0700 hours

Starting Position: Moored at Peckham Materials, Athens, NY.
Latitude: 42˚ 16.2' N
Longitude: 073˚ 48.1' W

Day Five of the second leg of our 2009 Fall Voyage of Discovery.

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

Air temperatures dropped shortly over the course of the night, interacting with the warm river water to produce the thick fog which greets us this morning. The mist soon burns away under the morning sun, however, revealing cloudless, azure skies.

The students used the final hours of our layover this morning to finish collecting their data.

That done, each of the four student presentation teams met with their senior crew advisor to begin the process of transforming their raw figures into practical results. The students would devote most of the rest of the day to this data analysis.

After the Half Moon set out from Athens Channel and made its short journey toward the region of New Baltimore, Captain Reynolds kept his focus on exploring several of the Hudson River's secondary tributaries. In 1999, the Half Moon was sailing through this region when Hurricane Floyd hit; just in case history ever repeats itself, the captain wants to find a secluded cove where the ship will be able to take shelter. Toward the end of the day, the Half Moon left the Hudson, sailing up Schodack Creek

We did managed to sneak a little fun into all of this hard work, however. As the Zodiac was dispatched to sound various coves and side channels, several students (and several teachers) took the opportunity to zip around.

We anchored at sunset, with Houghtaling Island separating our position from the town of New Baltimore, located on the western shore. After dinner, the students spent their evening rehearsing their presentations. Tomorrow would bring their labor to its final fruition.

Robert Juet's Journal

The Halve Maen remains at anchor somewhere near the modern site of the Port of Albany. Captain's Hudson's first mate sets out with four crewmen in the ship's small boat, or sloep, to continue exploring another six miles upriver. At dusk, they return and report that the river continues to grow more shallow and narrow.

On September 20th, 1609:

The twentieth, in the morning was faire weather. Our Masters Mate with foure men more went vp with our Boat to sound the Riuer, and found two leagues aboue vs but two fathomes water, and the channell very narrow; and aboue that place seuen or eight fathomes. Toward night they returned: and we rode still all night.

-- Robert Juet's Journal.