Our group from the Buttonwood Park Zoo came to the Ernestina from the Lloyd Center around noon today, a sunny Thursday. The crew gave the twelve of us a big welcome on the ship, and we got to know each other. We moved our stuff in, had a safety talk and then got off the dock. We sailed south across Buzzard’s Bay to Kettle Cove off Nashon Island. When we got to breathtaking Kettle Cove, we struck sail and did an otter trawl. We brought the amazing creatures up and had a discussion with Dave Eatough about the things we hauled up. After that, we put the anchor down and jumped off the boat and went swimming. Some of us were a little scared, but we all overcame it and jumped into the refreshing water. We had a terrific dinner on deck with chicken tenders, salad and potatoes. It was great!!! After the dinner dishes were cleaned, we had ascavanger hunt that taught us about the amazing history of the Ernestina. Before going to bed, we looked at the stars and all named a constellation. It was a long, crazy and super day, and we all got our pajamas on and went to sleep.

The image shows us striking sail and doing an otter trawl before we anchored.

Captain: Amanda Madeira
Program Coordinator: Inette Rex