News

Sunday, 5 July 2026
Noon Position:: 40deg 39.7’N x 068deg 36.4’ W
Ship Heading: 050deg
Ship Speed: 3 knots
Log: 263.7nm
Weather / Wind / Sail Plan: cloudy and cold with light air, and 3 sails up
About 12 miles out from Georges Bank. 

Our first time on the science deck was such a blast! We managed to deploy every single type of equipment in our catalog. First we deployed the Shipek Grab, this bucket that automatically snaps shut the second it hits the sea floor (Image 1 for Ref) and found a bunch of amphipods, brittle stars, and bivalves among the sediment. We then deployed a phytoplankton net and saw a lot of phytoplankton  who would have thought??? We then deployed the Secchi Disk (Photo 2 for Ref) and all made bets on how deep it would go underwater before it goes out of view! I (Thomas) said about 25 meters, and I (Alisson) said about 10. Our captain JC beat us all by getting 16 meters! Getting the average absolutely on the dot. We then deployed two Niskin Bottles to get water samples from specific depths. Attached to the bottom of these two bottles was a CTD (Conductivity Temperature and Depth) .We use this instrument to find the salinity, temperature and depth throughout the whole water column, from the surface to roughly 80 meters. We then deployed the Neuston net (Photo 3 For Reference) leaving us 30 minutes to pass time telling stories and looking out into the abyss while learning where our friends are from. After this very informative session, we then took up the net and found a bunch of Jellyfish! Along with the Jellyfish, we saw MORE PHYTOPLANKTON, WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO and lots of zooplankton too.   Circling back, we put them all in a bucket, and transfer some of our findings into a mini aquarium. Now passing the mic over to Alisson, this is her experience on this shift (we are currently sleepy but caffeinated at exactly 2:35am so please excuse our wonkiness ;D).

Alisson here to chat a bit about how life has been at sea there has definitely been some adjusting that needed to be done not only to the sails but also our schedules.  We are up for 6 hour watches then go to sleep sometimes at 7 am like I will be doing later today.  For context on our schedules, we do 6 hours on and 12 hours off giving us plenty of down time to take care of ourselves.  The first watch is from 0100 to 0700 then the next watch comes in from 0700 to 1300 then they get relieved and the next watch goes from 1300 to 1900 and then 1900 back to 0100.  Currently we’re doing the graveyard shift from 0100 to 0700 which means we get to see a nice sunrise as we conclude our shift.

Most of us came on the ship expecting everyone to have a camera only to find out that there were, sadly, only two on deck, but this pushes us to really live in the moment instead of trying to capture everything on a screen. They run a pretty tight ship here so it’s important that we always make it to our watches. On the flip side something that’s kept pretty loose is each of our tables in the main salon which are gimballed, that means that they move with the boat to ensure that all of the food stays where we put it. I’ve had many near-mishaps where I almost flip the table but no worries I lived to tell the tale.

This is Alisson and Thomas signing out now passing the mic over to Lila and Jonah within group 2 of C watch odd numbers.

This is Jonah leading the encore. Having just finished the 1-7 a.m lab session, I am tasked with writing my first ever journal entry (in my life). Yesterday we had deck rotation. On deck rotation, there are 3 different tasks: Lookout or Sea watch, helm, and boat check. My personal favorite is sea watch, centered around self-survival, one must make it through an entire hour standing and tired. I am a pretty active person, so staying put for lengthy amounts of time with nothing more than myself is very difficult. Never the less, the hour always somehow slips by gazing out at the delicate yet daunting beauty of the ocean, creating poems, and letting my mind wander. Life is a lot simpler out here, in the middle of the Atlantic—I was astounded yesterday when I failed to spot a single boat or buoy at the surface, this is no doubt the most isolated I have ever been. I have completely lost my sense of direction (and time)! Here on the boat, I have found many friends, learned loads of wisdom, and discovered what near total isolation feels like (something I desperately needed after a long and stressful school year). To my family: I’m having a great time here. I’ll see you in a week. Please bring Billy and washed clothing on the plane. Don’t forget to feed the tortoises. Bye, love you.

And finally, if you will, drumroll please! It’s me! Hi I’m Lila (hi mom!) and it is currently day 7 of a 12 day long trip of the Corwith Cramer. Overall my experience has been pretty laid back, I’d say I’m often found either sleeping or reading. A few days ago I got the pleasure of having my first experience at the bow of the ship. I really liked it as every time the boat went over a wave it felt like you were flying! Then I tried out the helm and steering is tedious, I often like to be precise so staying at the exact degree ordered is hard ‘cause one can easily overcorrect the degree. A few days ago we also saw some dolphins and I got some great shots of them under the water (despite my camera not being great at capturing the night sky). Speaking of which I did get a mini lesson on star navigation and found that if you look at the two bottom stars of the big dipper and if you follow them parallel you eventually run into the north star! While I don’t often interact with the others as much as everyone else they are all pleasant to each other (me included of course) and more than willing to let you sit in or even contribute to the conversation. I also find the staff inviting as well. Anyway that’s all from me! Fin.

Thomas Jordan, Alisson Romero, Lila Bruno, and Jonah (C watch)