0700 hours

Starting Position: Docked at King Marine, Verplanck, NY.
Latitude: 41˚ 15.5' N
Longitude: 073˚ 57.8' W

The final day of the first leg of our 2009 Fall Voyage of Discovery, and Day One for the new crew.

We'll post the full log later, but until then here's a preview of our day.

The first-leg crew spent their final morning on board preparing for the American students' depature. This included a range of activities, from the work of cleaning the ship to a ceremony to officially award them the orange crew shirts they'd been wearing during our parades of sail.

The students also took advantage of the final hours of this section of the voyage to complete tasks of personal interest to them, be it climing aloft or taking one more qualifying test to raise their Crew Ratings. This morning, Joram becomes the first Voyage of Discovery student crew member to officially rise to the rank of Foremast Captain/Schieman!

The new student and faculty crew members for the second leg of the voyage arrived at midday. The experienced first-leg crew helped the new arrivals stow their gear on board. Afterward, we bid farewell not only to the first-leg American students and their teachers, but also to our first-leg cook, Mr. McLaughlan, whose replacement, Ms. Daley, was already on board and hard at work.

Shortly before the Half Moon left port in the late afternoon, an isolated storm front rolled in and stallsed over the area, drenching the crew working on the weather deck. Everyone was properly bundled up in rain gear, however, and the downpour failed to dampen anyone's spirits.

After a brief transit back south, we once again set anchor in Haverstraw Bay.

After anchoring and dinner, a slice of hot apple pie helped dispel any chill in the air.

Tomorrow will bring our journey through the scenic and historied Hudson Highlands.

Robert Juet's Journal

The crew of the Halve Maen spends the day anchored within sight of the Catskills. After a disappointing attempt at fishing, they spend the rest of the morning trading with the Mohicans for corn, pumpkins, and tobacco. After the crew spends the afternoon replenishing the ship's stores of fresh water, the ship weighs anchor in the evening and continues upriver another forty miles, anchoring somewhere in the vicinity of modern Athens/Hudson or Coxsackie.

On September 16th, 1609:

The sixteenth, faire and very hot weather. In the morning our Boat went againe to fishing, but could catch but few, by reason their Canoes had been there all night. This morning the people came aboord, and brought vs ears of Indian Corne, and Pompions, and Tabacco; which wee bought for trifles. Wee rode still all day, and filled fresh water; at night wee weighed and went two leagues higher, and had shoaled water; so wee anchored till day.

-- Robert Juet's Journal.