Daily Log, May 18

Wednesday May 18, 2005

Morning Position
Athens Channel
42˚ 16.3' latitude
073˚ 48.0' longitude

Midday Position
Athens Channel
42˚ 16.3' latitude
073˚ 48.0' longitude
Evening Position
Athens Channel
42˚ 16.3' latitude
073˚ 48.0' longitude

Phew! Today is a busy day for everybody on board!

We will post the full daily log later on, including some answers from our student crew to the questions you've been sending in. We’d also like to thank everyone who’s sent us questions and greetings from such far-flung locales as Albany, Schenectady, Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia, Montana, and Peru. Yes, Peru!

 

In the meantime, here's the day in pictures.

 

The Half Moon sits at anchor in the Athens Channel.

We spend the entire day sitting at anchor in the Athens Channel. This gives the student crew a full 24 hours to focus on their educational projects.

 

Kiera uses a Secchi disk to measure water clarity. Daymien takes a sounding of the water depth while Bryan uses the Secchi disk next to him on the channel.

Jamal studies a sample under the microscope.

It's a long day for everyone. From 0800 hours to 1000 hours, the students work in two teams to gather data every half hour.

Students pore over their notes while calculating the current speed.

Emily and Samantha compile notes for their weather science presentation.

When they aren't gathering information, the teams join forces to compile their data for the group presentations they will make tomorrow evening.

 

Captain Berg and Mr. Dawson prepare to take Emily, Sam, and Ginny out in the Zodiac.

Jamal, Daymien, and Andi wave from the Zodiac.

The day still has some room for fun, however. Captain Berg and Mr. Dawson spend the day taking groups of students out in the ship's tender. Everyone gets their turn eventually.

 

A view of the reedy mashland alongside the Athens Channel.

Four pairs of bare feet squishing into a muddy riverbank at low tide.

While zipping around in our inflatable craft, the crew members get a chance to explore the marshy areas along the channel, looking for wildlife, tidal patterns, and more.

 

A small red lighthouse sitting on a rocky island at the end of the Athens Channel.

 

They also get a close look at this historic lighthouse sitting at the southern end of the channel.

 

A hunter's abandoned decoy mallard.

The students exploring the channel make several interesting finds over the course of the day. For example, an early expedition brings this decoy duck back on board.

Captain Reynolds draws the winning name out of a hat.

This prompts a contest to give the duck a proper name. All the students write their suggestions down. Just one catch: the name has to be for the right gender. Can the students tell whether this duck is male or female?

Captain Reynolds pulls the winning name out of a hat.

Congratulations to Jamar! He knows the duck has the markings of a male and soon everyone is calling our decoy "Zack the Quack."

 

Mr. Linehan presents Jamar and several other students with an avian field guide outside the forecastle.

 

Mr. Linehan then fetches a bird field guide we keep on board. The students learn more about duck behavor and how the hunter who left this decoy behind expected it to work. What sort of ducks was he trying to attract, and why would they be drawn to the decoy?

Mr. McDonald supervises as Sam, Ginny, Kiera and Emily predict how long it will take the ship to reach Albany.

Some students also engage in educational activities that aren't directly related to their projects (when they have the time). Those who haven't yet had the chance replicate the water salinity experiment and predict when we will arrive in Albany, based on distance and average speed.

Jamar tries out the ship's camera. Bryan takes Dylan's photo on the weather deck.

Daymien hangs out with a frazzled-looking Mr. Mangrum.

Other students relax during their moments of free time by using the ship's cameras to photograph their crewmates or by providing the ship's seldom-seen webmaster with some company.

 

Meanwhile, some general ship duties still need to be performed. We don't need anyone at helm or on lookout while at anchor, but Mrs. Barton still needs an assistant in the galley, and we must always keep the head clean.

It's a vital job and always a fun "photo op."

Eventually, 1000 hours, sunset, and dinner arrives, marking the end of a very long day for everyone. We remain at anchor in Athens Channel. Tomorrow, the students will deliver their group presentations and enjoy their final full day on board the Half Moon.