A Whale of a Good Time

And so ends day two aboard the Lady Maryland for our 10 new adventurers!  Living up to the programs reputation, today was a rewarding, educational, and tiring day.  The students were awakened at 7 am, and immediately hauled back the anchor.  At breakfast the students were very excited to receive double bacon rations, which started the day off on the right foot!  During the morning hours, Chief Mate Emily taught a theory of sail class.  It was interesting to see the students have a “light bulb moment” when they understood the mechanics of what makes Lady Maryland sail the way she does.  The students also tried trawling with the net, but unfortunately the water was too deep, and not a single thing was caught!  There is still ample opportunity for a good catch, and our crew remains optimistic that it will happen soon.  Around lunch time we reached our destination and went to the whaling museum in town.  The Lady Maryland is too large to pull into the harbor, so the students were shuttled using the Swamp Fox, which is Lady Maryland’s little motor boat.  It’s called the Swamp Fox because it has the tendency to get a little wet.  Before the students got to the museum, they worked on an art project in the park.  When everyone had made it to land, we set off for the museum.  Our cadets had a wonderful time at the whaling museum, learning about the harsh life of a whaler, and the history of the whaling industry.  It was a tiring day, but the students perked right up when we got back to the boat and had a swim call!  It was a soapy swim call, nonetheless.  One of our students said, “My favorite part about today was swimming because we showered for the first time in 3 days!”  They perked up even more when they were served a delicious spaghetti dinner.  Immediately after dinner, the typical duty of cleaning the boat and cleaning up from dinner commenced.  

The students are looking forward to tomorrow’s adventure, and our future destinations.  But before then, we have another night of anchor watch, which involves an hour out of the student’s night to help make sure that the boat is not moving from her anchorage.  It was a little difficult for a few of the students to wake up last night, but they are excited for another try!  Which is the theme on the Lady Maryland: we learn by doing, and by doing we learn. 

Getting ready to trawl

Our youngest (and luckiest) student sniffing the trawl net for good luck!

Learning some more on a Living Classroom!

Sail on, Lady Maryland!

Checking out a model whaling ships at the museum. 

Look at that huge whale jaw!

One of our students next to the skull of a killer whale

A whaling boat that would have been used to go out and kill, then drag the whale back.

Session 2 - The Beginning

Greetings from session two of CTY's and LCF's whales and estuary class!   We are really excited to have 10 new cadets with us on this splendid Fourth of July!  They came aboard the Lady Maryland this morning around 10 am.  They were immediately sent to work to help get the boat off the dock at New Haven, CT After briefly enjoying the feeling of sailing, the students then helped the crew raise the sails, and steer the boat along the Long Island Sound.  

The new students were very eager to jump in to their first day on the water.The crew aboard the Lady Maryland are top rate, and are all eager to train a new bunch of students. Already the students have learned their coils, as well as the directions of the compass and the points for look-out. They have also started thinking about their final project, which is a new paper composed of articles written and researched by the students.  It is a stretch in teamwork and accountability that always teaches more than the students realize!  But for now, our new cadets are ready for a night of rest. It being the 4th of July, we are hoping to see some fireworks tonight, and the cook has whipped up a batch of popcorn for the event.  It promises to be a relaxing and rewarding first night.

Our final sunset...

Today is the last full day of voyage for the first session of students aboard the Lady Maryland.  Tomorrow they leave on a jet plane, back to Baltimore and the university campus.  And back to real beds!  For some, it is an exciting prospect.  For others, it is a sad realization.  It has been so rewarding to see these students bond into a crew, come to care for one another, and learn the profit of hard physical labor and mental exercise. 

Last night we pulled into Cold Spring Harbor, a quaint little town with very friendly people.  The students were able to take a nice swim in the salt water of the harbor, relieving a lot of their pent up energy, and getting a well deserved rest.  The day was full of good sailing, and more sail handling than normal due to wind conditions.  The students rose to the challenge and genuinely enjoyed it.  One of the students commented, “There is something very rewarding about working with your hands.” 

The night watches were uneventful (which is a very good thing!) and the students woke refreshed and ready for a new day!  The little group set off to take Cold Spring by storm, and walk the half mile to the whaling museum.  What a museum!  Though small, the institution was thorough, and provided the student with information about past and present whale hunting practices, as well as new scientific instruments used to study whales.  The museum did a wonderful job of explaining why whale was hunted (back in the day and today), and showing the progression of the industry.  The students were fascinated, as were the adults with them.  What a wonderful way to start the morning!

Learning on the Lady Maryland is hands on!

Working below with the microscope.

We love to swim! 

Ready for the museum!

Scrimshaw:  The art of carving into whale bone.

The tusk of a narwhal.

Gift shop, anyone?

Checking out whale research technology

Investigating some of the research equipment available at the museum. 

Relaxing before the hard work of hauling back the anchor and getting underway

After the museum, the hands aboard the Lady Maryland enjoyed a good lunch, and set sail again.  And though our time out here draws to a close, for now that is what we must do: sail on, into our last hours of adventure! 

Thanks for the memories, New York!

The Lady Maryland is underway once more!  Yesterday we left New York Harbor and sailed up the East River (under the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge) toward Long Island Sound.  Before all of this, the students were able to go on an adventure like none other.  Our gracious captain pulled some strings and landed our group a tour of the Peking, a steel hulled barque originally built in 1911.  She was made famous by the sail training pioneer Irving Johnson, who made a video documentary about the Peking’s rough passage around Cape Horn in the 1920s.  The Peking participated mainly in the nitrate trade. Her current owners are the South Street Seaport Museum.  Sadly, the museum does not have the funds to restore her, and the Peking is destined to go back to Germany, where she was originally built, to undergo renovation.  Here in New York, the Peking is closed to the public, but Michael was able to get us an invitation.  This CTY class will probably be one of the last people stateside to visit her before she is shipped to Germany and restored.  It was a truly special adventure! 

After visiting the Peking, we pulled off the dock and prepared for the next leg of our voyage.  We headed through downtown New York City via tall ship, sailing up the East River toward Long Island Sound.  Along the way we passed the Brooklyn Bridge, which the Peking is docked in front of.  We also passed the island on which many American revolutionaries were tortured by the British for information, situated close to New York since it was a hot-bed of revolution.  All in all, the trip to New York City was an educational, cultural, and historical success!  The students are tired but happy.  They are having such a great time, and are sad to see our journey coming to a close.  Yet there is much to do in the next few days, and so little time to do it!  Who knows what will happen next?

If you are interested in learning more about the Peking, check out Irving Johnson’s documentary entitled, “Around Cape Horn.” 

The deck of the Peking…she is a really big barque!  Our students looked like ants running around. 

The living conditions on the Peking.  On the left hand side and along the back are bunks - things were crammed! 

And old photo of the Peking with full sail set.  The ship could reach speeds of twenty knots! 

The helm of the Peking is quite massive!

“The Band” aboard the Peking.  The Band is an assortment of finger puppets that have collected aboard the Lady Maryland.  When the students go out on adventures, the band comes with them, and then during anchor watch or dock watch the students write stories about them. 

Brooklyn Bridge

The City that Never Sleeps

Salutations to our fellow travelers-in-spirit!  We have had a busy couple of days here on the Lady Maryland, but have finally found time to work on a blog entry to keep you filled in and sailing right along with us!  Yesterday we sailed toward New York, and trolled for fish off the coast of New Jersey.  What a catch we had!  Captain Michael was so excited about the array of marine life we caught, that he insisted on fishing later in the day as well.  Between the two trolls the students caught a number of squid, spider crabs, flounder, skates, and a variety of fish.  It was very exciting for everyone on board!  The kids then spent some time identifying them before releasing their catches back into the ocean.  Shortly after we sailed into New York Harbor, and anchored near the Statue of Liberty for the night.  There are no words to describe the feeling of sailing into New York other than, “wickedly epic.”  The students were thrilled to be there, and to be anchored in such a historic spot.  All of the students chose to spend their night sleeping on deck, enjoying the sounds of the city that never sleeps.  They were all startled awake around 5 am by a huge thunderstorm!  They hustled below to their little bunks and continued our rest. 

                                                               

Early this morning we set off through the streets of New York to catch a ferry to Governor’s Island, where an abandoned Coast Guard establishment is being converted to a national park.  Here we visited the New York Harbor School, which is a school dedicated to marine science and study.  Here our students toured the wet lab and got a peak at the oyster reefs that this school is trying to reintroduce into the harbor.  The students also toured Castle William and the fort on Governor’s Island.  It was a very busy day!  Our weary travelers got back to the boat, had some well deserved down time, and a hearty meal.  We are all excited for our next adventure, and look forward to sharing it with you!

Spider Crab...the size of the bucket!

Learning navigation with Carol Lynn

Learning how to steer the Lady Maryland

Getting ready to fish!

Making pizza dough for dinner - they will be chefs yet!

Squid!

Identifying the catch

Distant New York skyline

New York Harbor School

The stern of the Lady Maryland anchored for the night

Castle William, Governor's Island, NY

Oysters!

To the Atlantic!

Greetings from the Atlantic Ocean!  We have made it through the C & D canal, down the Delaware Bay, and have come out into the great blue!  Because of our location, this blog will have to be short – signal is a little bit shaky.  However, I wanted to let all of the inquiring minds out there read the highlights of the day (as picked out by our eager students). 

1. Cape May, NJ!  We sailed into Cape May and docked for the day.  Being on dry land was not as we expected…it seemed that the land was moving! The students dubbed it, “Land Sickness.”
2. Baby Animals!  On our guided whale watch today we saw baby dolphins and baby osprey.  They were such a hit!
3. The students giggled and laughed as they took Titanic pose pictures on the bow of the American Star, the whale watching vessel. 
4. We used normal flushing heads (toilets).  This was the cause of great joy.
5. The students learned the sea mammal classifications
6. Last but not least the wonderful Captain Michael took the crew and the cadets out for some much deserved ice cream at a small out of the way restaurant in Cape May.  The cool treat was refreshing after a long day of being on the water.

Cape May was very welcoming to us, and even sent a photographer out to get a picture of the boat and her crew to put in their paper.  Cape May wants to raise awareness of the awesome programs that tall ships have.  This is indeed an awesome experience, and as always, we look forward to what the wide open waters of the Atlantic will bring! 

Getting ready to set sail!

Cape May, NJ - Thanks for a great time!

Jersey Beach

Whale watching on the American Star