Ocean Classroom: Lunenberg Adventures

Proctor's 30th year of Ocean Classroom adventures continues as the student crew aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer arrived in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia and continued their marine studies in the harbor town. The past week saw Ocean Classroom navigate from Gloucester, Massachusetts across the Gulf of Maine to Nova Scotia. Read all about it below. 

Monday, October 9th 2023 | An Alumni Perspective 

Noon Position: (Lat and Long): 42°46.905’N X 068°54.749’W
Ship Heading (degrees): 110°
Log (nm): 370.2
Weather / Wind / Sail Plan (from 1300 Watch Change): BF 4, SW wind with
main, main stay’sl, fore stay’sl, jib set
Description of location: (e.g. 10 nm SE of Georges Bank): Gulf of Maine,
southern area of Cashses Ledge

A little introduction for this narrative. Chief Scientist Jeff Schell requested a crew log entry, so I volunteered. My name is Kara Baird and I am a Program Assistant for Ocean Classroom. I have been living with the students on campus since their program started and have shifted into a deckhand role on board the Cramer. I graduated from Proctor Academy in 2020 and was an Ocean Classroom student aboard Roseway in 2019. I have been sailing tall ships since my Ocean Classroom and am so excited to facilitate the same environment for the students that I once had.

Today was a hefty day for C Watch, but they stood up to the challenge! We had dawn watch (0100-0700) and night watch (1900-0100). The students have been practicing their skills in lab with a nighttime meter net deployment and many hundred counts. Their skills in navigation are advancing as they are plotting dead reckoning and accounting for set and drift on a paper chart. I don’t spend much time in lab as I am deckhand, but I am so impressed with the work I have been able to see. The students’ knowledge has expanded from struggling to draw copepods in the on shore lab, to being able to spot them in seconds in Cramer’s lab. Throughout the watches, students were given challenges and always rose up to the task at hand. We struck and furled the main’sl and jib in less than 30 minutes. Again, so amazed by their quick progression!

One thing I valued on my Ocean Classroom was the ability to be present. We must always be observing how the environment around us impacts our sails, the vessel, and our own person. We also have time to be less focused off watch and are able to enjoy time on deck with our shipmates. Because we are in an environment built on thoughtful actions and little distraction from the outside world, we are able to strengthen our community and ourselves. Students are playing cards, reading books, learning instruments, taking notes in their Sheet Anchors. They are constantly growing and asking to absorb more. It is truly a pleasure to be a part of the unique community that Ocean Classroom builds and see how SEA’s focus on science strengthens it.

Best,
Kara Baird ‘20
Program Assistant, C Watch

Tuesday, 10 October 2023 | A Day in the Life of a Sailor 

Noon Position: 41°01.482’N 66°48.830’W
Heading: 092°
Speed: 4 kts
Log: 476.7 nm
Weather: Mostly clear skies, scattered altocumulus. 20°C. Seas 3-4 ft. Beaufort
Force 2-3.
Sail Plan: Continue eastward to waypoint south of Nova Scotia.
Description of location: Gulf of Maine, northwest of Brown’s Bank.

Squalor 00:30
Pumped for dawn watch (0100-0700), I jump out of my bunk. A-watch’s previous times for dawn watch had been while we were at anchor and I had only stood watch for shorter increments (while anchored in Nantucket and Gloucester). The Corwith Cramer needs less hands while she is not actively sailing, but there still needs to be anchor checks, boat checks, engine checks, science hourlies and an active presence on deck at all times. While at anchor, watches split up into three small groups that stand for only two hours, ensuring that six hours are split evenly. This morning is no anchor watch, seeing as we’re in the middle of the Gulf of Maine, and my excitement gets me out of bed faster than my usual response time at this hour. Walking by
the ladder to use the head, the near-frigid air reminds me to layer smartly for the upcoming watch.

Saloon 00:40
After digging around in the foulie locker for a solid five minutes, I don my layers, foul weather gear (bib, jacket and boots) and make my way to the aft ladder. Peeking at the watch schedule on my way by, I am reminded that I am on lab duty for the upcoming watch.

Charthouse 00:45
Climbing up the aft ladder into the charthouse, I look over the charts and our plotted positions from recent hours. Looking over the various names of the underwater features in our area, I gain a broad sense of where we are in the sea. While the surface of the ocean is oftentimes mind-numbingly featureless, structures on the seafloor are diverse and plentiful in the Gulf of Maine.

Quarterdeck 00:48
I step onto the deck and am greeted with the sound of waves breaking around us. The conditions are a five on the Beaufort Force Scale, excellent sailing weather. The seas do not seem to have calmed down a considerable amount from post-tropical cyclone Philippe.

Lab 00:50
Madi, Whistler and I step into the lab, ready to be briefed by C-Watch and directed by our science officer, Ali.

Deck 01:20
While many sail adjustments are manageable with the members of the watch assigned to the deck, larger sails, like the foretopsail, require a few more hands. The watch rallies to pull the sail out from its stowed position, furled against the mast. Eventually the sail is set and the Cramer is now sailing on a reach with her foretopsail, forestaysail, mainstay sail and jib.

Lab 01:30
Getting right back to work, the lab team starts processing the various seaweed and critters captured by a net tow the previous day. Madi and I start with separating out euphausids that are larger than about two centimeters while Whistler records observations regarding bioluminescence, salinity, temperature and many more.

Deck 03:30
The wind has diminished to around a Force 2. Chief Mate Johnny gives the order to start the main engine and strike the foretopsail. Whistler, Madi and I step out of the lab to assist.

Lab 03:45
Grateful for the chance to keep my blood moving and energy up, I finish separating the contents of the net tow and set up to identify the various plankton we collected.

Lab 04:30
Ali and Madi conduct a surface station. They collect a bucket of water from the surface of the water and separate it into various containers to test for nutrients and chlorophyll-a. Whistler and I remain inside the lab to conduct a ‘one-hundred count’ of the net tow. This process involves separating one-hundred separate organisms at random from those captured in the net tow. Under the current conditions, I struggle to use a pointed tool to move organisms of small sizes across the petri dish under the microscope for Whistler to identify and tally.

Bow 05:30
DOLPHINS! Several dolphins are darting around the bow and are kicking up bioluminescence, reminiscent of neon blue fireworks.

Deck 06:15
Finished with the majority of our processing, I rinse out our buckets on deck. The sunrise is gorgeous. There are multiple squalls on the horizon and the light reflected off of them is orange-pinkish. The seas have calmed since the beginning of dawn watch and the sunrise is quite peaceful. A rainbow has formed against one of the closer squalls, bringing a plethora of visual variety to this morning seascape. This is a perfect way to wrap up the last hour of our long dawn watch.

Lab 06:45
After finishing clean-up, Ali, Madi, Whistler and I compile a list of to-dos for the next watch and recap the work we did in the lab logbook as those on B-Watch emerge from below decks.

Deck 06:50
I’m very much looking forward to crawling in my bunk, but the work isn’t quite done yet. It’s time to set the mainsail. Both A-Watch and B-Watch are needed to set the largest sail on the boat. After expending the rest of my strength with my crewmates hauling the halyard, I am ready to go to bed, but I am hungrier than I am tired.

Saloon 07:10
Our stewards, Rachael and Sebastian, never come up short when it comes to a meal. Today, they are assisted by Emma, the day’s student steward. The pancakes, both chocolate chip and plain, absolutely hit the spot after six hours of work. I am headed straight to bed after I clear my plate.

Squalor 10:30
I heard snack was apples, so I put on my boots and emerged to grab a few slices. Now I’m awake, it’s time to get to work.

Library 11:30
After reading a considerable amount of Death Ship and writing a journal response to the section, I move on to compiling which data collections are viable for my group’s research project. Riley, Ryan and I are researching how meroplankton are affected by temperature at the depth of highest biomass density. We chose this depth to give us the best chance of finding large amounts of data for the project. Various nets are towed most everyday behind the Cramer, but not all the tows target the depth of highest biomass density. To determine this depth, we can use the Acoustic Current Doppler Profiler, which can tell my group where the depth of highest biomass density was and when. Then, we can mark which tows are eligible for our project and copy the data collected onto our own data sheets to analyze.

Saloon 13:00
Lunch is tuna salad sandwiches and kale salad. Like always, it is absolutely delicious.

Quarterdeck 13:25
Standing on the quarterdeck, I take in the beautiful day. Teo, on the helm, spots a whale blow off the starboard side. Well spotted, there are two more before the whales leave.

Bow 13:40
MORE DOLPHINS! Three fairly large dolphins are darting to and fro across the bow and through the bow wake. It’s incredible to see them this close to the ship. I suppose without the sound of the main engine, they aren’t as annoyed.

Deck 14:15
Fire drill! There are multiple callouts of a ‘fire’ in the galley and the general alarm rings out. We quickly muster at our watch stations to ensure all are on deck and disperse to carry out our responsibilities. Assigned to fire hose two, I roll out the hose on the port side and point the nozzle over the side, waiting for the pumps to turn on. After the pumps are activated, the captain orders the hoses to be sprayed on the course sail so that the water will cascade onto the deck above the galley. Boundary cooling is the job of the students while other measures are taken to ensure the fire doesn’t spread, such as closing the water tight doors, closing off ventilation hatches and more.

Quarterdeck 14:40
After the drill is over, the ship’s company musters on the quarterdeck to discuss the drill and how to improve our response to a fire. Ship’s meeting is usually at 14:30, so we roll right into it. Captain Coughlin gives a presentation about fire about how we can optimize our response to it. Cole and Ian report on the expected weather for the near future. Madi, Whistler
and I recap our findings in the net tow. Finally, Teo leads the navigation report, detailing the ship’s positions over the last day. After some discussion about the plan for our upcoming port stop in Lunenburg, ship’s meeting ends and we all disperse.

Library 18:00
Dinner for A-Watch is in twenty minutes and I am looking forward to ending the day how I started it. A-Watch is on for evening watch (1900-0100) and when I first heard about how the schedule has one watch on for two six hour periods a day, I was taken aback. However, it makes more sense to not think about days. You are on watch for six hours, then off for twelve. So a day is more of an eighteen hour period. Three watches, A-Watch, B-Watch, and C-Watch, rotate through four watch periods, dawn watch (0100-0700), morning watch (0700-1300), afternoon watch (1300-1900) and evening watch (1900-0100).

While a day in the life of a student aboard the Corwith Cramer may sound hectic and tiring, learning to navigate the open ocean, understand the life and environment around you and adapting to living in close-quarters is rewarding to no end. On that note, here’s the rest of my day.

18:20, Dinner.
19:00, On- watch.
01:00, Off-watch.
01:20, Good night.

- Cass D. '24 

Wednesday, 11 October 2023 | Day 9 at Sea 

Noon Position: (Lat and Long):  43° 30.3’N 064° 51.8’W
Ship Heading (degrees): 080 degrees
Ship Speed (knots): slow
Log (nm): 583nm
Weather / Wind / Sail Plan (from 1300 Watch Change):  winds light and
variable, sometimes from the south.  Beam reach, starboard tack 4 lowers
(jib, fore and main stays’l, and mains’l)
Description of location:  About 50 nm south of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Starting off - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. STIRRATT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ocean is epic and so far it has gone like this: there are four watches every day—morning watch, afternoon watch, evening watch and dawn watch. Each is 6 hours long and afterwards a watch has 12 hours off until their next 6 hours on. Breakfast for ongoing watch is at 6:20, breakfast for offgoing watch and lazy watch is at 7. When we’re not on watch, we’re free to sleep, chill, and wander the boat as we please. A lot of us read and journal on the Elephant table, which is the roof of the ship’s lab. We can also lie out on the head rig, the net at the very front of the boat.  This is the best when it’s sunny out. On watch, we are split into three different areas: on deck, the lab, or helping in the galley. There are always 3 people on deck, 2-3 in the lab, and 1 person doing dishes. On the day a watch has dawn watch, one person from them is assigned to be the steward for the day and cook with our lovely Raechel and Sebastian. Tomorrow, for example, C-Watch has dawn watch and our very own Isabel will be steward for the day instead of joining us on deck at 1am. On deck, we rotate between being the helmsman and lookout, or performing hourly boat checks and weather reports. In the lab we help with deployments or processing deployments and all that jazz.

This morning I was woken up by Tessica Gatti from Bravo watch at 6:00A.M, since my watch was on morning watch from 7A.M. to 1P.M. I fell asleep the night before at around 8:30PM reading 1984 which I found in the aforementioned library. Mom you were wrong I have already finished all my books!!!!!!!!!!!!! Except for Little Fires Everywhere – it just didn’t resonate with me. But it’s okay because in the library they have It Ends With Us which I know you love and I plan to read after Emma finishes. Anyways you’d think that with nearly 10 hours of sleep I’d be ready to attack the day, but I was very sleepy. Luckily Riley was the steward today and clutched up with the banana bread and yogurt combo for breakfast. After munching up I went back to my bunk to layer up, got my red smartwools underneath my work pants, my white long sleeve with my wool UGA sweater on overtop, and my pink beanie.

Today I was in the lab with my favorite scientist, Jordan Eckstein, our crew’s 1st scientist, along with Tally Ho Stirrat and Jackson Ganache. We had a busy day in lab today – we deployed a Shipek Grab, Secchi Dish, CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth profiler), a Neuston Net and a surface station. One has to wonder, why are we doing all this science when we’re here to sail? Honestly, I really don’t know. We need data for our oceanography projects. The other day though, on evening watch, the wind was WHIPPIN’ and we were not sailing so that move at the slow pace necessary for science deployments. But, I argued, we could be whippin’ right now if we just set a few sails! But we must know the amount of meroplankton instead of getting to Nova Scotia earlier. Pick your battles I guess.

The deployments were a lot of fun and being with Tallulah and Jackson allowed for a lot of laughs. We also set and struck down a bunch of sails so we were active. Morning watch is probably my favorite because it’s during the day, so I can literally see, but also once it’s done we still have the rest of the day. I say that even though after watch today I ate lunch, read
some of my book and then sacked out until Jordan woke me up for dinner. Lol! Tomorrow I have dawn watch. Dawn watch is brutal. Here’s hoping that this time there will be the lovely sunrise I’ve been waiting for. I am HYPE for tomorrow – we arrive in Nova Scotia, we can do our laundry, we can call home, and we get to meander on land and see what’s up with Canadians. Also I can see my favorite maritime studies teacher, Ben Caw Hen, our maritime studies teacher. On Friday we are to spend the entire day ashore with Ben maritime studying, and Saturday we depart Lunenburg and head for Bermuda. Ocean is an intricate mix of challenging and fun. We have so many good things on the horizon and I’m soakin’ up every minute of it. Get ready for those phone calls y’all. Rem, Dad, Blajo and Debbie – be on your phones! Also Proctor people check your mailboxes. I wrote to you.  

All my love,
Ryan J. '24, Crab watch or “cwatch”

Thursday, October 12, 2023 | Arrival in Nova Scotia

Noon Position: (Lat and Long):  44° 22.5’N 064° 18.6’W
Log (nm):  658.1nm
Weather / Wind / Sail Plan (from 1300 Watch Change):  Clear, sunny skies,
moderate temps.
Description of location: Docked in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Our first day in Lunenburg! Bright and early this morning, I was woken up for my 6:20 breakfast of oatmeal and bacon, fueling me for my final 7:00 watch before our very first port stop. Every morning when I make my way on deck I take in a gorgeous ocean view, only today I was surrounded by Canadian evergreens, the first trees we’ve seen in a minute! We mustered on
the quarterdeck as we sailors do, and Captain gave us orders to begin preparations to haul back anchor. Our C-watchers sailed the Cramer into Nova Scotia in the wee hours of last night and anchored, so we only had a quick trip to find our space to dock. As the sun came up we maneuvered our way out of the inlet and towards our destination. Normally, students try to sleep in when it’s not their turn for morning watch but we’ve been crazy excited to finally get a look at what this little fishing town could be, so everyone came up on deck.

Sailing in, Lunenburg seemed somewhat smaller than what I expected. The night before Madi and Noah had been asking if there would be a Chipotle nearby. Boy, were we wrong. Not a burrito in sight. Lunenburg turned out to be the cutest little fishing town I’ve ever seen with its scattered multi-colored houses and lobster pot Christmas trees. For most of today all we could do is observe from afar as were we still considered a foreign vessel and needed to get checked in by customs. I spent the nine hours waiting to get cleared furling the sails, playing spit with Emma, laying in the hammock with Lula, eating lucky charms, gossiping with Cole and Cade, singing with Madi, and waiting some more! Finally, just when we were about to give up hope our fearless leader gave us the good news. We also were given our phones to make calls home for the first time in six weeks. I got to talk to my mom and dad, which only made me miss them more as well as all my friends back home. The minute we stepped off the boat we made a run for the ice cream shop and hurried as we only were left with 45 minutes until we had to be back on the boat. We walked down the street and started screaming at the sight of our favorite Maritime Studies teacher, BEN! We missed him so much! Ben is here to take us on a tour of Lunenburg and give us a lesson on its history tomorrow during our full day at port. Now it’s 20:00, I’m about to head up on deck again, lay on the top of the lab and look at the stars with my friends. I can’t wait for tomorrow and to get to see much more of Lunenburg before we set sail again to continue our voyage.

Love you all and please write to us!

Whistler ‘25 

Friday, 13 October, 2023 | Welcome to Lunenberg 

Noon Position: 44 22.5N 064 18.6W
Log (nm): 658.1
Weather: raining
Description of location: Lunenburg (a sick little town)

Today we went to a museum! (The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic).  It was a little dreary outside but we had fun and it fit the vibe of the small fishing town of Lunenburg. We learned about fishing history, scallops and some crusty musty old wooden boats but they were cool. We also deep dived into the cod industry and how people lived while at sea. After the museum, we decided to do some laundry and we took way too long and it made me reflect on how I wanted maple syrup cuz we in Canada! While we waited on our clothes I got a pint of cookie dough ice cream to munch on that I shared with Madi. When laundry was finally done we took a stroll back to town to drop off our laundry.

Then we decided to go get some food when we stumbled upon the fish shack where only the day before I got a big plate of fish and chips, where it  was devoured in seconds. But since it was the hottest place around, we decided to get a delicious last taste of America with a nice fat juicy bacon cheeseburger which was gone in exactly 0.345367 seconds. Then it hit me that I absolutely NEEDED a dose of maple syrup cuz we in Canada! I scoured the streets only to turn up empty handed which still breaks my heart and will be for the rest of my life.  Otherwise, it was a fantastic day in the midst of Nova Scotia, Canada!

Teo ‘25 

Saturday, October 14, 2023 | A Day About Town

Noon Position: 44°22.5’N 064° 18.6’W
Log (nm): 658.1
Weather / Wind / Sail Plan: Sunny/cloudy, some rain clouds, making it a
little chilly.
Description of location: Lunenburg, a really cute and small town. Looks like
a little European town. It’s a really cool town, and I highly recommend it.

Today was a really cool day. We got to experience this really cool thing called field day. When you hear the word field day, you might think about playing capture the flag or any field games, but not on a ship. Field day is where everyone comes together to clean the entire boat. Not just a simple clean, I mean getting down and dirty in every little crease. You might think that will take you all day and will not be much fun, but it was a lot of fun.

I am on A-watch, which was in charge of cleaning the galley. We had music playing so loud and were jamming out. It took no time. We also did fire lines, where we make this huge line of people and pass everything from the galley up onto deck, for people to go through and clean. A watch did a really good job of getting everything cleaned and having a concert at the same time. After we were done cleaning, we had lunch. Then, we had a meeting on the quarter deck (the aft most part of the deck). Everyone got together and talked about the weather, class, announcements, etc. Today we got to hear from Captain Coughlin, Jeff (our chief scientist) and Johnny (the first mate). Johnny started us off with how great we did in cleaning the boat and how we did a great job. Then, we heard from Captain saying that she had some news about the weather and our departure from Nova Scotia. The weather reports show that we could be in waves over 30ft and winds over 50 knots. She decided that we should stay, let the storm pass on by and hope to sneak out Monday morning. We were all happy and sad. We were happy because we love Nova Scotia and we get to spend more time here but we are also sad because we want to go to Bermuda.

After the meeting, we got to go into town all day today and it was so much fun. We all stated our day off with going to the thrift store and trying clothes on. Then, we all went to go get the first ice cream of the day. Then, we went to so many more stores until we could drop with exhaustion. Finally, we decided where we all wanted to go for dinner and we split up to go to different restaurants. My group had really good pizzas and salads and the other group got seafood. After we all finished dinner, we met up again in town and got the second ice cream of the day. After ice cream, we came back to the boat for the night. Now that we are in Lunenburg for a few more days, you will get to hear from a few other people and what they think of Lunenburg.

Sophie H ‘25 

Sunday, 15 October 2023 | A Ten Star Review Day

Noon Position: 44°22.5’N 64° 18.6’W
Log: 658.1nm
Weather: Chilly Nova Scotian breeze with some sunshine!
Description of location: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

What a day! After our unexpected delayed departure from Lunenburg, the crew pulled together quite the extravaganza. Groups of three are woken up at different times of the night due to dock watch. Madi and I had the pleasure of experiencing sleep deprivation with Scientist Jordan! At 0500, we went on deck with some warm tea and got to work drawing everyone on board,
creatively waiting for our boat check. At 0700, wake-ups were conducted by Madi and I. We stumbled around telling people to wake up while barely able to keep our eyes open ourselves. After a lovely breakfast provided by our amazing stewards, we split into our respective watches to go on a field trip and delve into productivity. While A-Watch went out on the town, the other two watches met with our watch officers and had a good study hall. After that, my watch was lucky enough to visit Lunenburg’s shops again. It was a successful visit that included a shiny ring and some presents for home. Following this exciting venture was a Nautical Science class where we gained more experience with sail handling. More specifically, we practiced rigging both shallow and deep reefs in the mainsail simultaneously. Then, it was time for the long awaited B-Watch field trip! We toured Lunenburg with the most fantastic storyteller, Nancy. She runs Seaweed Tours and drove us to different areas of Lunenburg, recounting countless seafaring stories from solemn tales of lost ships to her times working at her father’s fisherman’s pub. She took us to Lunenburg academy (the town school), old churches, graveyards, a scallop dock, and a small bay. She was so amazing and provided us with memories that will last for quite a while. My overalls, which are the most amazing to ever exist of planet earth, made the experience so much better. They were borrowed from the revolving closet we have amongst the
gals. They are so comfortable and I felt like a fishing farmer. Following this was one final dinner in Lunenburg. A few of us went to a small restaurant where drinks were spilled, chaos ensued and laughs were endless.

At long last, we bid goodbye to Lunenburg, kissed the docks farewell and climbed back aboard our home, the Corwith Cramer. Now we are back on the boat, experiencing stinky feet, a few exploding sinks, attempts to air out bunks, loads of card games, late nights where a touch of insanity takes hold of all of us, bonker days and buckets upon buckets of laughter. Life has never been more challenging and joyful! Lunenburg was so good to us and these unexpected extra days were truly a gift and will be treasured by all of us.

Miss you all and wishing the best!

Paige ‘25 

Monday, 16 October 2023

Noon Position: 44°04.3’N 064° 09.0’W
Ship Heading: 195°
Ship Speed: 6 knots
Log: 679.8nm
Weather: Cold and cloudy with some NNW winds
Description of location: 20nm S of Lunenburg

Early this morning we departed Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, after an amazing 4 days there. B-Watch was on watch that morning so we were responsible for leaving dock. The students were on fender control, which controls the bumper buoys so the ship doesn’t hit the dock. We had rotated watch officers this past weekend, so today was our first real watch with them. Our watches stayed the same but we switched mates, scientists, and deckhands. We first had the 2nd mate Jeremy, 2nd scientist Nick, and our deckhand Maggie. Now, we rotated to the chief mate Johnny, 3rd scientist Ali, and Hillary as our deckhand.

It was tricky getting out of the dock in Lunenburg. Teo was on helm (steering the ship) while the rest of us were either sail handling or stowing various items. After we got underway this morning, I was in lab with Teo and Tess. We did a few deployments, including the secci disk (records light penetration in the water column), a shipek grab (collects seafloor sediment), and a neuston net tow. We caught a starfish in our shipek grab which was crazy very cool. In the neuston tow, we caught a juvenile cod which was also interesting. Ian was the winner for our secci disk bets with 9m (which is the 18% light penetration depth). While all of this was happening we noticed two land birds from Lunenburg on the boat, we named them Rick and Morty.

After we turned the watch over to C-Watch we all ate lunch and I took a nice nap. Then we had class at 1430 which included our normal science, navigation, and weather reports. But then it started raining so we had to move inside to the main salon. Today’s class was about different ocean zones at different depths and wildlife’s adaptation to those different environments. After that I took another nice nap until dinner. Overall today was a pretty good day with a lot going on.

- Noah '25 

Training on Timberwind 

Because of my visa issue, I cannot sail on Cramer with everyone up to Nova Scotia, and I have to meet everyone in Bermuda. However, Brooks figured out an excellent alternative plan for me sailing on a schooner  with a crew up in Portland, Maine. To be honest, I was very nervous about the unexplored situation that would happen on the schooner. It turns out that everyone on the boat is friendly and patient; they are always willing to let me participate when we are sailing, even if I mess up a few times. I also gained so much new knowledge about the ship, wind, and of course, sailing. By the end of the week, I started to know what I should do when the captain ordered something when I should start hauling, coiling, and even sometimes telling the captain what was happening in the ocean. It was a fun and educational experience, but the coolest part about working on Timberwind is not even sailing. I get to communicate with people from all over the world since Timerwind is a tourist schooner. I get to talk with all those incredible people who share or not share the same experience with me. It was an enjoyable experience, but the inner of my heart still wanted to get on Cramer. Sometimes, when I mess up things, the awareness of making mistakes in front of everyone takes over the joyfulness of sailing. And I wish someone was struggling like me so I would feel better, even though this feeling is super selfish. While overall, my experience in Portland, besides sailing, was also excellent. Brooks and I went to a lovely coffee shop every morning and went to Trader Joe's for some groceries; we even went to Freeport to shop and got delicious sushi afterward. It was an excellent way to prepare for the ship even though I still needed to wait one more week. :( At the very end, I miss everyone on the boat, and please tell them I miss them. 

Elsa ‘24 

Check out more photos from Ocean Classroom 2023!