Today we continued our sail to the volcanic island of Montserrat, hopefully arriving tonight to deploy our science equipment off the coast. While waking up at 6 has never been something I’d plan for back home, such is life on the Cramer.

Snorkeling in the Cays has been the highlight of the trip so far. It had by far the greatest variety of fish, and the urchins I’m looking at for my project are almost carpeting some areas.

This past week has been an exciting one aboard the Corwith Cramer! We anchored off of Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines on a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the seas calmer compared to the rough conditions we experienced a few days before. We soon got to come on shore and went about the town peeking into stores and wandering the island. A few of us hiked Fort Hill and were rewarded with spectacular views of the bay and some small islands around Union Island’s southern end.

While at sea, it is tough to find time to do schoolwork, relax, or even sleep; oddly enough it seems as though all 33 aboard, including the seasoned mariners, find plenty of time to slip deep into thought while staring out into the vast expanse of the ocean. Whether it is taking a break from lab work for “sunset appreciation time”, taking a moment to experience the plethora of stars which appear after the moon dips below the horizon, or, for some, desperately trying to not be sea sick, when you walk around deck you can see the gears turning in peoples’ heads.

Man, the world is big! I’m on the Corwith Cramer right now in port at Union Island in the Tobago Cays, and it sure is beautiful here. It sure did take a lot of work though! Life as part of a crew on a boat is pretty difficult.

Each day is work and sleep in a never-ending cycle, and I have a feeling these next 22 days are either going to fly by, or be incredibly long. It sure is a different state of being going to sleep one day, and waking up on that same day, and then having even more work to do, but it’s a lot of fun!

Cami Mirow from Mt. Holyoke College describes her week ashore in Grenada before boarding SSV Corwith Cramer.

So there I was. 200m from shore attempting to tread where I definitely could not stand. Our group of 21 was off Grand Anse Beach conducting our first real reef survey, and needless to say, I was a little out of my depth (pun intended). I didn’t have much deep-water snorkeling experience and I certainly wasn’t prepared for what we were doing that day.

The students of C-276 Caribbean Reef Expedition have all arrived aboard SSV Corwith Cramer and we are currently conducting rounds of training and familiarization with the ship, including how to go aloft safely, how to use the scientific equipment, and how to live and work on a 134’ tall ship.

Let’s count off. Who’s here? One-two-three-four.seventeen-eighteen! Alright, we have everyone. Every shipboard muster begins with a count off, a count up or count down to ensure that all the students and staff are present. One through eighteen for the students and interns and then by department for the crew. Here are some more important and interesting numbers from the trip.

Today we ventured ashore for a tour of Grenada with our outstanding guide, Mandu. Our journey began travelling north along the west coast of the island with picturesque views of tiny bays and harbors and a narrative of the island’s complex history. The bus chugged up the steep volcanic hillside and brought us to our first swim call (aka Sierra Charlie) at a waterfall! The already high spirits of the group lifted even further as we played in the cool, rejuvenating mountain waters.

Here we are at anchor in St. Georges, Grenada, our final destination.  It’s quite amazing how far we’ve come in the 29 days since leaving the dock in Woods Hole.  There is excitement in the air as the students are getting ready to go ashore and maybe a little unwilling recognition that the trip is almost over.  The final port call is a bittersweet moment as one has spent the whole trip heading to this point (storms and dolphins, rain and rainbows, crepuscular rays and beautiful sunsets) and yet this community and home we have built is almost over.