On Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage up the river that now bears his name, one of his officers, Robert Juet, kept a log of the ship's navigational record and other observations. This journal is now a valuable source of information about the what Hudson River Valley and its people were like during that September in 1609. It also tells us a lot about what Captain Hudson and his crew were like, and how they felt about what they were seeing.

Although the original d'Halve Maen never visited the Connecticut River, Hudson's voyage did lead to the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block's exploration of Long Island Sound in 1611. In 2012, we on the Half Moon have returned to the region to continue re-exploring the original borders of the New Netherland colony. The first leg of our Voyage of Discovery takes us down the Hudson River, around Manhattan, and then out into Long Island Sound, finally arriving at New Haven, CT. When the crew for the second leg reports for duty, we sail back out into the Sound and head up the Connecticut River, culminating in the ship's ceremonious arrival at the student crew's very doorstep, the campus of the Connecticut River Academy at Goodwin College in East Hartford, CT.

Each day, we post dispatches from on board the Half Moon to let you see how our voyage is progressing as our student crew recreates those 17th-century explorations. While waiting for our logs, you can track the progress of the original d'Halve Maen in 1609, as presented in the journal of Robert Juet. (Juet's original spelling has been preserved; note that English spelling in the 17th century did not follow the standardized rules we use today.)

We hope these logs, both past and present, will help you learn about what we're discovering, and something about us, too. Check back often!

Click on the dispatches below to follow our progress through the voyage.

Leg 1, Day 1: Students board at Peckham Wharf, Athens, NY; orientation begins; Half Moon travels to Newburgh Bay.
Entries: Setting Forth | Orientation Begins | Athens to Newburgh

Leg 1, Day 2: Half Moon travels from Newburgh Bay to the Palisades; orientation and data collection.
Entries: Greeting the Dawn | The Hudson Highlands | Orientation Continues | Projects at the Palisades

Leg 1, Day 3: Half Moon travels from the Palisades to Throgs Neck; data collection continues.
Entries: A Casual Start | Weighing Anchor | Leaving the Hudson | Data Collection | East River and Hell Gate | Throgs Neck Anchorage

Leg 1, Day 4: Data collection concludes; Half Moon travels from Throgs Neck to New Haven Harbor.
Entries: Into Long Island Sound | Data Collection | Sailing the Sound | Safe Harbor

Leg 1, Day 5: Half Moon layover at New Haven Harbor, CT; student reports.
Entries: A Blustery Start | Prepping Reports | Presentations | Last Night Aboard

Leg 1, Day 6: Half Moon arrives at Long Wharf at New Haven, CT; students disembark.
Entries: Breaking Free | Arrival at New Haven | Rummaging | Disembarking

Day 1, Leg 2: Students board at Long Wharf in New Haven, CT; Half Moon travels to Duck Island Roads; orientation.
Entries: The New Crew | Leaving New Haven | Orientation Begins | Duck Island Roads

Day 2, Leg 2: Half Moon layover at Duck Island Roads; student orientation continues.
Entries: Duck Roads Layover I | Orientation Continues | Duck Roads Layover II

Day 3, Leg 2: Half Moon enters the Connecticut River, travels to Rock Landing; data collection begins.
Entries: Weighing Anchor | Fogbound | Into the Fresh River | Sailing the Connecticut | Data Collection | East Haddam to Rock Landing | Rock Landing Evening

Day 4, Leg 2: Half Moon layover at Rock Landing, CT; nature walks; data collection concludes.
Entries: Rock Landing Layover | Haddam Island Expeditions | Data Collection | Evening Nature Walk

Day 5, Leg 2: Half Moon travels from Rock Landing to Glastonbury, CT; student presentations.
Entries: Casting Off | Rock Landing to Seaboard Marina | Student Presentations | Last Night Aboard

Day 6, Leg 2: First-leg students reboard at Glastonbury, CT; noon arrival at Connecticut River Academy & Goodwin College campus, East Hartford, CT.
Entries: All Hands on Deck! | The Home Stretch | Campus Dock Arrival | Arrival Ceremony