The blogs before this one have described, or at least tried to, the exquisite beauty of the many islands we have visited. I say “try to” because there are no words that can truly capture the essence of these magnificent places. In other words, you really have to be here to understand how magical the places really are. I want to take this time, however, to tell you about the amazing people onboard that I have come to call my family.

As someone else in this blog might have told you last week, on Sundays we have a free day. Which means we get a few more hours of sleep and we get to choose what we want to do for a few hours. There were many very fun choices to pick from but the final three were: go to Falmouth (just like last Sunday), go to a mini golf or stay on campus (lazy day). There wasn’t an unanimous decision so the RA’s and Liz had to figure a plan that left everyone happy.

Hello everyone!

Quite another beautiful day at sea. Today, us C-Watcher’s made exactly 50 miles during afternoon watch (perhaps there is a steak dinner in Rocky’s future). At some points we were going 9-10 knots, which is pretty cool. It has been bitter sweet in knowing that each particular watch (of 6 hours) on this leg will be our last, but we are definitely enjoying every minute.

This is Peter signing on, its currently 0430 and B Watch is hard at work on deck and in lab. I have come far, from the disgruntled salty and sweaty mess wearing someone else’s pants that stumbled into lab many watches ago, to the man with the right pair of pants and sea legs ready for action. My fellow shipmates, JB, Panyu, and our amazing “alpha” scientist, Kelsey have just finished the to-do list of tonight’s watch from processing the nets full of zooplankton to investigating under the microscope for the 100 Counts, and are in the midst of a short midrats (midnight rations) break before some time to work on our research projects.

Today in Maia’s class we had the best discussion about Marine biology. We talked about the different types of mammals such as the Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Sirenians and Fissipeds. Maia did a great job bringing the class alive by watching fun videos that connected to what we were learning. After the lecture we got poptarts for a snack and ate them on the go while we walked down to the beach called Surf Drive.

Hello family, friends, and followers of Cramer’s current cruise, We sailed this morning from Lisbon with hands in general quarters to get off the dock and down Rio Tejo, then returned to sea watches for our all-to-short transit to Cadiz, the final destination of C-268

Today was a quite day at S.E.A, as we mostly stayed in class, learning about Ocean Management with Carl, and the South China Sea. It rained on and off, creating interesting opportunities for us to play capture the flag during free time. Our class also participated in a management lab of a hypothetical tropical island. Groups debated and talked about the industries we were assigned to, including the creation of high-end hotels and shipping terminals, and how they affect the marine waterfront.

Hi, folks! It’s time for something a little different today. This blog entry is brought to you not by a student, but by the grooviest marine policy teaching assistant this side of the equator. What’s marine policy, you say? And what is a policy TA doing aboard the Robert C. Seamans, a student sailing vessel better known for its salty watch officers, wizardly marine scientists, and a can-do crew of exceptional students? I’m glad you asked!

Land Ho!..I hear shouted from above as I finish up the last set of breakfast dishes down below in the galley. I make my way onto the quarterdeck and inform my watch officer (Ryan) all the dishes have been completed. Ryan replies by asking if I could relieve the helmsman. A feeling of relief fills me, for I always find great pleasure when being on the helm, a combination of peacefulness and power within the grasp of my hands. With great excitement I grab hold of the spokes and begin to sail us into what we soon discovered to be a paradise.

Today we went to New Bedford and the Fisheries Heritage Center, Whaling Museum, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, and New Bedford docks.

At the Fisheries Heritage Center we learned about the history of fishermen in New Bedford and how they harvested scallops. Buzzards Bay Coalition taught us about the water shed of Buzzards Bay and its importance to not only marine life, but human society and economy.