After breakfast and chores, the ship was underway by 0815 with all students helping we set and haul back our otter trawl net in Gloucester Harbor-and it was a great trawl! We caught and observed:

• -lobsters-half a dozen or more! All smaller than legal harvesting size; most about 8" long.
• -piles of sand dollars, some alive and some dead or dying; you can tell by the color (black=alive; grey or white=dead) and by the spines (prickly=alive; smooth=dead)
• -loads and LOADS of crabs, mainly rock crabs
• -a few skates; we kept one ~16" male in our tubs for observation, and let the others go 'cause we just had too many for our tubs!
• -a few tiny (<4") flounders, mainly summer flounder
• -a 3" sea robin
• -an aluminum can, punctured and covered with limpets and algaes and other sea creatures
• -a tiny sea urchin
• -kelp
• -rock weed
• -a huge mussel and some other stuff

We couldn't spend too much time looking at everything because it was soon time to raise sail and head out into Massachusetts Bay-what do you remember? Looking at Cape Ann from all sides; Thatcher's Island and twin lights in view for HOURS! Lots of people feeling queasy and seasick, especially before lunch. Not sure we could make it to the Isles of Shoals to meet the other boats.

Lunch helped... taking care of each other: bringing plates and water up to folks not feeling well; eating saltines became a VERY cool thing; just staying on deck in the fresh air and sunshine, keeping eyes on the horizon helped people feel better.

We started motor sailing during "B" watch and that gave us enough headway to know we'd make it to Isles of Shoals. We even spotted a whale--finback? And later a second, smaller whale-pilot whale? We couldn't be sure from what we saw.

Off watches focused in the afternoon on sail theory---learning how a sail is like a wing (they both work as airfoils...); trying to blow bubbles along the sails to see how the wind travels on each side of the sail; building model boats with playdough and paper and paperclips, to play with different types of sailing rigs-then we could talk about how and why various boats can sail in different types/directions of winds. The trade winds got their name because there are such reliable west->east winds along the equator; square riggers can only sail before the wind, so had to sail south from Europe to get to North America.

Before 1600, we were coming into the Isles of Shoals-and as we approached, we could see the other schooners approaching from the north-we were here before they were! A pretty sight, both under full sail. We watched the sails of the other two ships, the Harvey Gamage and the Spirit of Massachusetts get larger and larger as they approached Appledore Island and all on Ernestina had the advantage of watching the other ships drop their anchors and furl their sails.

Some students studied the chart to understand where we were as the Captain and mates brought us to safe anchorage in plenty of water just east of Appledore Island. The Maine-New Hampshire state line cuts between these islands: once at Appledore, we knew we'd made it to Maine! We struck and furled our sails, and as Lettie and Spirit headed up for anchoring, Ernestina students were getting ready for our first swim call. About half a dozen students jumped in at once-and quickly found out just how COLD the Gulf of Maine water is! Amidst much shouting and laughing, it turned out to be a very brief swim. Warming up in towels on deck, students watched as the other two schooners settled at their anchorages and struck and furled their sails.

After dinner, we played some music and had some journaling time before bed. Tomorrow's another full day....

Program Coodinator: MaryHelen Gunn
Captain: Amanda Madeira