Day 5 on the Lady Maryland

This post was written by Mike and Jesus:

Friday, the Fourth of July, we awoke at 6:10 to haul the anchor and set sail for New Bedford, MA. After breakfast one crew member taught an English lesson that incorporated American History. Later, we broke up to write our own short stories about the sea. When we reached an area called Buzzard's Bay, the cadets aboard the Lady Maryland became volunteer "Baywatchers," by performing numerous scientific tests on the water quality of the surrounding bay.
This data was collected to help inform the conservation efforts of the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, which is dedicated to the restoration, protection, and sustainable use and enjoyment of the bay and its watershed. Using various types of equipment we determined the waters temperature, pH, salinity, and clarity at two different depths. Then through the rough swells and maze of crab pots, we made our way to the dock in New Bedford and had dinner. That night, we watched a patriotic display of fireworks while celebrating with watermelon and grape soda. To end the day, we all retired to our bunks except for the two brave souls who slept on deck.

The following is a sample short story that one of the students on board wrote for their English project about life at sea:

The Twilight Ship

Captain Alexander Hamand watched the sunset from the docks of Havana, Cuba. He was still stunned from the events of the days before. It was 1863 and the American Civil War was still raging. Captain Alexander had been recently promoted and given a ship. The Embroke was a four masted frigate armed with twenty-six long-range cannons that fired specialized exploding shot. She was commissioned as a Union assault frigate.

Weeks earlier a Confederate flotilla began terrorizing trade ships in the Caribbean Sea. A task force was assembled and sent in pursuit of the flotilla. The Embroke being assigned to the fleet, grouped at Havana. After tracking the Confederates for days, they clashed near the Bahamas. The Union won and chased the fleeing rebels. Unable to flee, they retreated to the Bermuda Triangle. The rebels lost ships in the retreat. The Embroke alone set several aflame.

A bright pinpoint of light appeared on the horizon. By the time it was visible night had fallen. It appeared to be a fully-rigged massive man-of-war that gave off an eerie white light. It sailed between the two flotillas, unaffected by the crossfire. Suddenly, it opened up in a powerful sweeping broadside barrage with all 122 guns. The Confederates were gone, decimated by the blast. The Union forces were battered and immediately broke and fled.

The ghost ship followed and was oblivious to the crossfire. Dozens of ships fell prey to the terrifying phantom. The Embroke was the only one left. As they neared the edge of the Bermuda Triangle, the ship stopped firing. The ghost closed the distance. It was so close you could read its name, Hollow Bone. It pulled alongside, its crew became visible. The Hollow Bone was crewed by cursed skeletons, ghosts, and gory zombies.

Then the Embroke crossed the border of the Triangle, and as quickly as it appeared, the Hollow Bone was gone. The Embroke limped back to Havana.
Even the memory of that fateful day scared Alexander to the degree that he shook with fear. He vowed never to sail the Triangle again.

Day 4 on the Lady Maryland

This post was written by Brian and Kevin:

Another early morning on the high seas. The very first thing to do for the day was to swab the deck, but luckily the weather was nice and we were all feeling good. The winds today were absolutely perfect and with such optimal conditions we were able to cut the motor and sail completely by the power of the wind for nearly the whole day. The wind was so strong that we even broke speeds of 10 knots, which is even more impressive considering the maximum hull speed of the Lady Maryland is 11 knots.
Later in the day two Spanish speaking students from Los Angeles taught the rest of us a little spanish. We also learned an old type of sailor's art called, schrimshaw. Sailors used to carve images in whale's teeth and then fill the grooves with ink. We made our scrimshaws with soap though, it was fabulous.
Overall the entire trip is terrific. We'ev learned lots of useful knots and navigating skills. In the evening one of the crew members caught a Lion's Mane Jellyfish and brought it on board for us to look at and learn about. Apparantly jellyfish can only sting where there are hair folicles, so its possible to touch them with your palm without being stung. We definitely have a lot of new knowledge and information to share when we get back.

Day 3 on the Lady Maryland

This post was written by Andrew:

Wow, what a day.
After spending an hour awake at midnight for night watch, we awoke this morning to the New York City skyline on the horizon. Just as we arrived on deck we were passing under the incredibly long Verrazono Bridge. Our wonderful ship cook Thorton had prepared some delicious french toast, but there was little time to enjoy before things got really exciting and we had to attend to the ship. The crew was nice enough however to let us whip out our camera and take pictures of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as we motored on by. Those who took the helm today had a tough job because of the strong currents and huge amount of boat traffic in the New York Metro area. As we headed North on the East River, we passed all sorts of amazing landmarks like Governor's Island and Roosevelt Island, as well as many huge cargo ships, massive barges and the Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Tri-boro, Throgs Neck, Whitestone, and Queensboro bridges. It was pretty amazing

Later that day, after we had successfully maneuvered the most treacherous waters on the East Coast (Hell's Gate), we docked in Oyster Bay and spent the afternoon playing on the beach. Some of us tried to go swimming, but most of us returned to explore a small stream that flowed into the bay. With stomachs full of ice cream (our first taste of dry land life in almost three days), we found many creatures; including, young American eels, small crabs, shrimp, a horseshoe crab and snails. Seven of us worked together to build a huge dam. However, just as soon as we placed the last barrier into place, the main wall gave way. We all gave up after that and headed back to the Lady Maryland. We were lucky enough to take a cold shower under a fresh water spigot that we found on the dock and then we ate another delicious meal of pasta salad and garlic bread.
It's been a long three days on the Lady Maryland, but we are all having fun and becoming very good friends. I hope I sleep well tonight, because one thing I'm sure of is that tomorrow will be another hard and exciting day.

Day 2 on the Lady Maryland

This posting was written by Angel and Sean:

An early morning on the ocean. Having made it to Deleware Bay before anchoring after midnight, we awoke at 7:00am to find the crew had already raised anchor and that we were well on our way. After breakfast we scrubbed and washed (swabbed) the deck. Soon we left the Deleware Bay, rounded Cape May of New Jersey around noon and finally came to open ocean. By the end of lunch the sea was getting choppy and threatening to retrieve the meal we had just put in our stomachs. It soon became clear that we still need some time to get our sea legs. Throughout the day we took turns in groups manning the boat by steering, navigating, and checking the boat regularly for problems or learning about estuaries, which involved an experiment with mixtures of different colored salt and fresh water.

During dinner, at about 6:00 we passed Atlantic City and throughout the day we were lucky enough to see several groups of dolphins off the bow and later swimming in our wake. Now that we are on the high seas we have begun to experience what life on a boat is really like. At 9:00 we headed below deck to play a couple of card games before lights out. Laying in a cramped rocking bunk and waiting for sleep to come is'nt easy when you know that at some point in the middle of the night you will be rudely ripped from slumber to go on deck for an hour long watch. But its a job that must be done when we're sailing through the entire night, and its a little easier knowing that we will be greeted with the sight of New York in the morning.

First Day Out (Session 1)

This entry marks the first day out on the boats for the session one students. Each student will have at least one opportunity to write an entry.

This post was written by Sarah:
"First day entry...what to say? Bobby fell off the boat; Grey was forced to sit in the Engine Room since he caught the smallest amount of trout; Joan got so scared when she spotted that shark, she dropped her duffel bag into the channel.

Okay, okay...none of those people actually exist. But that's what everybody seems to think will happen when I've told them I'm taking a whales/estuary system class, which spends half of its duration on an old-school boat (super old-school; its the last pungy schooner in existance) called the Lady Maryland.

"Whales?! Oh man, you're going to have an interesting adventure...tell me how it goes."
"Wait, are you going to go out onto the ocean? Can you swim?"
"Whose genius idea was this?" Are some of the questions I usually get from my peers along with profuse laughter.

But despite everyone's doubts, our class departed for our boat (monday) morning. We briefed, we roped (or lined rather), we knotted, we spoke in ship language. What's even better though, as I see my fellow CTYers battle it out over ERS (a card game) at 9:40pm, is that we're starting to get to know each other. It will be unavoidable, as we're all (yes, all eight boys and two girls) sharing bunk quarters that double as a kitchen and get sweltering hot in the confined below deck space. In fact, we won't be able to journey more than 100 feet from each other for our whole nautical experience.

And despite small drawbacks--all belongings must be on our bed at all times, the bathroom has less than three sq. ft. of floor and is complete with a hand-pumped toilet, not to mention that the two of us girls cleaned the floor not once, but twice today--when we see that open water and laugh together about our experiences while playing "two truths and a lie," you know its all worth it.

Gearing up for Summer 2008

Gearing up for Summer 2008

The Lady Maryland Crew is working very hard to get the boat and program ready for a great summer. Kate the mate is working on the rigging while Jenny and Haley are working on programmatic needs. Can't wait for the students to arrive!!