Mildred Belle

Penultimate day

2010-07-06T15:12:00.002-04:00

"Yesterday, we got to sleep in until eight o'clock. We then boarded the Mildred Belle and began our journey to Rock Hall. On the way we finished our projects and then split into our watches. For the rest of the trip we stayed on our watches and then we ate lunch. After lunch we went swimming in the cool, refreshing bay water. Shortly after we got back on the boat, we arrived at Rock Hall. No one knows why it is called Rock Hall, but I think it's because there are a lot of striped bass (also known as rockfish). After one of the fastest dockings I've seen this trip, Offie drove us to the campsite. We camped near a playground. It had swings, a teeter-totter, a tractor thingy, a baseball field, and a wonderful pavillion which was perfect for cooling off after we played. Sadly, we had to go to bed early, but when we got up super early at 4:30 AM we got to go trotlining (a method of crabbing)."

Written by Robert

More on today's trotlining adventures and our journey back to Baltimore once we hit land!

More pictures for you!

2010-07-05T11:33:00.002-04:00

The gang in front of the old holly tree on Wye Island:

Canoeing!

More canoeing:

PLanting aquatic grasses:

Grilling some burgers:

Another picture post!

2010-07-05T11:07:00.002-04:00

Hanging out on the cabintop:

Squirtle the Turtle, a Maryland Diamondback Terrapin and our ship's mascot:

Doing some water quality tests:

Learning down in the cabin:

At the helm:

Mildred Belle, 4th of July post!

2010-07-05T10:47:00.003-04:00

"Day 8 of our journey to explore the Chesapeake Bay was filled with joy and excitement from the students and from everyone else in Annapolis. It was the 4th of July! Our first activity of the day was to canoe from Granary Creek to Dividing Creek. At first I didn't know what to do because it was my first time canoeing but after a few modifications in how to row the paddles, my canoe partner and I were in complete sync. After we made it to Dividing Creek, we hiked around and saw a 275-year-old holly tree. It is a rarity to see a holly tree that old. Then we canoed back to our campsite and off to the boat we went. After a five-hour boat trip to Annapolis, Maryland, some of us noticed a small parade going on. I enjoyed it because of the choice of music and their performance. Later that night we set up our tents and had a good night's dinner of burgers, fries, and rice & beans, followed by a dessert of watermelon and pie. That was a good dinner we had, I had two burgers. To wrap up the night we got to the fireworks and talk with the friends we have made on this trip."

Written by Jason

Mildred Belle, Day 7

2010-07-04T15:49:00.002-04:00

"Yesterday we woke up at Taylor's Island. We had bagels for breakfast. Once we got on the boat we had to refuel and pump out the head (sewage). Next we all got together to discuss our Creature Features. We each designed our own new species that adapted to the world one million years from now. We didn't get to finish sharing our creatures because we had to split into our watches. Starboard Watch went to the stern of the boat to talk about bioaccumulation, wetlands and marshes. We also did a water quality check. While Starboard was doing that, Port Watch was navigating. In about 2 hours we switched watches. Once we got a course set, both watches got to clean the boat. We all worked hard to get it done so we could eat lunch. We had cold cuts, PB&J, and tortilla chips again. When lunch was done, we were almost at the island so we finished our creature features. Shortly after, we were on Wye Island. We got to go mud mucking and plant saltmarsh grass along the shoreline. Although the mud was sort of mushy, it was a good experience. After planting the grass we set up tents while Offie cooked another amazing dinner, pasta with alfredo and spaghetti sauce and corn on the cob. To burn off the food, later we played an educational version of manhunt (hide-and-go seek tag in the dark). We got to use glowsticks. To wrap up the night we had s'mores around the campfire while Natalie told us a bedtime story."

Written by Nadia

Mildred Belle, Day 6

2010-07-03T09:39:00.004-04:00

Hello all!

As we make our way to Wye Island this morning, we have an update for you on what we did for day 6 of our trip.

"Yesterday, June 2nd, we sailed out of Jefferson Patterson Park in Maryland for about an hour boat ride to Calvert Marine Museum. It was pretty cool. It had a lot about boating and fishing vessels used in the chesapeake Bay throughout its history. It also had an aquarium and a fossil room. We got in groups and tried to finish the scavenger hunt. After the museum we ate a pasta salad that Offie, one of our support staff, made. It was really good. Then we split up into watches. My watch, Starboard Watch, ran the boat doing navigation, and Robert drove at the helm. Then we switched and Port Watch did navigation while we studied how animals adapt. When we finally docked for the end of the day it was at Slaughter Creek. We swam at a small pool at the marina. Then we set up our camp at a field there. Later, after a stir fry dinner, we played Ultimate Frisbee. My team won both games. Then we went to sleep."

Written by Andrew

Picture post!

2010-07-02T12:50:00.002-04:00

A few photos to get a taste of what life is like aboard Mildred Belle.

The crew in front of the boat before leaving Tangier:

Learning about the Bay:

Taking a bearing:

Navigating with First Mate Brendan:

More to come later! We're headed for Taylor's Island tonight, and we'll let you know how it goes!

Mildred Belle, Days 3 and 4

2010-07-02T08:56:00.002-04:00

Ahoy landlubbers!

As we make our way back to Solomon's Island this morning, we'd like to fill you in on what we've been up to these past couple days. On Wednesday we visited the beautiful island of Tangier, where students got to interview some locals, visit the fascinating museum, and sample some Spanky's 50s-style ice cream. The following is an introduction to Tangier by one of our students:

"Tangier is a small island in the Chesapeake Bay, about an hour and a half boat ride from Crisfield. It is one of the most isolated places in America. Most of the men there work on the water, while the women work as housewives or run shops. There are 621 people on the island, and many of them were born and raised on Tangier. They all know each other. They speak with kind of a Cornish accent. Since the island is small, instead of using cars they use golf carts and bikes. Unfortunately, Tangier is at sea level, and as the sea level rises, more and more of Tangier is covered in water. Some people do not know what they'll do if they have to leave the island. Tangier is also beautiful. The land not covered with buildings is marshland, and there is even a beach. Wildlife includes: egrets, ibises, ospreys, dogs, cats, and even a squirrel."

Written by Ann-Catherine

Thanks Ann! Now let's take a look at what the students did yesterday, Day 4. Here's your update:

"Today we arrived at the longest part of our trip, a seven-hour boat ride. the goal was to be out on the boat at 8:30 AM, but that didn't happen. On the boat, we engaged in different activities. One group would learn about the bay while another would learn about navigation. Some even got to fully steer the boat, while others either navigated and told them where to go or learned about the bay habitats. When we finally arrived at our destination, we drove out to our campsite and quickly began preparing tents and dinner. Dinner was pasta served with different sauces with broccoli and garlic bread on the side. It was considered by many to be the best dinner so far in the past few days. Afterwards, a big game of ultimate frisbee was started which was A LOT of fun. We ended with a muster (group meeting) to reflect on the past days and went to prepare for bed as we approached the midway point of our trip."

Written by Alex

I'll leave you with that for now. I found my memory card reader so pictures will be up today!

Mildred Belle Day 2

2010-06-30T19:52:00.002-04:00

Hello there! Here's an update on what we did for the rest of Tuesday. I forgot my memory card reader on land today but I promise I've been taking pictures and they'll be up soon!

"Today was an early day. Most of us were up by 6:00 AM and some of us earlier (like 5:30). It was probably because of the hard gravel we pitched our tents on. At 7:30 we had breakfast and as soon as we were done, we got back on the boat and left for Crisfield. We left around 9:30 and got there around 4:00. It was a long and wavy trip. During the trip, the crew had us "swab the decks." When we got to the campsite we pitched our tents really fast and had a great burrito dinner. Then Captain Mike took us on a night hike through the woods. It was very exciting. We saw lots of toads and had close calls with other animals."

Written by John

If you left a comment on the last post, I let your camper know. Oh, and we also went on a swim call off the boat! Very refreshing and minimal jellyfish stings.

Check back soon for an update on today's trip to Tangier island!

Mildred Belle Day 1

2010-06-29T13:19:00.001-04:00

Hello family and friends!

We've completed our first day on the Mildred Belle and are now underway for day 2. All's well and here we have a recap of the day's events from one of our campers:

"Through the blazing heat on the boat, many people welcomed the rain yesterday. The group divided into Watch 1 and Watch 2-- while Watch 1 learned about plankton with Natalie, Watch 2 worked on navigation with Brendan, pinpointing our location on a chart. We set up camp at Point Lookout, unloaded our stuff, and started making dinner. While we feasted on hamburgers, Boca burgers, and hot dogs, the bugs feasted on us. Everyone managed to get a considerably fair amount of sleep, then ate breakfast, packed up, and set out to the boat. Rather than watch the adults undock the boat like yesterday, the kids were assigned jobs, taking docklines 1 through 4 and roving the sides of the boat with fenders. Everyone is excited for another day on the Mildred Belle and wondering what awaits us in Crisfield."

Written by Megan

Thanks for reading, and check back soon for pictures and more updates!

Summer 2010 is HERE!!!!!

2010-06-25T14:43:00.002-04:00

The crew of the Mildred Belle has been working hard all week to prepare the boat and the program for the fantastic adventure they are going to have next week. Can't wait to meet all the students and their families on Sunday.

I heart Learning: Day 7

2009-07-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

7/5/09
Samaa Elbery and Arhea
Swan Creek Marina, Rock Hall, MD
Today we started off the day with more navigation and more learning. My group learned about pollution from the citites and farmlands and we even had a little activity to show us. The city ended up having more pollution….surprise surprise. Then while the other group was on watch and navigating we went down to the cabin and took a quiz. Yes a quiz. But I ended up learning some cool stuff. After that we went trolling again and hoped to catch some crabs or fish in our net. I even made a bet with Joonwoo that we will catch fish but now I owe him a dollar. We ended up catching nothing but like 2 jellyfish. It was still pretty awesome because we were on the boat. When we were chilling on the boat we actually had a draw bridge open so we could pass underneath. It was ironic because I always wanted to know how it felt to stop a whole bridge of traffic. I experienced the opposite side. Yippppeeeeee. Anyway when we arrived at camp or should I say park, we did the usual and set up the tents. we were in a park and there were swings and slides so that brought childhood memories which was sweet. For dinner we had sloppy joes which were DELICIOUS!!! I had to get seconds. That was the most messy but most tasty dinner I’ve ever had so far. After that tasty dinner a few of us played kickball with our new friend Rachel. I sucked at the game but still had fun. Since portwatch was waking up at 4:30 AM we had to go t o bed at 9, but I went to sleep around 10 because I’m a rebel and I’m sooo cool. It was a pretty fun and awesome day.

Happy Birthday....America: Day 6

2009-07-07T10:04:00.000-04:00

7/4/09
Chris Robinson AKA “Best Resident Assistant ever”
Wye Island, MD
We started off this beautiful Independence day with delicious pancakes; some topped with chocolate chips others with strawberries yummmmmm. Next the students and staff walked a brief 50 yards to Granary Creek, where they planted bay grass in the tidal waters. We did an amazing job planting about 17 flats of bay grass!! Though it was very mucky and muddy everyone enjoyed helping the Chesapeake bay. The next activity in the fun-filled day was a short one mile canoe ride to the west to a place called Dividing Creek. There we enjoyed a simple yet always satisfying PB&J lunch. Next on the agenda was a nature hike, where we stumbled upon one of the oldest Holly trees in the nation ( over 275 years old). We hung out there for a little while and then hiked back to our canoes and headed back to the campsite. There we played games until dinner time when we enjoyed a heart stir fry dinner. After dinner we headed to a nearby volleyball net where skills and competitiveness came to the surface. After a few hard fought matches we walked back to the campsite for dessert. As soon as the sunset, the students played a glow stick variation of tag in a nearby field. All in all, we celebrated the Birthday of America pretty well.

Our own isolated island: Day 5

2009-07-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

7/3/09
Joowoo Suh and Cole Catron
Wye Island, MD
We all woke up at 7 AM. We were all tired and groggy due to the fact that at 10:30 PM last night , we had to trudge up to the empty shack and hold up there for the storm that never came. Sad face. We then went back to our tents at around 11:30 to sleep. We had to pack up all of the tents before we were able to get breakfast. Thank God there weren’t any mosquitoes; we only got one or two bites.
Breakfast consisted of mainly honey nut Cheerios and milk. Yum. We then had to wash all of the dishes and pack away our mess kits. Morning desert was an apple. Yay.
After the delicious breakfast, we packed the rest of our bags and went on a hike. We all went down to a trail that Aaron led us. We went into an abandoned Native American village with some really neat things like log houses(actually bark houses), many discarded bones, and oyster shells. Then, we went down to this really cool beach where we saw the skeletal remains of a trilobite. Sweet.
After the awesome hike, we went back to the Mildred Belle and took off. We were in for a long trip, a 6 hour trip across the Chesapeake Bay which ended at Wye Island.
Joonwoo got to steer the boat which was really fun. Cole got to navigate and to keep watch was awesome. We saw eight sting rays that day which was pimp. In total, the group saw about 20 rays.
Down in the cabin, we were all introduced to Squirtle, the ship’s pet terrapin. The crew found her 3 years ago in the bay.
After toying around with Squirtle, we all went to the stern of the boat and learned how to make knots. It was really fun learning how to make them, but we got our ropes taken away. 
Soon, we made our way into the river in which we had to find the dock. We ended up getting lost for a little, but that was cool because it was our fault.
When we docked at Wye Island, we were amazed. There was a huge cornfield with no corn to be seen. There were several trees and vegetation, but what surprised us the most was that it was basically an open plain. There was so much open space. It was a new experience for the most of us and to those who had this new experience felt like it was majestic.
Our campsite was really nice wit a campfire surrounded by logs. After setting up tents, we made dinner. It consisted of some excellent pasta and quesadillas. We all had a cup of lemonade. The end.

Sundoes and Jaime's Crazy Adventures: Day 4

2009-07-07T10:01:00.000-04:00

7/2/09
Sundoes Elbery and Jaime “Unbreakable” Moscoso
Jefferson Patterson Park, St. Leonard, MD
Walking out of the girl’s bathroom, after spending the night there a wave of disaster hit our eyes. Everything gradually went downhill. A severe storm hit our campsite and we had water and dirt in all of our belongings, but we still held it together long enough to eat some cereal and RUN a boat. We learned to steer, navigate, and maintain the vessel.
Without Chris( the coolest RA in the history and prehistory of mankind) on board it was pretty quiet. He was too busy helping dry the tents and sleeping bags from the storm that made everything wet. We stood on the deck of the Mildred Belle for a couple of hours and while we were on her we wer taught to tie knots; the bowline and round turn-two half hitches. We practiced that a couple of times and Aaron of course made a couple of corny jokes while teaching us. He definitely earned the nickname of K-NO. we felt accomplished because we finally can help out with the knots around the boat instead of letting Liz, Matt, or Aaron do it. When we arrived to our campsite most of the tents were dried, but that did not prevent us from having fun. The place was called Jefferson Patterson Park and it was beautiful. We ate delicious hamburgers for dinner and played a great football game. We both tackled people and we were winning until the staff caught us tackling and began to patronize us. We had to play two-hand touch but we still had . By this day we gave Matt a nickname that of Shorty; we first gave him the name of “ the Tall one” but we felt bad and began to call him shorty. At night we gazed at the stars and enjoyed the view since we do not see the stars that often up in Jersey. We both are always enthusiastic and engaged in everything because this is one of the best things we’ve done in our lives and know that we probably would not do it again. We take everything in because we want to honor all of theses moments; we appreciate everything that comes to us and honestly we the crew so much. CTY ROCKS!!!!

I'm on a Boat: day 3 on the Might Mildred Belle

2009-07-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

7/1/09
Billy and Daniel
Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD

Today we woke up and ate breakfast at a camping site at Crisfield. This is the second crazy day. We hate all the mosquitoes chasing us around. Then we boarded the Mildred Belle and did some work. Billy steered and was also on lookout that day. On lookout, you watch out for obstacles such as buoys and crab pots. Steering was super fun. Finally we arrived at Tangier Island, Virginia. Most of the people there catch crabs for their jobs. The island was beautiful. We went swimming at a beach. The beach water was warm and we played keep-away with Liz’s shirt( she had a bathing suit on don’t worry). The bad part of the day was that I found out that my ear was sunburned and we had to walk back to the boat in wet and sandy shoes. Next, we camd back to camp and ate dinner. When we were about to sleep, a thunderstorm came. We had to sleep in the girl’s bathroom and played games. Dan talked a lot. Haha. Billy went to the boy’s bathroom, and tried to sleep on the bench there. Fail.

Fun in the Sun : Day 2 on the Mildred Belle

2009-07-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

6/30/09
Brooke Edelson and Samuel “ Heavy Duty” Goldberg
Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
Today was filled with exciting, nerve-wracking, and fun experiences. We began by crossing the Chesapeake Bay. In order to accomplish this, many jobs were required including: navigating the boat(distance, ETA, reference points, etc), steering the boat, keeping watch for crab pots and buoys and handling lines during docking and launching. Furthermore during the ride we practiced proper names for the parts of the boat. Lunch was a highlighted by a “splash” of salt. We also trolled for fish, sea jellies, crabs, and other bay creatures.
After helping the captain and learning tons, we drove to a delightful campsite in Crisfield, MD. Crisfield is a crabbing town in southern Maryland. Then tents were set up and dinner prepared. The spaghetti and garlic bread were delicious and helped to steer off unwanted mosquitoes. Once finished eating, recreational games began such as ultimate Frisbee and “two hand touch” football. Next we went on a hike through the park that we were staying, and stumbled upon a dock were we sat and watched a magnificent sunset. Then it was off to bed to rest up for another fun day on the Mildred Belle.

We've been busy!

2009-07-05T08:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, but we've been busy crossing back and forth across the Bay. We started our adventures in the Southern Maryland area - Solomon's Island to be exact. We have visited Point Lookout State Park, Crisfield, Tangier Island, Jefferson Paterson Park and Wye Island. We had some pretty lively storms while in Crisfield so ended up in the bathroom taking shelter for most of the night - not the most comfy place, but we were safe and dry. Too bad the same couldn't be said for our tents. Fortunately our trusty land support Scott and Liz made a stop a the laundry mat for us and dried out our sleeping bags! Sadly we did have storms the following night at Jefferson Paterson but they were not quite as active and we had a lovely educational facility to seek shelter in for a bit.

We spent the 4th of July on Wye Island. On Friday night we were able to glimpse fireworks from the town of St. Michael's. We got up Saturday morning and did our part for the environment. We planted 14 flats of wetland grasses. It isn't the most glamorous work, but we did it quickly and are hoping our efforts do their part to restore valuable shoreline at Wye Island. We then went on a canoe/kayak adventure to the next creek over. Had lunch, then hiked to a giant old Holly tree that is over 290 years old!!!! We then canoed and kayaked back to our campsite.

We all have lots of bug bites, are pretty tired, but are having a great time!

And Summer '09 begins!!!

2009-06-29T08:40:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all the wonderful students and families who visited Sigsbee and her crew on Sunday while the Mildred Belle was making the trip to Solomons Island. We're planning on you having a wonderful adventure with us. Check back for postings and maybe even pictures - we'll get things up here as often as we can. If you have questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact Haley or Lisa who are based out of Baltimore - 410-685-9043 or cty@livingclassrooms.org. Even if they aren't in the office, voice mail and email get checked several times a day!

Fossil hunting! Interpretive dance! Day 6!

2008-08-05T17:08:00.002-04:00

Brought to you by bloggers old and new.

"Today we woke up quite early. We quickly picked up some muffins and headed to Calvert Cliffs to go fossil hunting. After an hour we went back, packed up camp and headed to the Mildred Belle. We trawled and caught a mud crab, comb jellies, and sea nettles. Some of us made deals that we would eat comb jellies with mate Pete. They were thrown back before we could eat them because they were "stale" from the sun. We also had a swim call. It was amazing. We had a comb jelly war. We came up with interpretive dances for different animals. The Starboard group learned about plankton. Now we are looking up at the clear night. We can see every constellation. The moon is only showing a tip and it’s red. Being able to lie on the grass and see the stars is worth the bug bites."

- Rebekah, Nick R., Danbi, James and Micheala

Here it comes: Day 5

2008-08-05T16:51:00.002-04:00

This post brought to you by a whole mess'a kids. It chronicles our transit from Point Lookout to Solomon's Island.

"On the boat we had tons of fun and ate lunch. Then at Solomon’s Island we visited the Calvert Marine Museum. We saw fish, jellies, otters, and stingrays. We also went up to the lighthouse. Then at night we set up tents, and had takeout pizza for dinner. We also gathered sticks for a campfire, and we could talk on our cell phones for 10 minutes. After that we gathered around the campfire and sung campfire songs. Then we saw a shooting star. Then we sung more songs and played a game and team Same won (but Earth, Wind and Ira had the best name). Then we went to sleep."

- Ian, Conor, Kurt, Eugenie, Alyx and Alex

Day 4: Keepin' it coming

2008-08-05T16:03:00.003-04:00

A group effort by Nick S., Sid, Adam and Allie.

"Today we camped at a “haunted” island. Nick Suiter had boiling water and sausage dropped on his foot, Allie had a gash down her leg and had to get 29 stitches and a tetanus shot, two other girls cut themselves shaving (we got showers! Yayyy!), and Nick R. cut his heel. Maybe the island WAS haunted!

There was also a ginormous storm, during which we were evacuated from the tents. Ian didn’t because he slept through it and the crew trying to wake him up. We were very descriptively informed of how we would die if our tent was struck by lightening (Ed. Note: by the time we evacuated, the storm had almost passed, so Ian was safe. Also, there was no risk of lightening striking the tents, the concern was rather that one of the trees surrounding us would be struck and fall on us. Although that’s not to say I didn’t describe it to give campers the heebie-jeebies anyway.)

Twice today we went swimming. Everyone except Nick S. took a shower, because his foot was burned so badly."

- Nick S., Sid, Adam and Allie all miss their families.

Day 3: Tangier

2008-08-05T16:01:00.001-04:00

Somehow the responsibility for the Day 3 blog has fallen off the children onto me, so sit back and relax while I spin you a tale from Tangier.

First off, a little lesson: In case you don’t know, Tangier is the most remote island on the bay, and one of the most isolated areas left in our country. The people (about 400) of the island still speak in a vernacular similar to Elizabethan English, and most of them are named Pruitt, Dise, Crockett, or Evans, after the founding families. The main forms of transportation are golf cart and moped, and

Our transit today was the longest ever attempted in CTY history—62 miles from Taylor’s Island to Tangier. The kids did a bang-up job. We got the boat a little stuck pulling into dock, but with some help from our newfound 8-year-old friend, who could operate his own skiff and who acted as our bowhand, we made it in safely. It was late in the afternoon, and after some disgustingly adorable encounters with a litter of kittens, we set out to explore the main street and see what we could see. We stopped in a number of shops, checked out the museum, talked to the locals (one of whom, in response to being asked what they thought of the crabbing industry, replied “what’s a crab?” This confused our students. It was funny for me.)

After dinner, and on the way to walk to camp, we stopped in “Spanky’s 50’s-style Ice Cream Parlor” for a refreshing treat. Then we made the long, arduous hike to the beach—another CTY first, as none of our trips have ever camped their before. We carried all our bags, pads, tents and everything else we needed for the night over the roads, across the marsh, through the mud, and over the dunes. Your kids are going to have some muscles when they get home.

The beach was absolutely beautiful. Silent except for the chirping frogs and crickets, almost pitch black once the sun went down, soft sand and warm water and a friendly breeze that kept the mosquitoes and horseflies at bay. We could see every star in the sky, including a few shooting ones. Cygnus, Draco, Ursa Major and Minor, Hercules, and the milky edge of our galaxy watched over us as we slept, our gently billowing tents making a line just below the windswept dunes. The next morning, we woke up to the sunrise and swam in the brackish water before making our way back to the boat for breakfast and a new day.

Thanks & come back soon,

Jordan

Aaaaand another one!

2008-08-03T11:48:00.002-04:00

Greetings landlubbers,

Taking advantage of our internet signal, here's the promised Horn Point entry. This post (regarding Day 2 of our journey) is brought to you by Alex.

"To whom it may concern:

If you are actually reading this, you probably want to know how your child is doing. Well, spoiler alert—we’re all doing just fine and dandy. Here are the details: Woke up at 6:30 AM. Because of this, I was drowsy and am unable to remember completely what happened until after our luxurious breakfast of Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Life cereal. So far we are all sleepy, sore, dysfunctional (which made Christina, our fearful leader, a little upset) but that was all about to change…

Our awesome CTY then made a grueling 50-yard walk to the Horn Point oyster hatchery. There we met a cool scientist lady who I forget the name of, but she was nice. She told us about saving the oysters and the bay and whatnot until we got a quick intermission of putting on our bathing suits and “fu-fu shoes” as our friend Jimmy from the whales trip would call it. We then walked to a big barrel with bags of baby oysters (called spat) inside. We then carried the bags into a truck and brought it to a beach. We were all muddy, but it was cool—the muddiest person got a prize (it was Allie).

Once we dragged the oysters about 3.5 feet under the water, we could finally use what we now call a bath—a quick rinse in the bay water. We had a quick lunch and set out on the boat. We had our first watch shifts while on the 3 hour trip to Taylor’s Island. We learned how to navigate the boat, find where we are and where to go. We also did boat checks, had lookouts and science officers, and got to drive the boat. We docked and set up at our new campsite. Pizza bagels for dinner and an early bedtime of 9:30 because we need to wake up at 5:00 tomorrow!"

- Alex Steinwald

Many more adventures have followed, and I will swiftly type them for your enjoyment.

- Jordan

At last, a blog post!

2008-08-03T11:44:00.002-04:00

Ahoy family and friends!

We finally have internet access, so we can now begin to update you on our wonderous ourney. We've made it safely from Annapolis to Horn Point, from Horn Point to Taylor’s Island, Taylor's to Tangier Island, Tangier to Point Lookout, and we are now underway to Solomon's Island! Below is an account of our first day, as provided by students Rebekah and Nick S. They wrote it when it happened, so let them take you on a thrilling ride back in time.

“Class:

Class was lots of fun. We tested the water 2-3 feet under for its pH, salinity, temperature, nitrate, and phosphate. We collected the water with two different types of collectors, a bucket and a La Motte. It was really interesting. We saw that the pH was more basic than acidic at 8.5. The salinity was 12 ppt so we assumed we were at the upper portion of Zone 2. We later learned about different knots and how to tie them: bowline, clove hitch, round turn two half hitches, and a few more.”

-Rebekah

“I was surprised by how little the boat moved in the waves. Learning and relearning knots was fun. There were some amazing jellyfish sightings. I alone saw at least a hundred!
Cooking tacos today was great and they were very tasty. I had a juicy salad with nice tomatoes. It was so humid last night in my tent, I felt like I was breathing in more water vapor than air. We don’t get to take showers on this trip. Everyone is going to have a joke smorgasbord.
I can’t wait to catch stuff in the water with the dredge! Today we are going to an oyster farm. Navigating the boat is great and for our final we get total control of the boat and we have to get to a place within a certain amount of time.”

-Nick S.

Tune in later for an account of our exciting, dirty day at Horn Point!

-Jordan

Day 8: Finally, CRABS!

2008-07-17T15:25:00.000-04:00

Day Eight met us at a brisk five A.M. wakeup, at least for the first group of crabbers. We met Captain Clay, our trot-lining expert, at the dockside to hop aboard his small crabbing boat and drop the lines. We rotated through taking turns dipping for crabs with the net, being the backup dipper, spotting for crabs from the cabin top, and picking up the caught crabs from the deck with tongs and measuring them. Whenever anyone missed a crab, they got the privilege of standing on the cabin top and serendaing us, one song for every crab missed. Captain Clay was quickly a favorite among the students, and astounded us with his ability to predict a crab on the line long before it was visible under the water. Unfortunately, the boat had some engine troubles and we had to go wait for it to be fixed for a bit, but a mechanic came and the first group was able to hop back aboard and catch a total of 22 crabs. They then switched and worked on their final projects while the second group went out. Because the engine troubles delayed our plans a bit, we skipped going to Gibson's Island and stayed at Rock Hall for a second night so that we could have a crab feast for dinner. While everyone finished their projects and did some tie-dyeing, the crabs we had caught (a final total of over a bushel of monsters) were taken to be steamed. They came back steamed red and coated in Old Bay, and we gorged on crabs, corn, salad and mac-and-cheese. When it got dark, we started a fire and toasted some delicious s'mores over it while remiscing about the trip. On our last night, the feeling was bittersweet; we all missed our families and the luxuries of civilization (not to mention were beginning to smell a bit), but everyone was sad to be on the last night of the voyage.

Day 7: A Cone Jelly Buffet

2008-07-17T11:23:00.000-04:00

After waking up on day seven, we walked to see the Wye holly tree, one of the oldest holly trees on the East Coast. It's gnarled branches and burly trunk seemed a bit anticlimatic at first, but upon further meditation we learned to appreciate the tree; to see its age as a testament against the deforestation that has so altered the surrounding landscape over the years. We left the tree to set off on our transit to Rock Hall with a hot sun on our backs, but we were able to escape the heat for a bit when we anchored the Mildred Belle and got to swim off the boat. Even in the middle of the Bay, jellyfish were still a bit of a concern to many, but no one got stung and everyone had a good time. Earlier in the transit, we also had a harrowing experience going under the drawbridge at Kent Narrows, as it is quite the tight squeeze for the Belle to get through; but Captain Joe brought us through without a scratch. We also tried using the trawl net again, with hopes for some fish. We pulled up the net with another load of pure cone jellies, but this time was more exciting because everyone got up the courage to eat one. These deceptively slimy-looking jellies are non-stinging and actually quite edible, and some of us developed quite the taste for them. We arrived at Rock Hall in time to eat dinner before watching a beatiful golden-pink sunset at the nearby beach, and then got a special surprise and privilege in getting to take our SECOND (!) showers of the trip. After reaching new realms of cleanliness, we went to bed looking forward to an early morning and our first chance to go crabbing.

Day Six: Sloshy Shoes and Mounds of Goo

2008-07-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

On day six, we had quite a damp morning recovering from the storm the night before, but set off aboard the Belle for Wye Island no worse for the wear, aside from a few sloshy pairs of shoes. A little ways into the transit, we tossed out the trawl net in hopes of getting some fish to observe, but got nothing but a big net full of jellies. After tossing the mounds of goo that they compiled overboard, we all got to hold a jellyfish in an attempt to get over some sting-related fears. It was slimy, but decidedly not so life-threatening as many had anticipated. Upon arriving at Wye Island, we went on a short canoe trip to a creek where we saw two bald eagles nesting, and heard the almost dinosaur-like squawk of some passing great blue herons. We went for a quick swim, then canoed back in time for dinner. After dinner, we went on a hike at dusk down to a beach where there was a gorgeous sunset reflected in the most tranquil waters we had seen yet. As it got dark, we swam with the bio-luminescent, sting-free cone jellies, which glow in the dark every time you disturb one with a swimming stroke. We then hiked back in the dark without flashlights, which unnerved a few but gave us a new appreciation for nighttime in its natural state, free of light pollution. We then went straight to bed, looking forward to our next transit to Rock Hall.

Day Five: Resist the Urge to Keelhaul Students

2008-07-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

Day five gave us a nice break from our usual morning routine, as we went for a pre-breakfast hike to the cliffs for fossil hunting. Pouring through the piles of pebbles and broken shells, we found fossilized clay imprints, giant scallop shells, and Captain Joe even found two shark's teeth. We then ate, packed up and set off for Annapolis. During the transit, we passed the lighthouse marking Bloody Point, where old skipjack captains used to "keelhaul" their crews (knock them overboard with the boom so as not to have to pay them). Luckily, we avoided needing to keelhaul any students. Port Watch was on duty, and successfully navigated our way to Annapolis, while Starboard got a chance to do some water quality testing. We arrived at Annapolis after experiencing our first docking at a crowded harbour, and got back in touch with civilization for a bit by walking around downtown. Our campsite at Thomas Point, Outside of Annapolis, was by far the most beautiful we stayed at, located on a point jutting out into the middle of the bay with a waterfront view all around. The kids were ecstatic over our surprise dinner of pizza from Papa John's, and by their one chance to be reunited with their cellphones for a quick call home. As we ate, we were able to watch the lightning flashes of a storm slowly approaching from the Bay, which was as breathtaking as it was foreboding. Luckily, we were able to get in our tents before the storm arrived, and were lulled to sleep by the rain.

Day 4: Fossils and Outhouses

2008-07-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

We had another early morning on day four, and after breakfast immediately left and set off for Calvert Cliffs State Park. Once the boat was under way, Starboard got their first shot at being on watch, and did boat checks, navigated our course for us, and even got to steer. Both watches also got to study a blue crab we had found on deck, and meet Squirtle, our resident terrapin turtle and boat pet. Upon arrival at Calvert Cliffs, we had a scavenger hunt at the museum there, at which we saw frolicking river otters and fossils from a prehistoric shark, among other things. We then headed to our new campsite at the state park, which was one of the most beautiful and secluded sites we had stayed at yet. The outhouses and lone water spicket that replaced the luxurious bathhouses we had enjoyed so far were a source of trepidation for some, but we made up for it by having our first campfire. We ate some delicious veggie chili for dinner (the vegetarians were happy), and then sang some songs around the fire before bed.

Day 3: Who Knew You Could Make an Omelette in a Bag?

2008-07-13T10:39:00.000-04:00

Day three started with a brisk morning walk along the waterfront, where we saw blue crabs, moon jellies (staff member Anthony ate one!), and barnacles. We then did some peaceful morning yoga, and then enjoyed a big tasty breakfast of omelettes made in ziploc bags. We then took the ferry from Crisfield to Tangier Island, where we got to interview the locals for our final project. We learned that everyone who lives on Tangier is part of a small, tightly knit community that has depended on the blue crab for generations. We got to wander around the tiny town and visit their museum, and then ended our visit to Tangier by getting ice cream to celebrate Daniel's birthday. After coming back to Jane's Island for our second night there, we ate dinner and birthday cake, and then got a special surprise of being allowed our first (and probably only) showers. We went to bed clean and refreshed, and looking forward to our next big day.

Day 2: Don't Anger the Weather Gods

2008-07-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

On day two, after a bright and early wakeup, we hopped on the Mildred Belle and ventured to Crisfield, MD, nicknamed "crab capital of the world." Early in the trip, we ran into a giant school of bluefish, so we stopped and watched Captain Joe catch one one so we could all get a closer look. We let the fish go, but the crew suspects that its capture might have angered the "weather gods", as the trip turned into another windy and wavy ride. As we were tossed about by the waves, we learned to tie some knots that would be useful on the boat. Once we reached Crisfield, we took a tour at a local museum where we got to touch soft-shell crabs and learn about the various old methods of crabbing and oystering. We set up camp at Jane's Island, and enjoyed a game of ultimate frisbee before bed.

Day 1: Wind, Waves, and ...Ghosts?

2008-07-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

On our first day, we cast off from the marina at Solomon's Island to quickly be met with heavy winds and rough waters. Despite some initial sea sickness, everyone enjoyed the waves and spent most of the trip lined up along the rail, enjoying the wild ride. We then split up into our two groups, "starboard watch" and "port watch," and learned about navigation and some general Chesapeake Bay trivia. Some highlights of the trip were seeing jellyfish float past, and watching the ospreys and pelicans soaring around the boat. Our campground at Lookout Point was rumored to be the second most haunted place in America because of the many soldiers who died there in the Civil War, which added a bit of intrigue to our first night of camping. Everyone had a an adventurous first day, and says "Hi!" to their families.

Landfall- The Findal Log of the Proud Half-Hearted Jose

2008-07-09T06:51:00.002-04:00

Hey Belle Blog fans.... we made it back... sorry no message yesterday (too busy showering... all you can eat food with free dishwashing service...swimming in a pool w/o 'baycreatures....and more showering :-)

I couldnt have asked for a better bunch. The Boys will stay in this Pirate RAs watch through the end, and the girls are al eager to stay close knit during social time.

As far as this trip goes... we are still adjusting to modern civilization. We had to re-learn to use furniture (we just kept sitting in a circle) and secretly I think we all wouldnt mind hugging our modern toilet when no one's looking :-) Please share these posts and website with family and friends and they can probably keep on posting their amazement. Or just talk to you 9-9:30pm daily standard phone times!

Thanks for the lovin' ...The Belle has a new crew now so I repeat DONT ask any future posts where your loved kiddo pirates are. Just blogs we put up to this one.
I'm off to do courtesy wake ups!

-Its been an honor and a pleasure to serve with em'' BUT LAND-portion HO!!!!!

The Final Stretch-July 8

2008-07-09T06:36:00.003-04:00

When all was said and done, these were the last brave words of the Belle's 'crab-trip one' pirate crew:

JULY 8, 2008
"Yesterday was our navigation finals. We woke up at 6:30 to get on the boat and starboards began their finals after leaving the harbor. After some touble in the beginning with triangulation starboars FINALLY reached their destination withing 30 seconds of the allowed time. We hit some rough wavers and had to bring squirtle [our pirate turtle} up from the cabin to avoid another game of 'find the turtle.' Ports then began their finals. They had a rocky start because Mustang Morgan messed up on finding their electronic fixer (her words not ours) but then they got to the correct buoy within 2 minutes of the allowed time.

Next we chugged over to Soloman's Island where we at Papa John's Pizza. We also gave each and every person their personal handshake [so theoretically 144 handshakes between 12 kiddos family and fans!] and got lost on the car to our [last] campsite. We sang 'Complicated' and 'Fidelity' the whole way there and had a great time bouncing along offroad and up and down hills. As Kimmi Page said 'It felt like a Disney ride' {HHJ thinks Pirates of the Chesapeake-an] We ended the night with a campfire and roasting marshmallows. We performed the 'Crab Dance' while Jackie Kahan danced and sang to traditional bhangra!

This morning 7/8 we looked for fossils at 6AM. Anna Valkyrie found a shark's tooth nd everyone had a great time. We are going to the museum now to have someone identify them. This was an amazing trip anmd we all grew closer together through it."

Yo Ho Yo Ho 2 more days to go!!!

2008-07-06T18:49:00.001-04:00

"On the 6th day , we woke up from 3 very loud crows that squaked at 6 in the morning!!! We did watch and lessons on the boat then had special 'Cheese Balls Saturday' We docked at Crisfield (the crab capital of the world) and went to a museaum and saw a puffer fish! Jose bought a red crab hat (HAHA!!!) that looks ridiculous but we had to promise not to bug him about buying candy. Then we went to the campsite and had pizza bagels. Then we went to bed.

-----
HHJ says- I've really connected with my student crew.... all it cost me was my dignity and a $10 pipecleaner hat :-) We all recovered from those jelly stings because we're the rough n tough pirate crew of the Belle. PS... We've really learned to accept out doors gourmet like ziplock bag omletes and the post-dessert tongue-powered-rinse method. Meanwhile.. MORE MESSAGES! One final word... after 7 days.. your kiddos finally brought out your cameras and took their first pictures. But the LCF crew and I have hmmm the other 7 days covered :-)

PLS.... SEND MESSAGES, we read them daily

2008-07-06T18:46:00.000-04:00

Independence Day: July 4th, 2008

The Pirate Crew conspires to write:"On the fifth day of the trip, the 4th of July, we lost Squirtle the turtle, because she fell out during the big waves , and climbed into the cabin. We found her in the life jacket. Port [students] watch swabbed the deck. We all had to create aquatic animals (creature feature). Port learned taxonomy and starboard [students] did watch. Later we went swimming in the bay and (almost) all were stung by jellyfish. Hookem Tim did a giant cannonball !!! [Later that day] starboard swabbed the decks. Then we FINALLY took showers!!! (For the first time in the trip and we called home.) And we had a mini fourth of July cupcake."

-----
Half-heart's log. Side note... As of last check in, I've received and read out loud 8 blog comments from all of you loved ones!!! It was a highlight to receive blogs from parents, siblings, and a very dextrous typing cat named Whiskers. We've got 2 days left but messages are truly treasure.
PS.... pictures are coming if not now, as soon as we make landfall and I get to a CVS. One more note, spirits were amazingly high this holiday because we were rained on (which cancelled our firework watching trip) and the kids spent their time under a camp bathroom awning playing charade games and telling stories with no complaints and lights out at 10pm.

Update from Heartless Jose

2008-07-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

Correction... I JUST Tossed my cookies off the stern. But the kids won't know until we're on land because only Adult Staff can used computers!!! :-) I'm a scurvy puking knave!Arrrg

Hey! Ho! Let's Go!

2008-07-04T12:24:00.000-04:00

..."twenty twenty twenty-four hours agooo-oh-oh"
And now a word from the students:
"Our day [July 3, 2008] began with a lesson about run-off and water quality. Afterward, we took a walk around the farm where we learned about the envioronmentally friendly methods of farming used there . Areas of vegetation (reparian zones) are used to catch run-off. We took a long boat ride, during which port took their first watch and starboard learned about plankton. The winner of the plankton-floating contest was Maestro Maura. Starboards later worked on their blue crab project: the creation of a main article & others about blue crabs. As we approached Taylor Island we played the 'Blue Crab game' and got ready to dock. We had hot dogs for dinner. Off-road Aaron found out that they taste good with Ranch Dressing. We then had a tent pitching contest once we went to the campsite. Kristina and Karen were the winners. Despite having to switch their tent three times, Anna Valkirie and Mustang Morgan came in second followed by John H. and Jackie Kahan in third. Stay tuned!"

----H. H. Jose Here, the kids are still great and are doing well despite the bug wars. Won't say much else because I just might toss my cookies!!!!

THE THIRD DAY: July 2, 2008

2008-07-03T14:34:00.000-04:00

“Today we went canoeing. Jonathan, Marty, and Kahan capsized their canoe 3 times and we went swimming while canoeing. On the way to St. Michael’s Island for the day trip, we trawled and caught fish, crabs, and LOTS of jellyfish. The “Jimmy” (male crab) that we caught was molting but as of now we believe he is dead (its some kind of ancient Chinese secret).

At St. Michael’s we did a scavenger hunt and Hookem Tim chugged a Gatorade in 10 seconds. On the Belle, on the way back, we learned about water quality and run off. At night we played campfire games before we went to sleep.”
----
Half-hearted Jose reporting. To easy the minds of parents, the kids had a great time capsizing and the boys were kind enough to prove the effectiveness of the mandatory life vests!!! On a final note, many of your children were “eaten” in our campfire story-telling game. Eg. Jaws stalked and ate students on mount Everest, Died in Burmese Tiger pits, and yours truly was burned alive in a fire. Fortunately, we were all magically healed to live another day. Stay tuned!

The Calm After the Storm- Day 2

2008-07-02T14:07:00.002-04:00

News from the Pirates of the Belle: (direct from the students for July 1, 2008)

"2nd Entry. Today was the second day of the awesome adventure! The first watch (starboard watch: Maura the Maestro,Off-road Aaron, Martin le Saber, Samurai John, Bullseye John, and Anna Valkerie) woke up at 5AM and headed down to Capt. Clay's and went crabbing. They p caught 10 crabs but dropped 21. At 7:30, the port watch (everyone else)woke up, cleaned and packed up camp tnen headed to Capt. Clay's and switched with the ports and went crabbing. They caught 10 crabs but only lost 6. There weren't as many crabs biting.

After we went crabbing, we went onto the boat and started watch and lessons. Starboards watch was on lookout, did navigation, wheelhouse (driving), and boat checks. Port had lessons on the Chesapeake Bay and plankton. We were also given a partner project to write a newspaper article for a crab newspaper. After that we started learning more about crabs then docked.

When it was time to eat, only half of us ate crabs. Kim, Tim, Jose, and Pete were the last eating crabs. As are Marylanders (except Pete) discovered the magical power of "CRABDAR" "The ability to find crabmeat in a pile of shells at night with no light, which comes with living in MD. Everyone else "chillaxed" and played frisbee until the Amazing Australian Pistol Pete gave a "thrilling" explanation of embassies. Then we went to sleep."
End Quote

--- Half Hearted Jose Here. Here are my fav. quotes from your students:
Marty le saber's negative of the day "the smell of crabs"
Jonathan (hayon) the SWIFT... " I didnt know the words to Mary Had a little lamb."
(Me)- "The Maryland Trifecta wields the awesome power of CRABDAR!!!"

Until Next time.... we've got a port to storm!!!

The New Voyage- A very "Crabby" Beginning

2008-07-02T14:05:00.001-04:00

Welcome family, fans, and friends of the Belle!!!
This Blog will chroncile the adventures of our Pirate crew: Kimipage(rockstar), Hookem Tim, Laughin'Bones Liam, Mustang Morgan, Jackie Kahan, Jonathan SWIFT, Samurai John, "Bullseye" John, Anna Valkyrie (Viking Princess), Maura the Maestro, Off-road Aaron, Marty le Saber, Half-hearted Jose (RA), Hurricane April (LCF), Karen the Quick-(LCF Ninja), Pistol Pete (LCF), Shellback Joe (Capt. of the Belle), Buffalo John (LCF), and the blood-red Kool-aid-thirsty Keelhauling Kristina (LCF).

June 30th [In the words of the pirate students.]
"We were on the boat from 11AM-3PM. We were separated into starboard and port groups. We took shifts cooking and cleaning. We learned about navigation and how to tie knots and maintain the boat. Tomorrow we are crabbing for crabs. Stay Tuned for more on our adventures."

**A message from Half-hearted Jose the RA. First, they named me after my heart surgery. Moms and Dads, I am loving how awesome your kids are! My blog notes add an extra detail or two so you can hear about you barbary pirates.

Samurai John's negative of the day: Forgetting his rain gear :-(
Hookem Tim did not like "cleaning the dishes"
Anna Valkarie liked "learing about navigation [how to chart a course]"
Maesto Maura feels she "needs to work on her frisbee!?!?" :-)

Half-hearted Jose says: We saw a real rainbow. The kids cook great beef and vegetarian taco dinner options. Your kids are getting to appreciate the definition of a "clean pot" from a clean pot that doesnt turn papertowels orange when drying them!!! yuck! And we survived a torrential down pour on the first night... No students got scared! (You must be proud. I am).

Sorry, the names and intros made this an extra long first post. Check in daily, and we'll do our best, if we're not too busy pirating!

Getting ready for summer '08

2008-06-25T15:30:00.004-04:00

The Mildred Belle crew is working hard to prepare the boat and the program for a great summer. Captain Joe, Mate Peter, and the educators Christina and Karen have spent a lot of hours getting ready for a fabulous program.

Final Callouts!

2007-08-02T11:23:00.000-04:00

CALLOUTS

Justin: Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Don't forget about the filet mignon...
Rebekah: I miss you and I cannot wait to see you Aubrey. I love you!
Joe: I can't wait to see you guys again. Its been really fun.
Derek: Having a great time eating crabs. Need food soon.
Charles: I can't wait to see you guys... but then again I don't want to go to school on Monday.
Melissa: Can't wait to see you all! It's been soooo long! Having lots of fun.
Albert: Having a great time, don't worry too much, you'll see me tomorrow.
Arjun: uh... go vikings. My blanket is soaked. Having fun, you missed my call on Monday, I tried all numbers.
George: I miss you guys and I can't wait to see you guys tomorrow. Love you.
Anirudh: (blank... but he loves his family!)
Sean: 1 day left!

To Baltimore!

2007-08-02T11:09:00.000-04:00

Last night was a great time. After motoring into Gibson Island Yacht club we quickly set up tents and played a great game of ultimate frisbee. Dinner was the best yet because we feasted on the crabs we caught! Everyone dug into the crabs and captain Joe taught us the proper way to get the most out of your personal crab. Each of us also got to enjoy one of the mammoth crabs (there were about 20 of them). We were one of the only LCF trips EVER to finish an entire bushel of crabs (its harder than it sounds). After the crab feast we sat down and enjoyed some delicious s'mores. Although we did not have much room in our stomachs we found some for s'mores. This morning we tye dyed t-shirts and they turned out great. Currently, the students are taking their navigation final and working on their final project for Ms. Ashley. Tonight the kids will have a graduation dance with everyone from all of the different Marine Science groups. This has certainly been a great trip!
Mildred Belle signing out!

The Last Full Day!

2007-08-01T13:55:00.000-04:00

As Arjun proudly mans the helm and Joe and George meticulously pour over charts of the Chesapeake Bay, the Port Watch is in fine form. Today is the final day of navigating for these students and it is obvious how much they have learned! Port watch is currently in charge of the boat while Starboard watch is working on their final projects dealing with conserving the Chesapeake Bay.

This morning we all went crabbing with Captain Clay. He took the Port watch (Arjun, Derek, George, Joe, and Melissa) out at 5 AM and they caught a Bushel and a half of crabs! The crabs were HUGE! Every time that you missed a crab you had to sing a song... Derek broke the previous record. The Starboard watch (everyone else) went out at 8:30 and did very well, but did not catch quite as much as Port. We learned that the crabs usually feed earlier in the morning. A few of the crabs were enormous and we can't wait to eat them for dinner. Tonight we will also be tye dying and having smores. We passed the Sigsby (Oysters) and had a few words with them. We are going to all sail into Baltimore at 1pm tomorrow so that all three of the LCF boats dock at the same time. It should be a nice sight!

Mildred Belle signing out!

2007-07-31T13:12:00.000-04:00

The Much Anticipated Entry

2007-07-30T13:05:00.001-04:00

I am sorry to keep you waiting all this time. I just wanted to let you all know a few things about the blogging process, so that you know what caused this long delay. Each day we go on the boat I (Andrew) have an opportunity to post on the blog using Mildred Belle's Laptop. This is very convenient because it allows the kids to write what should be included in the blog before I write it and then I can spend a portion of the boat ride reading through everyones' journal entries before I copy down the final product. However, things do not always go as planned. Often times the area in the Chesapeake we are travelling through does not offer an adequate wireless internet connection. Such times make it very difficult to post an entry. Also, we have had trouble with weather. On days when rain is falling/will fall later it is very hard (yet again) to get a decent internet connection. We have had two such days. Our blogging is certainly not an exact science and this is the first year that we have had the opportunity to do so. You can rest assured, even on days when a post has not appeared, that your students are learning and having fun. Also, on a kayak trip we took a few days ago we lost the Mildred Belle's boat camera so most pictures of our trip have been lost (they might be able to be retrieved in time). Again, we apologize for the decline in amount of blog entries and for the lack of pictures.

On to bigger and better things...

After our stop at Point Lookout we made our way to historic Crisfield. We toured the town which is full of crabhouses and old buildings related to the crab and oyster industries. These were the businesses that built the town. A lot has changed in the town, but even more has stayed the same. After the tour and lunch we went on a kayaking trip searching for a beach. However, the beach proved elusive and we got into a kayaking battle instead. We saw a few great blue herron among other birds. After dinner that night we took our FIRST shower all trip. Derek kiddingly tried to convince us that the kids didn't need the showers, but they were very happy and refreshed to take them.
The kids learned a lot more about navigation on the way to Solomon's Island and started a project (more to come on the project in a later blog!) At Solomon's Island we were treated to a suprise... PIZZA AND SODA. Needless to say, the students devoured it. We then made our way to our campsite and pitched tents. It rained that night and we had a fun night full of card tricks and games. This morning we went down to a beach and looked for fossils and shells and old sharks teeth. Shells that are 250 million years old were almost as common as sand. Some of the good finds were made by Justin (fossilized horseshoe crab shell) and Rebekah (fossilized crab claw).
Tonight we will be going to St Michael's Island where we will be camping on the grounds of St Michael's museum (my personal favorite campsite). Tours of the museum will be taken in the morning. Tonight the students will be taken to Justine's Icecream Parlor. Justine's has been recognized by such organizations as the New York Times as a TOP Icecream place in the country.

Here are some callouts from the kids to the parents and loved ones!

Albert- CTY is great! I hope everything is great at home.
Anirudh- Hi everyone, I am having a great time, this is a wonderful experience.
George- I miss you guys a lot but I'm having a great time.
Melissa- Hey, I miss you all and I'm having a great time.
Rebekah- I miss you guys and I'm having so much fun, can't wait to see you.
Charles- I miss you guys. I'm hungry and I'm craving mom's cooking.
Joe- I miss you all. Mom, you cooking is so, so, so, so good!
Sean- I miss Pumpkin and Dash. Send me some cheese fries.
Arjun- Uh... Vikings rule. Say hi to everyone. I'm reading Harry Potter AGAIN.
Derek- I need food and soda and stuff. Miss you.
Justin- Miss you guys lots, I'm hungry and I am going to need a filet mignon when I get back.

Mildred Belle signing out!

And We're Off!

2007-07-26T13:50:00.000-04:00

After the ride down to Solomon's Island we got to know the crew of the Mildred Belle. Each of us got a nickname... most of which were quickly forgotten, except for the nickname of our captain, "Joe the Jerk." (This of course does not reflect our actual opinions!) We boarded the boat and made our way to our first campsite. We learned a lot about the boat on the first day and learned that we will be in charge of navigating the boat all by ourselves! After setting up camp at beautiful Jefferson Patterson Park, we played frisbee and learned the essentials of our campsite. In the morning we hiked to a replica of an indian camp ground and looked at the architecture. Currently we are on our way to Point Lookout- the 2nd most haunted place in the USA (we don't know what #1 is). Everyone in the Port lookout is currently rotating shifts of manning the helm, navigating, and being on lookout. I will try to get pictures and more updates online shortly!
Mildred Belle signing out!

Day 9

2007-07-24T12:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry this hasn't been updated in awhile. We arrived in Crisfield on Saturday and were supposed to leave yesterday; however, weather forced us to stay at Crisfield until today. (By the way, pardon any typos from the past few entries...the waves have been large, which can make it hard to type sometimes.)

On Sunday, we took a ferry from Crisfield to Tangier Island. It is a very small island, but everybody enjoyed going into the few gift shops, spending time on the beach, and eating a lot of food.

Yesterday we were supposed to travel to Solomon's, but instead we drove to Assateague island. There, we hiked along a few different trails and saw wild ponies all over the island. We also got to walk along the beach of the ocean, where we saw a ghost crab and some tiny hermit crabs. Last night, we went to a real restaurant and ate pizza. It tasted great!

Now we are almost to Solomon's. Once we get there, we will be taking a van back to Baltimore. We will be staying at the Living Classrooms Foundation campus tonight before heading back to the College of Notre Dame tomorrow morning.

It's been a fun trip, and I will close with a quote from the students. Maybe they can explain it to you next time you talk :)

"It's too bad we could never make it to the waterfowl artwork museum and the antique stores. We were really disappointed but we were sure glad they were closed."

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

2007-07-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

"Once we docked at St. Michael's Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, we got a guided tour of the museum. We encountered many intriguing exhibits. The one that we found most appealing was THE PUNT GUN. The punt gun is extremely heavy and extremely large gun that was used to take out multiple ducks all at the same time. Its ammunition included lead shots, nails, or whatever ammunition that was available to them. The punt gun was mounted onto a small row boat. In order to load the punt gun, people needed a step ladder and a steady object to lean the punt gun up against because you had to load it through the end of the barrel. During the middle of the night, hunters would quietly paddle to a nesting area. The hunters did this at night because the ducks were, as the expression goes, "sitting ducks". They were, in other words, sleeping. he use of the punt gun was later outlawed because the shots that did not hit the ducks ended up going under water and the ducks would eat them and get lead posioning and die a slow and very painful death.

Another interesting fact we learned was why St. Michaels was called the town that fooled the British. During the War of 1812 the British were going to bomb St. Michaels to prevent the destruction of the city. The citizens of St. Michaels decided to turn off all the lights in the town. After all the lights were turned off, they put lights in trees down the coastline from the town so the town appeared to be down the coastline away from the actual town. This resulted in the British firing at nothing."

By: Starboard Watch
Picture of the punt gun drwan by Mike W.

2007-07-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

Day 4

2007-07-19T14:54:00.000-04:00

Today is day 4 and right now, we are docked at St. Michael's. Yesterday, we were at Wye Island. When we got there, the students gave a presentation about a food web from the organisms we have seen or caught while trawling. Then, we went canoeing and then headed back to set up camp. After dinner, the students presented their songs about the fish they found while trawling. We then kept up the singing by having a Song Battle. It was a lot of fun. Then the students decided they wanted to play students versus adutls. The students couldn't compete with the adult's amazing song knowledge.

This morning we woke up and went on a very long hike to get to a beach. On the way there, we stopped and saw a holly tree that was at least 275 years old. We also saw some neat bugs along the way. When we finally reached the beach, the students all went swimming for a little while, but jellyfish scared some of them out of the water.

Right now, all of the students are on a tour of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael's. After the tour, they will be going on a scavenger hunt to look for answers about history of the Bay.

Enjoy the pictures of canoeing, swimming, and presentations. Have a good day!

Trotlining

2007-07-17T16:13:00.000-04:00

Day 2

2007-07-17T15:41:00.000-04:00

Today is day 2 of trip 3 for the Mildred Belle and things are going great. Yesterday there was an introduction to the boat and the students began to learn what life would be like for the next 9 days. The group was divided into two watches. The Starboard Watch is Mike D., Mike W., Michelle, Kat, and Dathan. Port Watch is Niki, Maggie, Delen, Kevin, Katrina, and Jon. During the next week, they will be doing many things in these groups, including getting the boat from one place to the next.

Last night we camped at Rock Hall and tonight we will be camping at Kent Island. This morning, we went trotlining with Captain Clay. We caught a bushel of crabs, which we will be eating tonight for dinner. Everybody did very well, so we didn't get to enjoy many songs from people missing crabs. We also went trawling today and we caught jellyfish, white perch, and a couple hogchokers. The students are now writing a song (and hopefully a dance) about these organisms that they will have to perform at camp tonight. After they are done with the song, they get to go swimming in the bay before we head off to Kent Island for the night.

O wait, its the last day?

2007-07-12T10:36:00.000-04:00

So now that the last day is upon us we really don't want to leave quite yet! But I am sure once we are sleeping in beds again all worries will be put sleep... literally. Sorry about not posting on the blog lately, but it has been hard because of weather and internet connection. Our last few days have been very busy and fun. We went crabbing with a waterman named Captain Clay. Whatever we caught we got to keep! If we missed a crab with the nets Captain Clay had us get on top of the boat and sing a song. I personally (Andrew) did not miss a single one! However, some of the kids obviously don't have the waterman gene and were singing their hearts out. Captain Clay was confused with the fact that we actually ENJOYED singing and were not really embarrassed. That night we feasted on an entire bushel of crabs (which was way too much for us) and enjoyed it immensely. Dylan and Doug were standouts in total crab annihilation. Post crab-feast we engaged in an an annihilation of a much sweeter sort- SMORES! The kids went crazy (see pictures).
So here we are today, getting under way on route to BALTIMORE! The students are all going to be directing the ship FULLY today- that means NO help from captain Joe or first mate Ned. I have full faith in them. Once we get back to land we will be having a final dance tonight for all of the kids involved. Tomorrow the kids will be having their graduation and then I am sure everyone reading will be greeting the kids back home!
Until tomorrow, Mildred Belle signing out!

Taylor's to St Michael's

2007-07-09T12:52:00.000-04:00

Today we are journeying from Taylor's Island to the town of St. Michael's. There has already been so much that happened. First Mate Ned caught a Sting Ray but it turned out we did not have a big enough net to hold it once it was up out of the water! It fought for about 30 minutes- Quite the fiesty fish.
Projects that the students started yesterday continued today on the boat. Each pair of students had to take a different commercial situation that borders the water- such as a farm or a supermarket, and come up with ways in which the commercial area affected the water. The students then attempted to remedy the different effects on the water using different strategies.
Yesterday after our longest journey we were able to go swimming in a swimming pool! It was very refreshing and really let us all relax. After that we threw a frisbee around and took showers. Everyone was very tired after our day at sea so we fell asleep very early.
Tonight we will be checking out the St Michael's museum and sleeping on their property. We will also be walking into town and checking out some shops. If the kids are good we will be getting some icecream as well- but they don't know that yet!
Feel free to comment, the kids want to know you are reading!
-Mildred Belle

Halfway Home!

2007-07-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

We can now say we have completed a 9 hour transit on the Mildred Belle! Today was the longest trip we will be taking on our buyboat. Our two watches (Port and Starboard) both took turns manning the essential functions of the boat. While one watch was manning the boat, the other took some time to relax and complete a few projects.
Our last campsite was very buggy and hot; Christina and Sunny made sure I mentioned this fact. To fight the bugs and humidity we made a fire. It wasn't so bad after that. On the boat today Andrew and Ashley went around with a spray bottle full of water and sprayed people in the face and neck to fight the heat.
Yesterday we took a ferry ride to Tangier island and took in the sites. We saw lots of crabhouses surrounding the island that are used to prepare the crab boxes before and after the catches. Each house looked like a huge treehouse in the water. After seeing the town on the island (which Luke and Hershal think would be a perfect place to retire- you don't need cars, only golf carts!) we went swimming in the bay. It was nice and warm and the bottom of the bay was SO smooth. In fact, there was lots of clay on the bottom of the bay which Dylan and others put on their faces as masks. Eliza claimed that this would smooth their faces. We also saw a very strange carcass on the beach. We think it might have been a dolphin but it was too mangled to tell for sure. We called the authorities but no one was available for inspection.
We have been going for five days but it still feels like it just began. We might be hot, and we might be sweaty, but we are still having fun!

Thats all for now. Mildred Belle, signing out!

2007-07-08T09:56:00.000-04:00

Here are 5 more pictures. Dylan is currently handing the wheel off to Doug and everything is going smoothly! I will be posting an update regarding our adventures after lunch.

2007-07-08T09:32:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures from our trip. Quite the good group of kids!

First Two Days and a Half

2007-07-06T17:05:00.000-04:00

All is well! As this blog is being posted Luke is proudly manning the helm, Brendan is making observations about the well-being of the ship, and Hershal and Sunny are keenly keeping watch for pesky crab-buoys.
Our days have been long and busy but everyone has been very positive! On our first day we arrived early and learned the basics of camp prodecure. We were then happy to finally get on the Mildred Belle. We roamed around some of the bay and were lucky enough to see a bald eagle catch a fish right in front of our boat, a spectacular sight. On the second morning we got up early and walked around the historic town of St. Mary's. We saw an archaeological dig and First Mate Ned (who is trained as an archaeologist) was able to give us a lot of relevant information.
After our walk around town we were finally ready to set sail on our voyage. We arrived at point lookout in about 2 hours and set our first camp. Each of the campers were instructed by Miss Ashley to create an aquatic animal that could live in the Chesapeake Bay. Not only did they have to come up with a lot of specific scientific information about the animals, but they also had to make up a song and dance! After dinner the kids put on their song and dance and the adults were more than happy to be the judges. The winners of the song and dance were Sally and Dylan who were brave enough to write a rap song (it was absolutely hilarious).
This morning we woke up early (as usual) and set out for our first long day in the bay. Our trip was approximately 8 hours. Even though it was one of the longest trips we will be taking, it was a LOT of fun. We all learned about the different parts of the boat and Miss Ashley taught a lesson on pH levels in the Bay. The trip was highlighted with a great swimming break in the middle of the bay. It was very refreshing. Until next time, Midred Belle signing out!

2007-07-02T14:11:00.000-04:00

The Winding Down of Our Trip

2007-07-02T13:27:00.000-04:00

Today is our last full day on the Mildred Belle. We are headed to Point Lookout today, and tomorrow we will go from Point Lookout to St. Mary's. Once we reach St. Mary's, we will be riding in the van back to the College of Notre Dame.

Yesterday we went to the Calvert Marine Museum. There were lots of neat things to see there, including two river otters, several skates and rays and some neat fossils. After the museum, the crew surprised the students by taking them for pizza! It was fantastic.

Last night, we slept in the woods. That was the first night we had truly been in the middle of a forest, and we made a mistake. Two people left their cokes from the pizza place setting out on the table and the raccoons found us. About 2 hours after we went into our tents for the night, some of us woke up after hearing a cup being opened and paws scurrying across the ground. After scaring the raccoons away with flashlights, the cups were sealed tightly in a plastic bag. They came back later in the night, but we scared them away again. I don't think any of us enjoyed sharing our campsite with them. On top of the raccoons keeping us up, several people suddenly began to talk (or yell)in their sleep. All I know is that T.J. must have been attacked by orange juice in his dreams.

This morning we walked along a beach looking for shark teeth. Only two people were successful, but most of us left with some neat rocks and shells. Now we are on the boat and the students are in charge. Starboard watch is currently in control of the boat and on the way to their end point. Once they reach the end point, Port watch will take over to get us to the next point. At Point Lookout, we will be giving out awards and doing other neat things at camp tonight.

The new pictures are of students completing different tasks around the boat.

Day 7

2007-07-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

It's already Day 7...time has flown by! On Friday night, we got showers!!! And then we got another shower because it rained. A lot. And some of us were so lucky that we got to sleep in pools of water in our tents. We are still waiting for our shoes (and some sleeping bags) to dry out.

On Saturday, we traveled to Jefferson Patterson park. On the way there, we went trawling again. This time we caught 2 crabs and TONS of jellyfish. We took most of last night to relax and play football and frisbee. Today, we are headed to Solomons Island. We will be going to an archaeological museum when we get there. We will also be digging for fossils (mainly shark teeth).

Right now, everybody is washing the boat. After 7 days of eating lunch on here, it was much needed. I'm glad I'm inside because everybody else got hit with water from the hose. Tomorrow on the boat, the students will have their final exam. Captain Joe and Ned will give them a starting location and an end location and the students will have to get us there. They will be in charge of navigation, steering, and look out. Don't worry, the crew will still be monitoring to make sure we don't get lost or stuck on the bottom.

A sting ray just swam past our bow and we've been surrounded by huge schools of fish all day. It's always exciting to see new things each day. Time to go dock the boat!

The picture is of the students trawling for fish.

2007-06-29T18:04:00.000-04:00

Our eventful few days

2007-06-29T17:41:00.002-04:00

It is now day 5 and we have had some busy days. On Wednesday, we went canoeing. We played a game called Stinky Fish, but most of us were more concerned about splashing everybody else with our oars instead of getting rid of the stinky fish. We managed to make it with only one boat tipping over, but a sucessful rescue was completed by Ned, the First Mate. All 3 boys survived, but one hat did not. After canoeing, everybody got to run through the sprinkle. I guess when you can't shower, running through a sprinker is the next best thing.

Yesterday, we got to go swimming in the Bay for a little while. We camped out at the Maritime Museum at St. Michael's. We got to take a tour of the museum and then had a scavenger hunt there. Because the tents were set up, dinner made, dinner eaten, and dishes were cleaned up so quickly, we got to go get ice cream at Justine's Ice Cream Parlor. It was fantastic. It was a great night; however, storms were located nearby, so we abandoned our tents and slept on a wooden porch. Not very comfortable.

Today, we visited Poplar Island, which is one big reconstruction site. It used to be over 1000 acres, but after severe erosion, it was only 5 acres. It has now been restored to its original size and will be home to several native wildlife species. We were lucky enough to see a beautiful bald eagle and many terrapin nests along the shore. On the boat ride, we stopped to go trawling. We caught a few anchovies, several jellyfish, sea nettles, and a hog choker. Morgan sniffed the net for good luck (an old seaman's tradition), but we were disappointed with the results.

Tonight, we will be camping at Taylor Island. Perhaps we'll get our first showers of the week????

Our First Two Days

2007-06-27T12:56:00.000-04:00

It is now day 3. We have been to Rock Hall, MD and Kent Island, MD. On the first day, everybody was divided into two different watches. Our Port Watch is Morgan, Jaren, Emily, Eric, Chris, and Alex. The Starboard Watch is Zoe, Victoria, Richard, Nick, T.J., and Brian. The watch groups are responsible for many different things, on both water and land. Everybody has been participating in getting the boat on and off the dock. Also, we began using the charts to navigate through the Chesapeake Bay and have learned how to steer the boat. We have also been placed in charge of perfoming the boat checks every day in order to make sure the boat is in good shape. After camping out the first night, we all realized how much we do not like mosquitoes...especially after some of us accidently left our tents open for all of the bugs to come inside. We have also seen several different animals while we've been gone, including jellyfish, ospreys, tons of frogs and toads, turtles, and several cow-nose rays. Right now, we are being swarmed by Japanese beetles on the boat.

Yesterday, we had a lot of fun when we went crabbing with Captain Clay. We did this by trotlining and anytime we missed a crab, we had to sing a song. Some of us got to sing a lot of songs that day. We ended up catching a whole bushel of crabs that were steamed during the day and eaten for dinner. At dinner, we got a lesson from Captain Joe on the proper way to eat the crab. After being promised a reward for eating the whole bushel, some of the students (and crew) buckled down and ate every last crab we had caught. We still haven't showered, so our layers of bug spray and sunscreen are starting to pile up on our skin...but hopefully, we will be able to go swimming sometime soon.

Today, we are headed to Wye Island where we will go canoeing this afternoon.

Getting Ready

2007-06-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

Wow, everyone will be here so soon! The crew has been working so hard to get the boat and the program ready for a fantastic summer. Everyone is very excited and a little nervous, but we know we'll have a great summer.