Whales 4 day 2

Today the students continued learning about how it is to live on a boat which included cleaning the deck of the boat. Then they were able to go on a tour of laboratories in the area where they are docked. In the morning, after breakfast, they got to swim which acted as bathing and did a little bit of fishing. They caught some small squid and cone jellies. After sailing to where they would be docked for the night, they finally got to go on land. They learned a lot about marine science and some history about the surrounding laboratories. After dinner and singing some songs they were gifted ice cream from the crew.

CTY students swimming in the sea 

CTY students fishing

Squid caught and measured from today’s catch

Students cleaning the deck of the boat

CTY students at Marine Biology Research Lab

Whales 4 day 1

Today the students’ day commenced with learning navigation and doing chores to depict actual life on a boat. After eating and the conclusion of morning chores, class began with lessons on the evolution of whales, their feeding, and behavior. Water quality was also studied in the Cape Cod Canal to test the dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH levels. The day continued with net fishing in which two squids, hermit crabs and other fish were caught. The size, interactions and mechanisms, such as the squids’ camouflage, were observed and documented for every organism. To end the day’s activities, the students create flags for their watches.

CTY students casting a fishing net in hope of getting fish and other organisms from the sea.

Squads caught from today’s catch

Students created Watch flags

Whales 3 - Final post

The trip has been harder than we imagined, we had to do the cleaning and wash dishes by ourselves, we had to wake up during the night to keep the boat safe, and we sailed through high winds and a storm. The storm was challenging but also fun. Throughout it all, we made friendships which will last us forever-ish and we learned skills that will last us a lifetime. We saw humpback and minke whales, we splashed off the boat for swim calls and learned to set up the trawl net to catch lots of interesting sea creatures like squid, a starfish, crab, and seaweed. There were moments in which life at sea was hard, but other moments talking to friends, eating impressive food, and looking around while sailing made up for it. We don’t want to leave! 

Thank you

~ The student crew of Lady Maryland

Whales 3 - Weekend Adventures

So far, we’ve learned many cool new nautical things aboard Lady Maryland.  For example we learned how to raise and lower sails with ropes, which is harder than I thought.  We also learned some cool new vocab, such as port, starboard, and bow, and the names of the sails and ropes (which are actually called ‘lines’ when in use.)  along our tip so far, we sailed all over Stellwagen bank in MA, where we saw so many humpback whales! One even surfaced around 30 feet from our boat!  Later, we sailed through the cape cod canal where the seas got pretty rough; however, it was fun experiencing it with everyone else.  We also docked in New Bedford MA, where we learned about how people fish with fishing boats, the rest of the group went to a Whaling Museum that seems really cool.  (I didn’t go because I was at an urgent care center since I accidentally smashed my hand on a lightbulb)  Another cool thing we did was we went swimming right off the boat!  My favorite thing to do is steer the ship, I think it’s super cool to be in charge of something so big.  However, in the end it all comes down to the people on board.  Telling stories, jokes, riddles, and more just doesn’t even compare anywhere else.  🐋🦑

§ Emma