Day 1
Here is the track for much of the day indicating
some good sailing in reaches to the SW breeze and
an anchorage up the Bay for th night. You can see
the track from the upper left departing along the
New Bedford Channel and then long tacks across
Buzzards Bay close in to Naushon Island and later
the cluster of small islands called the
Weepeckets. The anchor spot was in Aucoot Cove
for the night.From the
Ship:
Day One of our Middle School Open Enrollment Sail
was a great day. We motored out of New Bedford
Harbor during morning orientations, then sailed
across western Buzzards Bay throughout the
afternoon in strong southwesterlies. Our focus on
Watersheds and the health and water quality in
the Bay got off to a strong start with Bob Rocha
of the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. In his class,
all participants learned how eel grass beds
indicate the level of health in Bay waters, and
about the cleanup efforts (past, present, and
planned) in various harbors and regions of the
Bay. Afternoon learning activities, for watch
groups not engaged directly in sailing the boat,
focused on water chemistry, fundamentals of
navigation, plankton and food webs. Here’s
how some students from A Watch described their
day:
"Everyone arrived at the
docks before 8:00 this morning. Before we left
the safety of the harbor, we got to know each
other by announcing our names, where we were
from, and what sea creatures we would choose to
be. We were assigned bunks and a watch group. We
eventually left the docks around 9:15, and set
off. We saw many boats as we passed through the
New Bedford Hurricane Barrier and out into
Buzzards Bay. Crew members showed and informed us
about the below-decks and above-decks. They set
us to work right away, putting up the main, fore,
and jumbo sails. But not all of us were having a
ball, because some of us were seasick. We had
lunch, which was very good—wraps with lots
of toppings. We learned of Buzzards Bay, taught
by Bob, and the experience was interesting. On A
Watch, led by [Chief Mate] Erica, we practiced
helmsmanship, the bowsprit watch, bearings, and
boat checks. Emma was the first to the helm. We
sailed across parts of Buzzards Bay, tacking back
and forth. We also had a number of classes, like
navigation and water chemistry, and we netted
plankton. Afterwards, we relaxed, sort of. On the
boat we always have to keep alert. Dinner was
delicious; chicken and rice. We played games
where we created skits out of scenarios about how
you survive in tough situations. Then we went to
sleep. Sort of. We all had to go up for one hour
to do anchor watch, which was a lot like regular
watch, only a bit quieter. All in all, it was a
fun and tiring day."
Captain: Sophie Morse
Program Coordinators: MaryHelen Gunn & Polly
Zajac
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