A ship on the horizon
Position: 44.0 N x 068.9 W, near Vinylhaven, Maine
Heading: N
Speed: 2 Knots
Weather: cloudy, light winds
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Good morning! We’re heading towards Rockland Harbor, enjoying views of Vinylhaven to starboard, and dodging lobster pots. C watch has the deck. Most of the other students are grabbing a few more winks after an invigorating night of sailing in 4 foot swells and 15-20 kt winds. It’s quiet down below, except for the occasional opening and closing of the engine room door.
Yesterday we awoke to more whales, this time a group of 6 pilot whales only a few feet off our port quarter. Later in the morning, students had one final chance to climb aloft underway. Then, all hands gathered for a poster session. Students presented the results of our data collection over our 600+ mile cruise track, including our brief time in warmer Gulf Stream waters.
We’ll soon begin cleaning the ship in preparation for a swizzle to celebrate our last night aboard. Then, it’s back to Connecticut for the Williams-Mystic F11 class, where we’ll enjoy the last few weeks of summer before heading to California for our second field seminar. We are grateful to Capt. Beth, the mates, the assistant scientists, the stewards, and the engineer for helping to make this a great experience.
Until next time,
Lisa Gilbert
Svati (Dartmouth) and Greg (Brown) presenting their poster on seafloor sediment composition.
