News

Thursday, June 18, 2026
Noon Position:: 42deg 03.6’N x 070deg 23.4’W
Ship Heading: 225deg
Ship Speed: 5.8 knots
Log: 249nm
Weather/Sail Plan: Cloud cover at 7/8, chilly/ wind averaging at 26kn/ Main Stays’l
Stellwagen Bank

Good morning! Yesterday was full of excitement on all fronts, starting off strong with an invigorating sunrise and some early science deployments. B Watch had to do science first thing in the morning, because some foul weather was anticipated, and we wanted to be able to get moving before the gale hit. And hit it did, if only slowly at first.

Winds and waves started picking up mid-morning, creating an intense splash zone on the forward half of the ship. Some people had a lot of fun on deck trying to stay balanced in the swell, while others struggled with the indoor skating rink that was the salon. While all this was going on, many students watched in horror as Sam downed a small cup of nutritional yeast (“nooch”), with August following suit.

During morning and afternoon watch both lookouts spotted two separate pods of Humpback whales. All in all, over a combined time of probably only 30 minutes or so, the whales breached over eight times!! The wind and waves got a little stronger as the afternoon progressed and as dinner approached the main salon became rather unpleasant as most people went above deck for some air. The day came to a close with another excellent dinner by Ava, the eventual calming of the seas, and plenty of sail handling for the night watch. (Happy birthday Sutton! -Madeline)

B Watch – Dawn Watch (Madeline Sheng-Williams, Ridgely Neppl, August, Paul Cherix)