CTY Bristol - Day 4: New Bedford, MA

Land Ho!

Last night we docked in New Bedford, Massachusetts after a long day of sailing. We parked right next to the Ernestina, an extremely historic and interesting schooner that the kids got a tour of today. Some of the students chose to sleep on deck again (third time in a row!) because of the cool weather, while others slept down below. The students took dock watch in shifts in the wee small hours, and by 7 AM we were up!

After eating breakfast (which was, once again, delicious) the kids had about an hour and a half to work on their projects. Each student has chosen a topic related to whales and/or estuaries, and using the materials we have on board, and the different museums and stops that we make, they research those topics and will collectively create a Whales & Estuaries Newspaper by the end of the trip. Some of the topics include 'Whales in Captivity' or 'Climate Change in Estuaries.' At around 10:30 AM the students headed to the Whaling Museum of New Bedford!

This museum was unreal. It is the largest whaling museum in the entire world (has 750,000 different objects) and our tour guide, Brian, was very knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions the students shot at him. We toured the museum and saw giant skeletons of a blue whale, humpback whale, etc. We passed around a humpback's tooth, saw carvings that sailors used to make in teeth in their spare time, took a tour of a half-size model of a whaling ship, and learned about the day to day life of seamen. The students had a great time at the museum, so check out some of the pictures below!

We then returned to the Lady Maryland, where we ate lunch and then took a tour of our neighbor, the Ernestina. Unfortunately I won't be able to type for hours on end, so I won't be able to tell you all of the truly amazing things this ship has done. It has sailed around the world to Cape Verdes, Iceland, Greenland, Northern Canada, the Arctic, Europe, along the Atlantic coast, etc. It even brought back a polar bear, yak, and walrus for the Bronx zoo, as well as serving as a transport ship in World War II. The ship now sits in New Bedford. New Bedford is the largest fishing port in the United States, as you will be able to see in one of the pictures below. There are dozens upon dozens of ships in the harbor.

After seeing the Ernestina, we all ventured over to a nearby center to learn more about Buzzards Bay. Buzzards Bay is in Massachusetts and has been at risk recently have high nitrate levels in the water. The students learned all about ways to prevent pollution in this body of water.

After this jam packed day of learning/touring New Bedford, it was time to set sail. We got off the dock in New Bedford and sailed a couple of miles just before dinner to Kettle Cove. The students are now getting a lesson in the art of sailor tattoos from first mate Joe (no worries parents, no students will be coming home with any tattoos). Some of the pictures might not save to this post due to poor internet connection, but they will be posted as soon as possible!!