Today was day one of our 12-day sail from Russell down to Wellington.  The near future is both exciting and daunting as we will not set foot on land for the next two weeks or so.  With that being said, everyone is settling back into the groove of being on a watch schedule and adjusting well to life at sea after being anchored for two nights.

Today marks a week on the boat and the first port stop! As of this morning everyone has fully adjusted thanks to the amazing crew and a finely tuned combination of acclimation and the occasional medication.

It’s hard to believe that we set sail just yesterday from our anchorage at Francis Bay, St. John. So much science has happened since! When we were leaving St. John, we took three surface samples to get an idea of how nutrients and chlorophyll change from inshore to offshore, stay tuned for those exciting discoveries.

Day four of sailing, and we’re already accustomed to life at sea! It took a few days for a couple of us to gain our sea legs, myself included. Some waves are bigger than others, and I definitely could feel the bigger waves. But now, the gentle rocking, the unbalanced moments, and everything else the Pacific has to offer us, can now be fully embraced.

Aside from those of us who had anchor watch this morning, our day began at 0630. After breakfast, chores, and some packing, we launched our two inflatable boats and shuttled everyone to the nearby beach. From there, we walked across the island to Waterlemon Bay where we spotted a reef shark in the shallow water and surveyed a lively reef.

A 21st birthday celebration on land is deceivingly similar to that underway. Full of well wishes, tasty cakes, reflection, and likely some vomiting. I began my morning with a watch shift, where we made sure the boat was safe and secure and that all was well as the sun rose.

We left St. Croix yesterday and bounced over some waves to St. John, arriving at about 10:00 this morning! Today C watch was on from 7:00 am until 1:00 pm, during which we gybed 4 times, struck and furled all the sails, took water samples (for SCIENCE!), and anchored in St. John.

We are Underway! Saying “goodbye” to Historic Christiansted and ready to say “hello” to the National Park of St. John!

Only one day remains until we get underway! The excitement about setting off and going out to sea is becoming more tangible, as that time and date draws ever nearer.

Good Morning faithful followers of Cruise C284 Blog!  Welcome to the story of our academic and scientific explorations of the Caribbean.  Today we stepped off the deck of the Corwith Cramer and visited Cane Bay, St Croix, a popular beach and dive destination on the north shore.  Our mission, to practice and refine our snorkel survey techniques, document coral reef health and reef fish and invertebrate diversity, and finally to have a bit of fun at the same time