CTY Bristol -- Day 8

That time has come: our last night aboard the Lady Maryland.

We had an awesome last day, sailing from Provincetown to Gloucester with some fun in between. We woke up bright and early, had breakfast, and set sail. The students finished their projects and continued to work on their scrimshaw technique. But who cares about all that, because we saw WHALES today!!! Okay, so the other stuff is still cool, but as we sailed across Stellwagen Bank, we saw a couple fin-back whales come up out of the water. One even made it within 50-100 feet of our ship! Throughout the afternoon we saw countless more, each more special than the last. The students were ecstatic to see some whales, and we will hopefully see even more tomorrow at our whale watch!

After lunch, it was time for field day!! On the last day of every trip, the students spend the afternoon cleaning the ship's every nook and cranny. This included scrubbing cracks with toothbrushes, taking out floorboards and cleaning the mung underneath, etc. These students truly have become expert cleaners, so put those skills to use when they get home!

After field day, the students got to test their sailing knowledge at the Schooner Olympics! The students competed (port vs. starboard watches) in a contest to test their knot tying skills, knowledge about the ship's different lines, what to do in case of an emergency, etc. Check out all of the pictures in the next post! By the time the Olympics had ended, we were ready to sail into Gloucester, MA. Unfortunately, it was our last time to strike the sails and pull into port. But it was pizza night! Chef Michael prepared ten delicious large pizzas for the crew; it was certainly a great final supper.

Now the students are putting the final touches on their projects, playing some games, and getting ready for their final muster from the captain and dock watch later tonight. It's been a trip to remember!

We're signing out now, but more pictures will be posted in the next couple of days! Also, keep up with this blog if you want to see what is happening on the final Whales trip of the Summer!