the boat was contagious! The cadets were running from one side of the boat to the other, jumping, screaming, clapping… camera shutters were clicking away like there was no tomorrow! The whales put on a spectacular show as they were feeding.

Because of the storm and the unexpected whale-watching, Lady Maryland was a couple of hours behind schedule but the crew brought her safely to dock in Gloucester harbor while the cadets doze away after such an exciting day.

PICTURES: Provincetown

PICTURES: rough seas and rowing

Lady Maryland: Trip #3 (Day Five)

Friday was filled with a ton of activities in town. It also proved to be completely different weather-wise than the previous day: sunny, calm and a scorching 90 degree heat. It was all about water bottles and sunscreen today.

In the morning, the cadets visited the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies to listen to an engaging presentation about whale disentanglement efforts. It was quite inspiring to hear the stories and watch the videos. These people truly make a difference!

After a quick lunch, many of the cadets were a little dispirited because of the oppressive heat. Little did they know about the surprise the crew had planed for them: swimming at the beach and then ice-cream! What a refresher!

After that, the cadets were full of energy for a visit to the Pilgrim’s monument and museum. The views from the top were spectacular – a 360 degree view of Cape Cod, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Bay.

Another great day topped of by a fine dinner of vegetable soup and corn on the cob. Yum!

Lady Maryland: Trip #3 (Day Four)

Thursday morning, the crew and cadets got Lady Maryland out of New Bedford harbor – resupplied and refueled for the next stage and destination – Provincetown on the very tip of Cape Cod.

And what a day it was! All on board battled through thick fog, strong winds, high waves and spray – the boat was swaying up and down, to the left and right, water was washing across the deck! But our cadets held their ground and valiantly performed their duties on watch under the careful guidance of the watch officers and the captain

Once Lady Maryland crossed through the Cape Cod Canal, the crew attempted a trawl but it was called off due to high winds – sometimes the sea just does not cooperate. Nevermind, the strong winds proved to be perfect as Lady Maryland swiftly jibed her way across the bay and into Provincetown harbor (for those who don’t sail everyday a jibe is a sailing maneuver where the stern (back) of the boat is moved into and across the wind).

The dock was full so we had to anchor just outside the protection of the breakwater where the winds were churning up the water into waves. After a few minutes the crew found out that the anchor was dragging! Luckily a spot on the dock was found – but now the anchor had to be brought up on deck – on the wind, spray, and dark.

Finally, just after 10:00PM, Lady Maryland was safely docked in the harbor. Everyone was tired but also deeply satisfied in how the boat was handled despite the elements. All could not wait for a full nights rest (minus the one hour each has to stand watch at the dock, of course).

Lady Maryland: Trip #3 (Day Three)

The cadets and crew woke up to a heavy fog – one could not see anything, which caused the boat to have a slow start as being underway in the fog would be like driving a car blindfolded. By 9:30, the fog cleared out so the anchor was pulled out of the water and Lady Maryland left Cuttyhunk harbor on her way to New Bedford.

By noon, Lady Maryland was already docked at the State Pier in New Bedford. The town used to be the whaling capital of the United States and even today represents one of the most productive fishing ports in the country

After lunch, the cadets visited the whaling museum – a fascinating look into the history of whaling as well as whale biology and anatomy. The museum had several real skeletons of whales, as well as huge models of whaling ships. There was so much cool stuff to learn! Did you know for example, that in order to stage whale skeletons for exhibits they need to be cured because they contain a lot of oil in them? They way they do it is that they bury the skeletons for several years in manure where the bacteria break down and “clean” the bones!

Later in the afternoon, the cadets had a unique opportunity to find out what it was like to row a small whaling boat thanks to the New Bedford Whale City Rowing. The cadets were given huge oars and then rowed in the harbor. The wind was quite strong so it was a real workout

That evening, the cadets were really tired after a full day of museum touring and rowing. They had the opportunity to write some postcards and letters that would be sent home and before bedtime they watched a movie about Pacific marine life. Another awesome day!

PICTURES: trawling and species identifications