At Anchor off Georges Island, Haverstraw Bay

Latitude 41^o 13.8’; Longitude 073^o 57.0

Lt. Colonel Rene Bloomer honored us with her inquiry and greetings from the Middle East, where she is stationed.  Colonel Bloomer, you are in our thoughts as we gaze at the stars overhead, the same ones we know you see each night.  We had hoped to send you a picture of cloudy skies to remind you of New York, but so far, this high-pressure system has kept the sky clear.  Please pass our best wishes on to your fellow service men and women, and the civilians working with you there.  By the way, so far, you hold the award on this trip for the e-mail from the greatest distance, and hope that you will follow the rest of the voyage.

We will weigh anchor this morning to change student crews for the final leg of the voyage, and then all will gather on September 29, our return to the Capital District when all the students will be recognized for their work.

Mr. Meilick & Ms. Chermack climb the shrouds on the port side of the ship.  The big smile on Ms Chermack's face shows that she just completed the final qualification to do this.

We passed the Clearwater, another educational vessel on the Hudson River, as their group of students finished raising the mainsail. We saw an osprey diving to catch a fish, and Mr. Meilick responded quickly to capture this photo of the osprey emerging from the River.  

The crew of the first leg poses for a final picture on the bow of the Half Moon (picture from left to right; Kristen, Jessica, Peter, Abel, Nora, Alison, Charles, Alex, Jeanette, Ryan & Laila.

The first leg crew surprises Captain Reynolds with a group hug before departure.  Given the chance they would have stayed longer.

Once their gear was loaded, the crew of the second leg began their safety training aboard ship.  Here you may see Samantha and Ceili with Mr. Mangrum in the shrouds and performing their required hang time in the their safety harnesses. Students review with adult crew how to wear the safety harness, and the proper procedures for climbing, along with numerous other safety matters before departure.

Even our teachers get their training.  Once Mrs. Fountain started it was hard to stop her.  Jared is smiling at his success, and enjoying the view from aloft.

Hannah completes her hang test with William next in line.  Going in the rig is voluntary; every student can serve fully aboard the Half Moon without going into the rig.

Following the training, we departed King Marine and moved into Haverstraw Bay to anchor for the night, have dinner, proceed with student studies, and prepare for anchor watch through the night.