During their second week at sea, Ocean Classroom participants sailed the SSV Corwith Cramer from Long Island Sound to Baltimore, facing their biggest challenge yet: 36 hours of strong winds and ten-foot swells south of Long Island. The crew emerged stronger, their confidence in their seamanship skills growing with each watch. As they sailed south past New Jersey and into Delaware Bay, students balanced their roles as sailors and scientists, collecting vital data for their research projects (and SEA data archives) while ensuring the safe operation of the ship.
After navigating the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the Cramer reached Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Their port stop brought welcome adventures on land - exploring the National Aquarium, touring historic ships like the USS Constellation, and learning about local conservation efforts with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Though they enjoyed creature comforts like ice cream and calls home, students found themselves reflecting on how their shipboard community had become a second family. Below are the daily Ship's Logs chronicling their journey south - from scientific discoveries to surprise birthday celebrations at sea. Follow their continuing adventure!
18th Birthday Fun
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Position (Lat and Long): 40°35.7'N x 071°18.7'W
Log (nm): 463.5 nautical miles
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: Wind Direction: SSE, Beaufort Force 3, Sea height: 2 feet/ Sailing with the Fore Stays’l, Main Stays’l, and Mains’l
Description of where we are sailing: South of Long Island, New York
Marine Traffic: SSV Corwith Cramer
For A-watch (Olivia (me), Sophia, Bella, Aubie, Dylan, Freya, and Linden) our day started bright and early at 0600 for breakfast and morning watch from 0700 - 1300. Half of us were on deck participating in our usual hourly rotations of steering the helm, being lookout on the bow, boat checks, and navigational plotting. The other half of us were fairly busy in lab. In lab they deployed a Shipek Grab (grabs sediments off the ocean floor), a Vertical Tow (a net that collects organisms vertically in the ocean), a Neuston Tow (collects organisms horizontally in the ocean), and a Secci Disk deployment (measuring how far down into the ocean light is going). The morning started off slightly chilly but soon turned into one of the most beautiful days we've had since boarding the Cramer. Since the beginning of our time on the Cramer people have been layered in long sleeves, pants, and coats, but today we were able to put on our tank tops, shorts, and flip flops!
We had a surprise muster on the quarter deck today and the reason being my 18th birthday!! The steward (Murph), assistant steward (Sara), and student steward for the day (Molly), baked me my favorite chocolate chip brownie cupcakes with chocolate mousse and sprinkles! Everyone sang happy birthday to me and made me a "Happy Birthday" sign and gave me a signed card (HOW SWEET of everyone!). Although I wish I was with my family, friends, and loved ones on this huge milestone of a birthday, the C-318 crew is my second family and I am so blessed to have been able to celebrate today on the ocean with everyone here! Additionally, I was on bow watch this morning and Kendall pointed out a slightly abnormal Monarch Butterfly to me because she knows the significance of what a butterfly means to me and I know it was my Auntie Analise wishing me a special happy birthday from heaven! We closed out tonight with the weather conditions being a Beaufort Force 7 (out of 12) on the Beaufort Force Scale! As Captain Pamela said earlier, "Today is only the calm before the storm." Pray for A-watch tonight as we have dawn watch from 0100 - 700!
Olivia '25
A Sea Change
Monday, October 14, 2024
Position (Lat and Long): 40 00.029 N, 71° 40.179 W
Log (nm): Mile 591.3
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: Hour 36 of persistent swells and strong winds. Minimal precipitation Motor Sailing with Forestays’l and Mainstays’l on a Port tack.
Description of where we are sailing: South of Long Island, NY
Marine Traffic: SSV Corwith Cramer
"Shall we talk about the weather? Why, of course, we shall, we're sailors now!" For those reading this back home, you might take a look outside and find leaves turning and hooks suddenly with coats on them -- universal signs of the transition to Fall.
For the crew of the Corwith Cramer, our transition to Fall looks and feels familiar but different. We celebrate the weather. We have grown to love the ten-foot swells and thirty mph winds that pitch our vessel this way and that. On a recent dawn watch, we gather port-side to admire the brilliant light of a Fall sunrise while a dozen dolphins use the wake of our ship to fatten up on fish. The dolphins leave and the sun rises. Clouds move in, and a new watch takes our place. The transition is seamless.
On board, we celebrate the wonderful learning that takes place. Figuring out which lines lead where, examining Ctenophore morphology, and culinary experiments with blue dye make our learning environment so rich. Of course, good time is spent on classwork. Students make gains on their various projects as they turn the data they collect into reports.
Everyone continues to be healthy, and we are well fed on mac and cheese and ready for bed. These are good days on the Cramer.
Evan Walsh, Program Assistant
More Birthday Cupcakes
Tuesday, October, 15th, 2024
Position (Lat and Long): 39° 36.3'N x 72° 25.1'W
Log (nm): 657.4
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: The current weather is amazing compared to the recent heavy weather we have been sailing through. It is sunny but cloudy and still a little cold. We are having winds of a Beaufort Force 4 (11-16 knots) with gusts of a Force 5 (19-24 knots). We are sailing under all four of our lower sails which include: the Jib, Fore Stays’l, Main Stays’l, and Mains’l.
Description of where we are sailing: We are sailing 100nm (nautical miles) northeast of the entrance of Delaware Bay.
Marine Traffic: SSV Corwith Cramer
This morning the rest of B-Watch and I (Abbey) got our 0030 wake up for our Dawn Watch. Yay! In lab this morning, we didn't have as much to process as we usually would because, due to the heavy weather, they were unable to do a Neuston Tow. That does not mean we did nothing in lab. We did bioluminescence observations for Olivia, Quinn, and Harold's project. We also processed some Sargassum and the organisms living in it for Bretton and Molly's project. At 0400, we got tea time! This morning our "silly question" was less of a question and all things holidays, which was inspired by the sky, which had Halloween vibes. If you were not in lab this morning and you were on deck you also had a calmer morning. At 0700 we were relieved from watch by C-Watch! B-Watch members got a quick breakfast made by one of our own, Sayer; he was Stu Stew (Student Steward) for today. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Then we all went back to bed for a few hours. Once we were awake there was quite a surprise waiting for all of us on the boat -- no running water. Don't worry because Ama and Chiliomas have been working hard all day to replace the water pump. Long story short, this replacement was supposed to happen once we were in Baltimore so we would be connected to shore water, but the issue couldn't wait. Anyways, we had class at 1430 as usual with today's science topic! We got to work with our lovely Marine Techs, learning how to deploy a Niskin Bottle. For most of you wondering what that even is, it is a piece of equipment that we deploy off of the wire to take a water sample from our chosen depth. Today in morning station, they got a preview of this by deploying one. Snack at 1600 was exciting because it is Sophia's 17th birthday! Yay! The stewards and Sayer made chocolate cupcakes with purple frosting (her favorite color)! Tonight B-Watch has watch from 1900 - 0100, so an early morning and late night!
I hope everyone back on land is doing as well as we are on the Corwith Cramer, and we cannot wait to talk to you all when we are in Baltimore!
Abbey '26
Destination Delaware Bay
October 16, 2024
Wednesday, October 16th, 2024:
Position (Lat and Long): 30° 03.9'N x 73° 57.2'W
Log (nm): 775.7 NM
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: It was a clear sunny day, and is a clear night with a few cumulus clouds showing. The wind started by blowing a force 6 but has since calmed down to a force 4 gusting 5. We are currently sailing under the Main Stays’l, Fore Stays’l and Jib sails.
Description of where we are sailing: Off the coast of New Jersey
This morning was a slow morning for the Corwith Cramer. We were hove to for a while doing science deployments. After that we were underway for Delaware Bay! Today I (Bretton) had watch from 1300 to 1900. During this time I was on deck taking turns at lookout, the helm, on boat checks, and helping out in the galley (the kitchen on board). This afternoon we were sailing under the Main Stays’l, the Fore Stays’l, and the Jib. When the wind was in our favor, we were making up to 7 knots! Given the weather of the past few days it was awesome to see some more wind in our sails. About 1/3 of the way through watch, we had class. Today was a Nautical Seamanship class where we all sat on the boat for 15 minutes and listened to the sounds of the ship and water. We then gathered back together and discussed what we observed. After class, we had a snack at 1600, which was vanilla chai cupcakes, to celebrate my birthday. At the end of watch, most people were on the head rig watching the sunset, and as the sun was setting the moon was rising. The moon is huge tonight, providing a lot of light, so there will probably be no bioluminescence in the water. As most of the boat gets ready for bed, C watch is hard at work on deck and in the lab until 0100.
Bretton '25
Kendall's Blog
Thursday, October 17, 2024:
Position: 39deg 29.74’N x 075deg 33.1’W
Log (nm): 887.5 nm
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: We are currently anchored but spent the day motoring.
Description of where we are sailing: We are in the Delaware bay heading
towards the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and Baltimore
Today I was on watch from 0700 to 1300! We entered the Delaware Bay this morning and have been motoring towards a location where we'll anchor tonight. Being on lookout was very intense because there were a lot of sailing vessels and cargo ships. I am excited to arrive in Baltimore because we are visiting fun historical places, getting access to our phones, and exploring the different parts of Baltimore! A lot of card games have been unraveling in the main salon, which get very eventful. We have all been hard at work with our oceanography projects. There have been many scientific deployments followed by lots of work on our slideshows/posters. This week has been beautiful with blue skies and fair waves, besides the gale warning we had, which turned out to be fun (I thought). We have gotten to see some pretty amazing things like dolphins, whales, bioluminescence, a full moon (tonight), and lots of pretty sunrises/sunsets! The Stu Stew (Student Steward) made some yummy apple caramel pie this evening. Tonight, we will be anchored right outside Baltimore till the morning, when we will get onto land. B watch (my watch) has dawn watch tonight, but because we are anchored, it means that we will only have 2-hour standing shifts instead of 6 hours. You will be happy to know that everyone is doing well and hopefully enjoying themselves.
Kendall '26
Canals and Bays
Friday, October 18, 2024
Position (Lat and Long): 39° 13.8'N x 76° 33.04'W
Log (nm): 951.8 NM
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: Bluebird and motoring.
Description of where we are sailing: The C&D Canal and Chesapeake Bay
Another beautiful fall day on the Corwith Cramer started at the crack of dawn with B-Watch getting us underway from our anchorage in Delaware Bay. Watches turned over, and C-Watch took the deck at 0700. The Cramer glided through the C&D canal with excellent helm work from members of C-Watch and B-Watch with a tight PMO (Per master's orders) course ordered by Captain Pamela and 2nd mate Sara V. While motoring through the canal, a few shipmates were trained to lay aloft on the yards as well as the top platform on the forem'st. The weather today was fantastic. Some of the crew were able to get their knees out and take off some layers with temps hitting the high 60s today. This was a fabulous change coming from the cold front the crew of the Cramer experienced earlier this week. After safely navigating the rest of the canal, A-Watch took the deck and got us to our beautiful anchorage in Chesapeake Bay. Abbey from B-Watch was the Stu Stew (Student Steward) today and helped make a wonderful meal for some hungry shipmates. After dinner, students gathered on deck to watch the sun go down over Baltimore's skyline from the top of the charthouse. Everyone on board the Cramer is ready to get alongside the dock in Baltimore tomorrow. We're also pumped to reunite with Ben, our Oceans and Society teacher from the shore component. The entire crew is beyond excited for our action-packed weekend in the city as well.
Quinn '26
Baltimore at Last
Saturday October 19th, 2024
Position (Lat and Long): 39° 13.812'N x 76° 33.04'W
Log (nm): 956.0
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: Clear, motored to dock in harbor
Description of where we are sailing: Docked in Baltimore Harbor
A watch woke up bright and early to help make the short voyage from Baltimore Harbor anchorage to a dock in the inner harbor. I stood on lookout with Aubie, and we guided the Cramer through the harbor, observing the many captivating boats, ships, and buildings along the way. We passed Fort McHenry (the place the national anthem was written about) and made our final approach into the dock. Upon docking, we helped secure the ship, our first time on dry land in over two weeks, and had a field day (an ingeniously named occasion where we deep clean the ship for a few hours). I helped Sophia and Olivia spray down dishes on the deck and participated in a fire line to remove everything from the galley. After field day, we had lunch and a ships meeting on the quarterdeck where we went over the plan for the time we're in Baltimore (which you'll just have to stay tuned to hear more about!), and finally, they gave us our phones for a whole two hours. I called my mom, my sister, my dad, and an aunt who lives close by. After our phone time, we had some free time, and a few others and I went to get laundry done (finally!), get ice cream, and briefly go shopping before we had to muster back on the ship for dinner. Unfortunately, I was feeling a bit under the weather, and we were all exhausted, so I decided to take a short nap after dinner, which I ended up never awaking from until my deck watch at 0100, which is why this blog was posted a day late. So sorry everyone!
Linden '26
Baltimore Recap! Go Ravens
October 22, 2024
Position (Lat and Long): 39°16.7'N 76°35.7'W
Log (nm): 956.5 NM
Weather / Wind and Sail Plan: Clear skies and sunny, docked in Baltimore
Description of where we are sailing: Docked in the Chesapeake Bay
Student Crew of C-318 on the Constellation!
(left to right : Christina, Virginia, Sayer, Kendal, Abby, Freya, Bella, Reagan, Harold, Quinn, Penelope, Dylan, Coop, Max, Aubie, Adam, Bretton, Molly, and Sophia)
Image Caption 02 Virginia raising the Maryland state flag as we motor into the Chesapeake Bay!!
We've had a busy last couple of days here in Baltimore, between exploring the aquarium to touring many ships and submarines! Baltimore has been very warm, the temp has been in the 80's while we are here, and the warm weather is welcoming from our cold days out at sea. On our first day here we went to the aquarium and got to walk through all the exhibits. My personal favorite is the black tip sharks! We later got to tour four old boats, the Constellation, a submarine, the Chesapeake, and an old Coast Guard boat. In the afternoons, we had free time to walk around the city, go shopping, and get ice cream! It's strange being back on land and being around this many people when it's only been the 36 of us all together for the past two weeks. Everywhere I look I see Ravens-themed lights and ads (the state football team) and Orioles hats, jerseys, and shirts (state baseball team). Having been to Baltimore many times before to visit my family, it is interesting to see it from a different perspective than I normally do with my family. It's fun to walk around the city with my friends and go shopping; little Italy is one of my favorite spots. There's fun Italian music and everything is Italian-themed. When you are walking in little Italy it doesn't seem like it's in a city; I feel like I'm in a small town!
Today, we went on a tour of the Harbor on the Snow Goose with the environmental non-profit group Chesapeake Bay Foundation and got to see the city from the water's perspective. We also talked about what they are doing to help keep the Harbor clean; one of the larger problems is the algae blooms they get. These blooms cause the water to change colors to a more pistachio color, which is really unhealthy, but after the algae dies that means that there isn't enough oxygen in the water to support life and all the fish start to die! We had a lot more free time today which was really fun. We explored the city more and got to get lots of ice cream as well as Shake Shack, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A! There have been a lot of people, meaning just a couple of the guys (Harold, Quinn, and Aubie), who have buzzed their heads and bleached them! Now they all look very similar and it sometimes is harder to tell them apart from behind. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I won't buzz or bleach/dye my hair! We leave Baltimore tomorrow (October 23) at 0800, we will then make our way back up to Woods Hole. I still can't believe that we are already thinking/planning our way back to Woods Hole, it feels just like yesterday that I got on Cramer and had our first set of drills, our first dinner, and my first night in my bunk. So far, I've read around 10 books, 7 on land and 3 and counting on the boat! I know, a kid who has struggled with dyslexia her entire life is reading on her own! Crazy, right? For my family who is reading this, I hope all is well back home, and I can't wait to give you all a big hug. For now, fair winds.
Virginia '26
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