Programs Blog

An Important Day of Training

July 02, 2024
Image 04 – The entire ship’s crew for SEA Expedition I 2024, cruise C315-E (thanks Joshua!).

Author: Jeff Schell, Chief Scientist

Ship’s Log

Sunday, June 30th, 2024

Position (Lat and Long): 41° 31.4’N x 070° 40.2’W

Log (nm): 0.0 nm. We are still alongside the dock.

Weather / Wind and Sail Plan:  Rainy and foggy today.  Winds variable as a small cold front passed over the Cape.

Description of where we are sailing:  No sails yet, we are still alongside Dyers Dock in Woods Hole, MA.

We are almost ready to go!  A busy day of training on and off the ship.  We get an early start onboard the Corwith Cramer – 0630 wakes for an 0700 breakfast.  After morning chores (cleaning up galley dishes, sweeping the soles, wiping down the tables and bathroom areas) we all headed to SEA’s main campus to meet with Loraine Snead who provided a though-provoking workshop on community forming and belonging.  There were fun and challenging games that helped us all form connections and bonds with our fellow shipmates.

Then it was back to the ship for hands-on training on how to safely handle all the lines the allow us to set and strike sail, how to operate the scientific hydrowinch and hydraulic J-Frame used to deploy oceanographic equipment, and finally, training on the infamous Boat Check.  The hourly walk through of all ship spaces to check for anything that may be amiss.  The Boat Check is our preventative measure to keep the ship safe from fire, flooding, and other emergencies.  Catch any potential problem before it starts!

To wrap things up, I provided a short description of the oceanographic conditions we might encounter during our voyage around Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket).  It was a lively discussion of seafloor geology, ocean currents, and marine food webs.

Shout out to all the students, they have done a great job soaking up all of this valuable information and have already proven themselves to be kind and supportive shipmates.  So excited to start our voyage tomorrow!

Jeff Schell, Chief Scientist

PS. I promise, this is my last blog post.  Starting tomorrow students will share their perspective with all of you.  Stay tuned, our story has just begun!  Thanks for following along.