November 22, 2021

Author: Maya Morales, Smith College

Hello everyone!!

I am excited to inform you all about our first day on the SSV Corwith Cramer! Many of us have been looking forward to this day for months including myself. Upon first glance it honestly looks kind of small however once onboard small, is not the word I'd use. There are three different layers, and we all get to sleep in the middle layer, similar to a cake but far more functional. To start we got the meet the rest of the crew, learn their background, and their roles on Cramer. They were all really friendly and eager to help us learn the ways of ship life.

The bunks (beds) on Cramer are intimidating upon first approach, however super cozy once you spend the night. The mattresses are much comfier than the ones in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on the SEA campus. One of many highlights of today was being able to see tarpons swimming off the side of the ship. They resemble small sharks which really confused us at first.

After a long day of getting settled in, and cramming ship knowledge, we all will get the opportunity to stand watch for an hour at some random time tonight. This is when we check the ship's instruments to make sure everything is running as it should be and nothing is abnormal. I can't wait to see the stars! Before getting on board, I was really nervous about getting seasick right away and throwing up for the next week or so. However, between water drinking competitions with Hux and the ship still being docked (not moving that much), I am doing great so far!

- Maya Morales, Smith College

Contact: Douglas Karlson, Director of Communications, 508-444-1918 | dkarlson@sea.edu