"Last night the moon had a golden
ring,
And to-night no moon we see!
The skipper, he blew a whiff from his pipe,
And a scornful laugh laughed he.
Verse from Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
The Wreck of the HesperusThe
crew of the Ernestina had a very different
experience than those on the Hesperus that night
off Normans Woe. The full moon shone on us so
brightly all night that we were able to read by
moonlight. We passed Normans Woe close after noon
on Wednesday morning. A small front had come
through in the early morning hours, the drizzle
cleared and the wind shifted, but never really
filled in.
Gregg Germaine led us through
his class on celestial bodies and navigation
before going over our safety and emergency drills
before departing on our overnight sail.
An afternoon class on the
marine ecology of the bank resulted in students
making many wonderful planktonic creatures out of
clay. Once on the bank, we spotted a shark
lurking 25 ft. off the ship (no swim call there)
and whales in the distance. We sailed on a
southerly course down the bank, did a plankton
and Neuston tow and hove to for dinner as you can
see on the chart. We were subject most of the
night to drifting with the currents and hearing
the breath of whales. The thick line on the chart
indicates going westerly above the shipping
lanes, then northerly. Most students also
observed bioluminescence during the 0200-0300
nighttime tows.
Underway with the use of the
engine again at 0430 towards Race Point to catch
the fair current in the Cape Cod Canal at 1100
Thursday. An unforgettable moonlit passage!!!!
Wind: S'ly, Force 3
Visibility: Sunny, Good
Barometer: Falling Slowly
Captain: Amanda
Madeira
Program Coordinator: Crista Mellican
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