S’24 concludes their adventures aboard the Argo! While the class begins their trek back to Mystic, Connecticut, read on below for shipmate Sam’s reflection on their voyage and some final photos. You can check out all the photos and blogs by visiting Sea|mester’s blog here.
LOCATION: ANTIGUA SLIPWAY
I cannot summarise everything I have seen in this trip. Having never left the US before 10 days ago, the experiences are some I could not have fathomed. From shaking starfruits out of trees in Dominica to sailing by the lights of Guadalupe, this whirlwind was not what I expected when I thought about living on a boat. Not only have I learned sailing and new fish species and so many things, but I have bonded with my Williams-Mystic classmates in a way that I didn’t think was possible in such a short time. As I am writing this, I am struggling to fit every experience from our adventures into my brain and onto the page! Leaving from Antigua, we sailed to Dominica seeing leaping flying fish and diving seabirds on the rocking waves. In Dominica, we saw reefs and rivers – a little bit of Pirates of the Caribbean set dressing – and visited with the Kalinago people. Sailing back, we stopped in Les Saintes for a second chance to snorkel over reefs. Now, back in Antigua, we spent our last days packing, appreciating Argo, and sharing talents during the swizzle. At the end of this experience, there isn’t a thing I haven’t done! Except, I haven’t been to a beach. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I am so grateful for the Seamester crew – Callum, Tomer, Gabe, Sam, Ash, Claire, and Mac – as well as all my Williams-Mystic friends and staff for the amazing experiences I’ve had in Antigua, Dominica, and the waters and islands between.
He expressed to us not only the challenges that his community faces, but the spirit of resiliency that guides their work. He talked with us, answering questions ranging from his efforts around Kalinago language preservation to his hopes for how young people will confront climate change and work to find real solutions.
By Alissa Ryan
The Spring 2024 class continues their adventures aboard the Argo! Sofia, Assistant Professor of Maritime History, writes about snorkeling, native flora and fauna, and local connections. Follow along with the class’s adventures by visiting Sea|mester’s blog here or reading and viewing photos below.
LOCATION: ROSEAU, DOMINICA
Our day began earlier than usual (6:30). We scarfed down some delicious banana bread, made our lunches in Tupperware containers, and quickly gathered all of our gear for a day of snorkeling, hiking, and more.
I’d been snorkeling before, but I’d never experienced anything like what Marcus, Thomas, and their team showed us. We were able to see beautiful coral, darting fish, even a lobster and an eel, but none of that matched the wonders of seeing bubbles coming up from the sea floor in a vent, the warm waters reflecting the island’s volcanic past and present.
It would have been fair to imagine that nothing could top that experience, but then Sam introduced us to SeaCat, the Unelected Prime Minister of Dominica. He and his daughter were our guides for the day, driving us through Dominica’s busy city streets up into the towering, lush green mountain tops. As SeaCat drove, he told us about the island’s history, its current challenges, and his family. He also introduced us to the many delicious plants covering his home country–from cinnamon to cacao. We learned that cacao, when picked fresh, has pods that taste almost like lychee (but don’t eat the seeds!). He drove us through winding roads filled with enormous plant life (we hummed a bit of the theme song of Jurassic Park, reminded of the lush wilderness of that film).
SeaCat brought us to meet with Jose Frederick, a representative of the Kalinago people and the Dominican Minister of the Environment. He expressed to us not only the challenges that his community faces, but the spirit of resiliency that guides their work. He talked with us, answering questions ranging from his efforts around Kalinago language preservation to his hopes for how young people will confront climate change and work to find real solutions.
Next, we met up with SeaCat again, and this time we stopped not just for handfuls of lemongrass or bits of cinnamon (preserved in our Tupperware), but to meet with Ophelia and her family, who welcomed us with fresh coconuts, filled to the brim with coconut water. They treated us to the delicious things they make–cacao, breadfruit, jerk chicken, coconut–and each bite was a new adventure. Their hospitality in welcoming us and sharing food with us is something I won’t soon forget–it felt like cousins meeting rather than strangers. They opened their doors to us because of their relationship with SeaCat–who liked to tell us that he was the Unelected Prime Minister, something that the waves and chats with nearly everyone we passed proved, showing how connected he is to the communities that he introduced us to. He made our day unbelievably full and wonderful–a day like no other.
Sofia Zepeda, Asst. Prof. of Maritime History
You can follow the Argo‘s progress by visiting Sea|mester’s vessel tracker here.
“There’s something special about being aboard this boat.”
By Alissa Ryan
The Spring 2024 class has begun their sailing expedition aboard the S/Y Argo in Antigua! S’24 shipmate Marvin (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) shares details about his first day on Sea|mester’s blog. Follow along with the class’s adventures by visiting Sea|mester’s blog here or reading below.
LOCATION: ENGLISH HARBOUR, ANTIGUA
Hello to my friends on land. To say that this day was long would be a woeful understatement. We began at 2:00 A.M in snowy Mystic, and just over 15 hours later, we find ourselves in beautiful (and luckily very sunny) Antigua. The day has been long, but it has also been full. Not only are we taking part in this exploration, each of us has a unique task. After a quick recovery from all the travel, I was surprised with the most important role on the ship, the Skipper. I was put in charge of an ice breaker game (the Squeezes), taking down the flag (Ensign), and what I’m doing right now (writing a blog).
There’s something special about being aboard this boat. It’s not just the beauty, the crew, or the delightful destinations that we are embarking to. Today, for perhaps the first time, I wasn’t apart from nature, but A PART of nature. That is to say, as the wind blew us about after our dinner and the mist turns to rain as I write this blog, I feel mother nature’s beating pulse in every action that we take. That is special, and I am more than excited to take part in this one-of-a kind journey through one of the Earth’s most diverse locales.
See you next time, dear Reader.
Marvin H.
You can follow the Argo‘s progress by visiting Sea|mester’s vessel tracker here. Fair winds and following seas, S’24!
Carlton is a Professor Emeritus of Marine Sciences and Director Emeritus of Williams-Mystic (Curriculum Vitae)
In September 2010, the Williams-Mystic class prepared messages-in-glass bottles on the Cramer to be set free in the Gulf of Maine as part of a large-scale drift experiment. However, the Cramer was never far enough offshore to release the bottles during the trip. Captain Sean Bercaw released F10’s bottles a few weeks later on October 6 when bringing Cramer down from Rockland ME to Woods Hole, in the middle of the Gulf during storm force winds and in 18-20 foot seas – enough ocean energy to send the bottles packing into the open North Atlantic.
On March 18, 2022, almost 11 ½ years later, British physician Dr. Ryan Watkins, on a visit to Windermere Island, Eleuthera, in the Bahamas, found F10 Nicola Klee’s bottle on the beach. Dr. Ryan kindly sent us (and Nicola) a picture of the bottle and her message. We’ve prepared a snapshot of the bottle to highlight that there were still living oceanic goose barnacles Lepas on the bottle, which tells us that the bottle had washed ashore perhaps a few hours before.
Where had Nicola’s bottle been all these years?
Well, if you reach over and grab your copy of the Williams-Mystic 25th Anniversary Book, and open to page 47 – we’ll give you a second – you’ll get a good sense of the journey that the bottle took, and for how long.
Bottles that were released in October 1984 by F84, off the coast of New England, landed in the Azores, Europe, Bermuda, and multiple times in the Bahamas until September 1991(Jim tells us that a few more F84 bottles were reported in subsequent years). The pattern of their discovery revealed that some bottles had gone around the North Atlantic Ocean perhaps as many as four or five times before landing!
We think Nicola’s bottle has been bobbing around and around … and around … the North Atlantic Ocean at least a few times – and the barnacles confirm it was recently out on the high seas. Finally, enough was enough, and the bottle followed its predecessors ashore in the Caribbean!
by Evan McAlice, Assistant Director of Admissions & Communications
Greetings, once again, from the SSV Corwith Cramer, where students are currently decorating science project posters and frantically preparing for the pin rail chase. Just earlier today, the Cramer anchored in St. John, and our students spent the morning snorkeling in Waterlemon Cay and learning about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade at the Annaberg Sugar Mill.
While we enjoy the beautiful weather and picturesque scenery, it’s important to reflect on the trials, tribulations, and sacrifices many of our students endured to even reach this point. As per Williams-Mystic tradition, so it seems, it wouldn’t be the beginning of the semester if thorough plans weren’t immediately thrown out the window due to unforeseen circumstances.
The first hurdle our students had to face was a familiar one: the Omicron variant. With students arriving to Mystic at the height of the Omicron surge, and then leaving for the offshore trip just a week later, Williams-Mystic had to quickly devise a game plan to keep everyone safe and healthy.
That plan: students would take a Covid test immediately upon arrival in Mystic, and once they tested negative, they could move into their respective houses. From there, they would quarantine in their houses for the entire week leading up to offshore. Classes were held on Zoom or outside in the cold January weather. Students drove themselves crazy solving complex jigsaw puzzles. They watched movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, envisioning themselves as those pirates adventuring across the seven seas.
Miraculously, not only did every student test negative upon arrival, but they remained negative through every PCR and rapid test taken throughout the rest of the week. It was a tremendous triumph for the program – a great sign of things to come, and a testament to S22’s patience and willpower.
But, as one head of the Hydra falls, a second head emerges in its wake. Weather reports warned that a massive snow storm was due to hit New England on Saturday, January 29, the day before our flight from Boston. When our flight was cancelled that Thursday, Williams-Mystic sprang into action. All offshore participants were required to take yet another rapid test to submit for travel clearance, and the Williams-Mystic team worked swiftly to book new flights. As Mystic was plunged underneath two feet of fluffy snow, students spent their snow day shoveling walkways and having snowball fights. They may have lost a day of travel, but spirits remained high.
All rapid tests returned negative, we were cleared to travel, and new flight arrangements were made. No matter how many times outside forces tried to strike us down, we only came back stronger.
On Monday, January 31, students, faculty, and staff left Mystic for Boston, where they would then hop on a 4-hour flight to Miami, followed by a short connecting flight from Miami to St. Croix. The layover in Miami was incredibly short, so the Williams-Mystic crew blazed through the Miami airport at Mach speed, weaving through crowded hallways and terminals. We reached our terminal with a few minutes to spare, taking a sigh of relief – nothing could stop us now.
We board the plane. Many are texting friends and loved ones for the last time before takeoff. Students are bracing themselves for the adventure of a lifetime. We wait. We wait some more. We keep waiting. After nearly an hour of waiting idly on the runway, the pilot’s voice blares over the intercom: “Good evening, folks. Due to a mechanical issue, we are going to have to relocate you to a new plane in a new terminal. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
We frantically gather our belongings, make our way off the plane, and rush to our new terminal… all the way on the other side of the airport. Through elevators, and escalators, and skytrains (oh my), we arrive at our new terminal. We breathe a sigh of relief that we have successfully jumped yet another hurdle, only to look at the screen and realize: our new flight time is 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
After regrouping and reorganizing plans, we decide to make our way back to the previous terminal to collect our boarding passes for tomorrow’s flight. Students use this time waiting in the terminal to bond through enlightening conversations, ice cream bars from the nearby snack bar, and an intensely competitive game of Mafia.
Meanwhile, the unbelievably hardworking team back in Mystic organized hotel arrangements for our extended stay in Miami. Thanks to their incredible effort, all 21 travelers had a comfy bed to rest in, another hot shower to enjoy before those would become scarce, and once last game of Wordle. As we rode the taxi from the airport to the hotel, the sweet sounds of Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” and Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” bounced off the walls. Despite the commotion and chaos we all endured, nothing was going to break our spirit.
We gather the next morning in the lobby at 5:15, fighting through collective grogginess, and we board yet another taxi back to the airport. Thankfully, the only hurdle we had to face on this leg of the journey was a particularly long line for subpar bagels. We left Miami at 8:00 a.m., landed in St. Croix a few hours later, and we have been living the high life on the Cramer ever since.
To everyone who fought through the destruction of plans made months in advance to make sure we got here, we cannot thank you enough. So much gratitude is also owed to our wonderful class of students, whose eternal optimism and levity during times of uncertainty made this entire journey worth it. The perilous week-long journey to reach the Cramer is merely a small sample of just how bright, enthusiastic, and adaptable our students are, and we can’t wait to see how these qualities continue to shine once we return to shore.
by Evan McAlice, Assistant Director of Admissions & Communications
Greetings, readers, from aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer! We set sail from St. Croix just a few days ago and S’22 has already learned so much about what it’s like to be part of a crew – from discovering how certain lines communicate with specific sails, to performing boat watches to make sure everything is ship-shape, to enjoying the sunset on the bow. All of this has been made possible by our Captain, Sean Bercaw, our Chief Scientist, Tim Pusack, and the mates, scientists, engineers, and stewards that keep us afloat.
As many of our students, staff, and faculty have never sailed before, this field seminar is an incredible opportunity to learn the ropes in an open and collaborative setting. As a novice sailor myself, I wanted to share some of the tips that I have found helpful throughout my time on the Cramer. I hope that they can be of good use to any future sailors reading this, as well as our friends from past semesters who want to relive the experience.
1. Keep a positive attitude and an open mind
Being in an environment like the Cramer can be very disorienting for many, so it’s important to remain positive and keep things light. One of the scientists on board (thanks, Kelly!) gave me some great advice – “if you can’t get out of it, get into it.”
2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions
The crew is very aware that many students are stepping into a brand new environment and learning about a whole new way of life. They are always willing and able to answer any questions, and there is no such thing as a bad question. I was told early on by the scientist leading my watch (hi, Katherine!), “You can ask me the same question 100 times in a row, and I will always be glad that you at least asked.”
3. Always ask for help when you need it
Similarly, knowing when to ask for help is key to being successful aboard the Cramer. Whether you’re hauling lines and need an extra set of hands, or just trying to get below deck and need someone to hold your water bottle. This advice doubles for seasickness – never be too proud to ask for medication, water, saltines, or necessary rest time.
4. Drink lots of water
A great way to fight seasickness and fatigue is to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate some more. There is plenty of drinking water available on the ship, so you should drink as much as you’d like. When thinking about which water bottle to pack, make sure to choose one that is well-insulated and unique to you. Thermos or Hydroflask-like water bottles are especially ideal, and it’s best if you can tell it’s yours in a crowd. Write your name on it, use plenty of stickers, and make it your own!
5. Seasickness is natural and temporary
For those whose bodies aren’t used to the natural rocking of the boat, seasickness can be intimidating and frustrating. It may be reassuring to know that even the most experienced sailors sometimes get seasick, and your body will adjust to the motions with time and experience. View this as just another step in an otherwise fulfilling offshore experience.
6. Take a moment to look at the stars
During night and dawn watches, you’ll have the opportunity to look at the night sky without any light pollution. Use this as a moment to look at the stars and take in a moment of peace. It’s one of the most stellar sights you’ll ever have the chance to see.
7. Pack baby wipes
Students are encouraged to shower aboard the Cramer every 3 days, which means that sweat tends to accumulate. If you’re ever feeling particularly gross, baby wipes can be incredibly clutch.
8. Do not over-pack
There is often a tendency to try and fit everything you can into your massive duffel bag in an attempt to plan for every possible scenario. Try your best to get out of that mindset and pack only what you believe to be the bare essentials. If you’re having trouble fitting everything into your duffel bag, reorganize and rethink what you may or may not need.
9. Get to know everybody
This point extends to every person you encounter on the ship: the captain, the mates, the engineers, the stewards, and especially your fellow Williams-Mystic sailors. This is an incredible opportunity to meet people from across all walks of life, all of whom have countless fun and interesting stories to tell, so take time to hear them all if you can. The Cramer staff is equally eager to learn about you!
10. Look towards the horizon
If you’re feeling woozy, look towards the horizon. It’s an easy way to keep yourself stable, even in the rockiest waters.
If you’re reading this and hoping to set sail with us some time in the future, I hope this advice comes in handy. Every offshore experience is different, but the results are the same – it’s an impactful journey that will push you in every conceivable way, but you’ll come out on the other side with great memories and a new perspective.
Today, Eric Laschever (F’77) is an environmental attorney and law professor who recently contributed to a landmark federal climate lawsuit.
When he participated in the very first Williams-Mystic semester in Fall 1977, Eric was part of an educational experiment.
“It was the hardest semester I had at Williams,” Eric says. “[Founding director] Ben Labaree had to prove to the College that this was going to be rigorous.”
For Eric, Williams-Mystic proved to be the beginning of his career. Eric conducted marine policy research on the Law of the Sea conference, then ongoing in New York. In the course of his research, he visited the United Nations, where a staffer at the treaty negotiations recommended an interdisciplinary master’s program in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington.
Eric ultimately attended the program. Afterward, he worked for the State of Alaska for several years before landing in Washington, DC, where he earned his law degree from Georgetown.
From there, Eric pursued a career in environmental law and land use law. It was through this work — and through his former advisor at University of Washington ‚— that he developed an interest in how the law can address climate change. Beginning in the mid-2000s, Eric remembers climate change-related issues cropping up around statues throughout his field: The Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, and more.
At around the same time, Eric and his wife, Eulalie Sullivan, became involved in sailing education. They began volunteering with a science under sail program geared at middle– and high-school students. The program was founded by two Williams-Mystic alumni, Ellie Linen Low and Sophie Johnston.
Near the end of the decade, Eric proposed a course on climate change law, which he taught at Seattle University Law School for several years. Eric resumed teaching again in 2018 — this time in the same University of Washington program where he’d gotten his master’s degree.
As Eric renewed his focus on climate change litigation, he encountered Juliana v. United States: a major climate lawsuit to which he would ultimately contribute.
Juliana v. U.S. began making its way through the federal court system in 2015. In the case, 21 youth plaintiffs (including Kelsey Juliana, for whom the case is named) assert that the federal government, through its affirmative actions in creating a national energy system that causes climate change, has violated the constitutional rights of its youngest citizens to life, liberty, and property as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources.
In the five years since it was first brought, the case has been wending its way through the federal courts system. During that time, Eric became involved with Our Children’s Trust, the non-profit law firm that is advocating on behalf of the defendants in Juliana. In fall 2019, Eric arranged an introduction to one of the lead lawyers on the case.
Early this year, Eric wrote and filed a brief on behalf of the expert witnesses in the case.
As Eric describes it, Juliana draws on two areas of law: constitutional law and public trust doctrine. The public trust doctrine stands for the idea that the government holds certain resources in common for everyone. Attorneys drew on constitutional law, meanwhile, to argue that the government had a special duty to protect these resources on the behalf of children — a group both uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and unable to act to protect itself from these effects.
Neither area of the law has historically been applied to climate change. That’s a common theme, Eric says, in legal actions brought to address climate change.
“We talk a lot about climate change adaptation and it’s not only the natural world that needs adaptation if we continue on our current trajectory. All of the institutions that we have created to deal with other issues are going to need to adapt” as well, Eric says. In most legal action addressing climate change, he says, “lawyers [have] had to come up with novel legal theories” that expand the scope of existing environmental legislation to include climate change.
It’s a valuable strategy, Eric emphasizes. But as he sees it, this need for adaptation also highlights the lack of any federal regulatory framework specific to climate change. The private sector, he says, could play a crucial role in changing that. With enough climate change-related legal action brought under a variety of regulatory frameworks, he suggests, industry may well decide it is preferable to be regulated under “a federal scheme that actually is tailored to address” climate change and its effects.
When it comes to Juliana v. US, the fight continues. On January 17, the most recent panel of judges to hear the case issued a divided 2-1 ruling to dismiss it. The brief that Eric wrote is part of the latest round of efforts to urge the federal courts system to reconsider the case.
For Eric, a journey that began with Williams-Mystic’s first semester has led to the front lines of climate litigation. It’s a journey, Eric reflects, that also has to do with his connection to the ocean.
Eric and his classmates about the Westward during their Williams-Mystic semester. From left to right: Carrie (Green) Yardley, Eric Laschever, Deborah Costa McKew, Andrew Mitchell, and (above) Lani Peterson.
“The thing that brought me to Williams-Mystic in the first place,” he says, “was that I had grown up in New Jersey, and spent a lot of time at the New Jersey shore. I had salt water in my veins, as it were. I’d grown up sailing, and I’d really had that connection to the water.”
In Williams-Mystic, Eric saw an opportunity to retain and strengthen that connection. He participated in a boat-building lab where he and his classmates built a dory. In the back of his mind, he dreamed about “sailing off” in a boat like that.
In 2010, he got the opportunity to fulfill that dream. He and Eulalie bought a sailboat: the Elizabeth Jean, named for their daughters. Together, they spent four years sailing from Seattle to Maine via the Panama Canal — a trip that included a stopover in Mystic, Connecticut.
“It reconnected me to my first loves of sailing and the ocean,” Eric says.
His recent experiences with sailing and sailing education have given Eric a new perspective on his own memories of sailing at Williams-Mystic.
“When you are taking other people out on sailboats,” Eric reflects, “you’re taking a risk that you think is justified because the educational experience is going to be something that you could not provide them without taking the risk.”
This lesson applies to Eric’s own education.
Even now, Eric’s Williams-Mystic offshore voyage stands out as his “most memorable college experience.” He recalls standing under floodlights on deck at night, pulling sharks out of the Atlantic Ocean as part of a shark-tagging experiment. They brought a tuna on board, too, feasting on tuna steaks later that night.
They couldn’t have been far, Eric now realizes, from the waters where they’d swum earlier that day. It was thanks to the Gulf Stream that the class could swim in the Atlantic in mid-October — the same system that sustained the organisms that the sharks fed on.
The memory seemed so incredible that Eric questioned whether it was accurate. On a recent visit, Founding Director Ben Labaree confirmed that Eric’s recollection was correct.
“Professor Labaree took a lot of risks in setting up the Williams-Mystic program,” Eric now realizes. “For one thing, he had to give up his tenure at Williams College … But it was also risky to take a bunch of students out to sea” — to allow them to swim in the Gulf Stream by day, then pull sharks from those waters at night.
“And I’m sure that that’s how Ben approached not only the sailing component of what we did but the whole thing. I think he concluded [that], unless he took the risk that he did to set the program up, he couldn’t provide the educational experience that he thought was needed at that point in time. As a nation, and really internationally, we were putting this renewed focus on the ocean and on ocean resources.”
For Eric, the result was an experience that not only launched his career but also helped sustain a lifelong connection to the ocean.
As Eric remembers Ben Labaree advising him: “‘It’s not what you remember that’s important. It’s what you do with what you remember.’”
Ashore on the US Virgin Islands, we experience the intersection of past and present, history and ecology
Here aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer, we kicked off February with a full day of science and sail handling. The trade winds gave each watch the opportunity to practice gybing the ship as land once again emerged on the horizon. To prepare for a field trip ashore, we diligently struck the sails and dropped anchor in Francis Bay on the island of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.
In the afternoon, students had to opportunity to go “up and over”: climbing up the port side rigging of Cramer’s foremast and down on the starboard side. Many said it was a highlight of their time at sea so far!
Students are also busy working in pairs on their science presentations, preparing reports and posters that interpret the incredible amount of scientific data we have collected during our time aboard. When they’re not working on their poster presentations, they are rotating through small group tutorials in which they interpret these data (along with their newfound life at sea) through the lens of the humanities for a truly interdisciplinary learning experience.
Students stood Anchor Watch overnight, taking twice-hourly anchor bearings (in addition to the usual weather and boat checks) to ensure that the ship held its position. Excitement was high as we thought about what might await us onshore the next morning!
On Sunday after breakfast, we loaded into Cramer’s small boats and headed ashore for a wet landing on a pristine white sand beach. Unlike the busy cruise ship port of its neighbor St. Thomas, St. John is a smaller, quieter island (just twenty square miles), mostly covered by the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park.
We hiked through the park, observing and sketching the tropical flora and fauna, to the ruins of Annaberg Sugar Plantation. Students learned about the Triangular Trade, Middle Passage, and environmental degradation caused by sugar plantations in the Caribbean. It was especially moving to read aloud Alphaeus Osario Norman’s poem “Amina Negros,” which chronicles the 1733 uprising of the Africans enslaved at Annaberg, where the events of the poem took place.
After Annaberg, we made our way down and along the shore to Waterlemon Cay, where students were briefed on coral reef biology and safety. Then it was time to snorkel! Students who had never snorkeled before got the hang of it quickly and were soon cruising the reef like pros, spotting a variety of corals, urchins, baby barracuda, grey snapper, and lots of tiny colorful reef fish.
We returned to Cramer, weighed anchor and by dark we were sailing, this time westward on a broad reach as the sun went down on another incredible day of the Williams-Mystic Offshore Field Seminar.
Please note that vessel tracking information is NOT updated continuously and the Cramer isn’t always able to provide updated location information. (Good reception isn’t a guarantee at sea!) If you notice that the Cramer appears to be in the same location for an extended period of time, it simply means the website has not yet been updated.
From learning to sketch as a mode of scientific observation to learning how to steer a ship, our offshore voyage is full of hands-on learning experiences.
January 31, 2020
Another exciting couple of days at sea here on the Corwith Cramer!
Yesterday we had a sketching workshop led by Sketch Biologist and Williams-Mystic alumna Abby McBride (F’04). Abby’s work as a science communicator combines her love of biology and sketching. Even students who were unsure at first were soon eagerly sketching sails, coils of rope, and each other. Following class, B watch gathered with Abby for a small group tutorial, where they continued sketching and discussing the uses of drawing and careful observation.
Wednesday night was another starry one. Ever since we turned to head toward the Virgin Islands, the Southern Cross had come into view. The watch schedule here — each of the three watch groups spends 6 hours on watch followed by 12 hours off — means that students get to see different times of day and night throughout the voyage. Though we take turns sleeping, the ship never sleeps; at least one eight– to nine-person watch group is always awake to steer, look out, sail, and collect scientific data.
Today, we completed our third and final Science Super Station. At 700 meters, today’s station was shallow enough to get a sample of cold, tan mud from the ocean floor. We also collected water from 12 different depths in the ocean, which we are currently analyzing for pH and chlorophyll-a, among other properties.
During yesterday’s science station, we lowered Styrofoam cups and a wig head down more than a mile (1,682.3 m) while collecting temperature and salinity data. We had carefully decorated the cups with sunsets, zooplankton, and mythical creatures before sending them down. Afterward, the cups were the size of thimbles due to the pressure in the deep sea. Some of our cups may even be placed on display at Mystic Seaport Museum’s upcoming exhibit on sailor art, which will open in June 2020!
Today’s academic class was an interdisciplinary look at “Ways of Knowing” taught jointly by Lisa, Kelly, and Abby. We examined what it means to “know” something: Who has knowledge? How is knowledge acquired and how we use it? Each instructor offered examples from her experiences within her discipline. (The opening discussion question: “Before underwater cameras, how did we know what a live whale looked like?”) The class was interactive, with a kinesthetic exercise, drawing, and several discussions.
During class, we were fortunate to observe an enormous bait ball bobbing off the port side of the ship, first spotted by the swarm of seabirds (brown boobies and shearwaters). As we approached, we could see fish flying and flopping and feasting on the tiny baitfish, and even a shark cruising by to eat the bigger fish. The food web in action!
In nautical science class, we practiced gybing several times. A gybing ship shifts its sails so as to trace a zig-zag pattern in the direction of the wind — a pattern that allows it to gradually chart its course in the desired direction using only wind power to move forward. Just a few days ago, all the terms and tasks that go into gybing felt so foreign. Now, these maneuvers are starting to feel natural. We are starting to feel at home.
Please note that vessel tracking information is NOT updated continuously and the Cramer isn’t always able to provide updated location information. (Good reception isn’t a guarantee at sea!) If you notice that the Cramer appears to be in the same location for an extended period of time, it simply means the website has not yet been updated.
On our third full day aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer, we are heading toward the Puerto Rico trench on calm water under a sky full of bright stars. Students are quickly learning the onboard routines and becoming valuable members of the crew.
January 29, 2020
Greetings from Williams-Mystic S’20! On our third full day aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer, we are heading toward the Puerto Rico trench on calm water under a sky full of bright stars.
Tuesday afternoon, we held classes on deck. Professor Kelly Bushnell led a discussion on the “greenhand” (nautical terminology meaning a newbie on a ship) experience in literature, such as Herman Melville’s Redburn (1849). In the finest tradition of maritime literature, many of us are also keeping a journal of the voyage; when not on watch, you can find us relaxing on deck, pen in hand.
In our nautical science class, Captain Heather and the mates taught us to set, strike, and furl sails. Some were so heavy it took many of us to haul the line. Throughout the days and nights, we are standing watch on deck and in the lab, to sail the ship and collect oceanographic data, respectively. Students are quickly learning the onboard routines and becoming valuable members of the crew.
In the onboard science lab, students are analyzing hourly surface samples for pH levels, microplastics, and more with the help of three assistant scientists. We learned how use the ship’s hydrowinch to deploy scientific equipment, and each watch completed a Neuston tow yesterday to collect whatever is drifting at the very surface of the water. Sargassum is easiest to see from the ship, but tiny zooplankton also end up in our net for analysis on board. In particular, we had some beautiful siphonophores, which Maggie from Carnegie Mellon and Casandra from Bryn Mawr reported on in class Wednesday.
Maggie from Carnegie Mellon, Alex from SUNY Maritime, and Jade from Skidmore deploy a phytoplankton net with Assistant Scientist Grayson.
For much of Wednesday, we were accompanied by a curious minke whale. Because it was so calm, and because she was so close, we could hear her breathing and see her fin. She showed us her underside and criss-crossed under the hull multiple times. We watched in awe.
Please note that vessel tracking information is NOT updated continuously and the Cramer isn’t always able to provide updated location information. (Good reception isn’t a guarantee at sea!) If you notice that the Cramer appears to be in the same location for an extended period of time, it simply means the website has not yet been updated.
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