Woke up to a beautiful but calm wind morning in Vineyard Haven Harbor. The Mainsail remained set overnight; since the winds wouldn't pick up for another few hours, we took the opportunity to enjoy a swim call at anchor before setting the foresail and jumbo and cranking the engine to get underway. An otter trawl off East Chop yielded a good variety of species common to the area: including spider crabs , cunner fish, chitons, bryazoa, and a number of different algae.

Lunch was followed by a workshop using the mechanical advantage of simple machines inherent to the operations and tools aboard our traditional sailing vessel. Monkeys fist making, a turn at turks heads, bits of journal writing and, of course, the chance to see their world form a new perspective by climbing the rigging were offered throughout the rest of the afternoon.

All the while these last few days their seamanship skills and operational understanding have been coming along. We spent a fair amount of time discussing and practicing emergency procedures so that all hands aboard can act as equal and useful components in such situations.

The schooner Harvey Gamage joined us off Gay Head, as they were headed to Mystic. We enjoyed a quiet sail together in the light SE breeze, as fog rolled in. And so our day sped along and brought us to our anchorage in Menemsha Bight, off the south western side of Martha's Vineyard. For those ready for bed, the lights went out and the end of the day was met with a few songs beautifully sung by our crew member, Mike.

While the watchful eyes of those still on duty feasted on outstanding bioluminescent activity off the bow tonight. The best light shows can always be found in nature!

Rain is forecast for late tonight, and so hands turned in early.

Captain: Willi Bank
Program Coordinator: Inette Rex