NOAA Teacher at Sea
Philip Hertzog
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier July 25 – August 13, 2005
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: Aleutian Islands, AK Date: August 11, 2005
Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 58˚ 04.93’ N
Longitude: 152˚ 02.55’ W
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind Direction: 215˚
Wind Speed: 4 kts
Sea Wave Height: 0-1 feet
Sea Water Temperature: 10.6˚ C
Sea Level Pressure: 1025mb
Cloud Cover: 0, no clouds
Science and Technology Log
We continued our transit towards Homer, but made a stop in Kodiak to pick up fuel. I woke up with the sun rising in the eastern sky and ran up to the flying bridge to snap these photos of Kodiak Island as we entered the harbor at the Coast Guard Station. We stayed at the station for about four hours and had the opportunity to go on shore to the Station’s store. The RAINIER took on 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel that cost $ 20,000. This replaced the fuel we used for our travel during the past three weeks. The Coast Guard charged the ship at a rate of $ 1.18 per gallon, but other locations may over $ 2.00 a gallon.
In leaving the Station, we followed navigation buoys out of the harbor. The buoys located the deep water channel the RAINIER follows to avoid grounding. Two main types of buoys help mariners navigate waters: nuns and cans. Nuns are red in color and the tops are triangle shaped (like a nun’s cap). Cans are green with a flat top shaped (like a can): If you are returning to harbor, one keeps the red buoys on the right (starboard) side and the green buoys on the left (port) side of the ship. Leaving harbor you do the opposite, green on the right and red on the left. Everyone on board has memorized the saying “red right returning” to remember the proper side to pass buoys.
As we left Kodiak Island and headed into open waters, the bridge spots Orca whales on both sides of the ship. The Orcas traveled in small groups of two to four and surfaced to show their large dorsal fins. I spotted the large fin of a male and several females nearby. Orcas follow their mothers and the males tend to be “mamma’s boys.” The females lead the pods and can live to be over 80 years old.
Personal Log
The seas were calmer last night and the crew got some rest. People’s spirits picked up after the large halibut fishing excursion and in anticipation of a free weekend. We had clear blue skies today without a cloud in sight. We have been lucky to have three weeks without rain in Southwestern Alaska. I spent several hours on the flying bridge watching the scenery pass. Our trip is winding up and will end early tomorrow in Homer, Alaska. I am starting to think about how much I will miss being on the ship, but I’ll be glad to get back home to the Olympia/Tacoma area in Washington State. Tonight we will stop for a few hours to fish near the Barren Islands. Stay tuned for my report and my last log entry.
Question of the Day
We learned about green and red buoys. What other types of buoys do ship’s navigators need to keep them safe? Make up your own buoys and come up with a color code and shape.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Philip Hertzog
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier July 25 – August 13, 2005
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: Aleutian Islands, AK Date: August 10, 2005
Chief Yeoman Paul Fletcher in his office
Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 56˚ 00.3’ N
Longitude: 158˚ 45.7’ W
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind Direction: light
Wind Speed: airs
Sea Wave Height: 0 feet
Sea Water Temperature: 12.2˚ C
Sea Level Pressure: 1006.0 mb
Cloud Cover: 1, cumulus, altocumulus
Science and Technology Log
With Mitrofania Island far behind, we transited the deep waters of the Gulf of Alaska towards Kodiak Island. The RAINIER rolled during the night as we stopped to take a CTD cast and run a six-hour sonar line on channel approaches to the Semidi Islands. Few people slept well and the crew talked very little at breakfast due to the exhaustion of three strait weeks of solid work.
RAINIER’s crew works a hard 10 to 12 hours each day, but they do receive overtime pay. Paul Fletcher, the Chief Yeoman, told me he has seen young people out here make enough money to pay for college if they save money and keep expenses down. Paul noted that the overtime and sea duty pay make up for low base wages. In addition you get three meals a day, housing, and you don’t need to carry full car insurance while out to sea for 200-plus days each year.
left: Megan Guberski, middle: Jodie Edmond, right: mooring the ship
As mentioned in an earlier entry, the crew of the RAINIER consists of two groups: NOAA Corps Officers and civilians. Let’s focus on the civilian portion today. Six departments employ the crew of the RAINIER. Some of the positions on board require a college degree, while others only require a high school diploma and a willingness to work hard.
I worked most closely with the Survey Department while on board the RAINIER. The Department consists of survey technicians who go out on the launches to operate the sonar and then computer process the data on board the ship and generate maps of the ocean bottom. Several levels of hydrographic survey technicians exist depending on one’s experience and training. You generally need a four-year college degree with an emphasis in computer science or remote sensing, but two-year degrees with specialized computer training will also suffice. Survey technicians I introduced to you in previous entries include Greg King, and the Boles brothers (Matt and Dan).
Left: Correy Muzzey drives a launch, Right: Getting ready to set anchor
Though at first it may seem like a dirty and tedious job, the people of the Deck Department love their work. Over the years people have actually transferred from other departments to work the deck crew. Deck employees maintain the exterior and interior of the ship, moor and anchor the ship, secure lines, load supplies, stand watches, steer the ship, swab the decks and clean bathrooms. More experienced deck staff also get to drive the launches and serve as coxswains.
Mike Riley, who is in charge of the motors on all the launches.
One starts out as a deck crew member in the position of Ordinary Seaman (OS) or general vessel assistant (GVA). OS’s and GVA’s need a high school diploma, need to be at least 18 years old, but don’t need prior experience. You can then move up to endorsed positions by meeting time and training requirements set by the US Coast Guard. The RAINIER provides on-the-job training and sends crew to workshops when in port so one can move up to higher positions. With training and 365 days at sea, one can be promoted to Able Seaman. More advanced positions include Seaman Surveyor and Chief Boatswain.
The Engineer Department operates all of the ship’s systems such as propulsion, fuel, electric power, ventilation, sanitation, water, and launch motors. This Department has the highest paying jobs on board the RAINIER, but also the most responsibility to keep the crew safe by making sure the engines don’t fail while at sea. Some positions require special licenses (for example Diesel Engine 2400 horse power Class II), but many people start out with a high school degree and work their way up by learning on the job. You can start out with no experience as a Wiper (wipe and clean up oil) and then move up to an Oiler after a year of experience. One can move into the higher level positions right away if you have trade training from high school or a Vocational/Technical school.
Mike also checks the launch hulls for cracks and makes safety recommendations on whether or not a launch should go out to survey. Mike is in his mid twenties and an expert fisherman while off duty. Engineering is a great place for those who are mechanically inclined and love repairing machinery. The Steward Department plans menus, prepares meals, maintains the galley and provides clean linens for the ship. You can start out as General Vessel Assistant with no experience plus a high school diploma and then train and work your way up to higher-level positions such as Cook or Chief Steward. Prior experience in on-shore restaurants or culinary schools can land you a higher-level position right away. Sergio Taguba, our Chief Steward, started out at an entry-level position 35 years ago and worked his way into the top position. Sergio has been on board the RAINIER for almost the whole time and plans to continue with NOAA until retirement.
Raul in the kitchen and below are some of our galley
Our Chief Cook, Raul Quiros, learned his skills on board ship and started right after finishing school. Raul has been with NOAA for 25 years and on the RAINIER for the past nine. Raul enjoys working for NOAA and can be spotted fishing off the side deck any time he’s not on duty. When we first got to Cushing Bay, I spotted Raul catching our first halibuts, but he quietly took them below and never brags about his catches. The crew suspects Raul has caught more fish than any other person on board, but he shies away from any attention to his renowned skills. The last two departments, Yeoman and Electronics, each have one person. Paul Fletcher is the RAINIER’s Chief Yeoman. A Yeoman is like a business manager on land. Mr. Paul (as everyone on board calls him) handles the ship’s budget, payroll, personnel paper work, and mail. He works directly with the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer of the ship. Mr. Paul lives in Virginia Beach, VA when not on the ship and plans to retire there in December. Mr. Paul retired from the Navy and joined NOAA around 1990-91. He has been with the RAINIER since 1996.
Mr. Paul feels NOAA provides young people with an opportunity to learn about life and personnel management on board a ship. He feels more young people from urban areas like Tacoma (where I teach) should try life at sea for a couple of years and gain skills that will help them to be good managers. When on a ship, you are with your boss and coworkers 24/7, Mr. Paul told me. “You learn how to suck up your anger, because the person you’re angry with may be in the shower stall next to you or at the same meal table a few hours later.”
The galley
Larry Wooten runs our Electronics Department and maintains all electronic equipment and computers onboard. Larry told me the Electronics Department really has evolved over the past few years to a mix of skills especially in computers. Larry makes sure the sonar and radar systems work and then he turns around to operate the computer’s file server. After serving in the Air Force, Larry went to South Dakota State University to earn a degree in Electronic Engineering Technology. He has been with NOAA seven years and on board the RAINIER for two. Larry’s guitar always sits in the corner of his office and I hear from the crew he plays well during jam sessions held below deck when off duty.
I hope the students reading this entry have gotten a good feel for the positions on board the RAINIER and other NOAA ships. Many people stay for their entire careers on a ship, while others stay a year or two to gain valuable experience and then move on to other ventures.
Personal Log
I think the NOAA ships offer a unique opportunity for many of my students to consider. We have a diverse, multicultural crew on board with African Americans, Hispanics, Asian American and women. The jobs range from those requiring college degrees to high school diplomas. Learning aboard the RAINIER occurs continuously as older staff mentor younger crewmembers on the skills they need to advance. I can see both my “hands on” and “cerebral” students finding challenges and adventure on a NOAA ship. If only for a year or an entire career, I could see my students getting valuable skills on board ships that will serve an entire life time. On other matters, we did get a break from our long transit to Homer last night around 8:30 pm. We stopped at Albatross Banks, an underwater pinnacle that rises up from the ocean bottom to about 48 feet below the surface. We took out our fishing poles and soon caught large halibuts off the bottom. I caught one on my first cast and almost everyone reached their limit in a matter of minutes. Josh Riley caught one over 77 inches long that weighed over 200 pounds. It took four people to haul it onto the fan tail.
Josh’s fish and a second photo of Dan Boles cleaning a halibut
Question of the Day
Why are underwater pinnacles a good place to catch fish compared to deeper, flat bottoms?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Philip Hertzog
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier July 25 – August 13, 2005
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: Aleutian Islands, AK Date: August 9, 2005
Ensign Samuelson running RA 3’s positioning computer
Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 56˚ 00.3’ N
Longitude: 158˚ 45.7’ W
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind Direction: light
Wind Speed: airs
Sea Wave Height: 0 feet
Sea Water Temperature: 12.2˚ C
Sea Level Pressure: 1006.0 mb
Cloud Cover: 1, cumulus, altocumulus
Science and Technology Log
We wrapped up our mapping in the Mitrofania Island area today. Only one launch went out for the entire day and I got assigned to it. We took off from Cushing Bay and headed out to nearby Brothers Island and Long Beach for sonar mapping of the bottom. A second launch went out for just a few hours and deployed SCUBA divers to chart the location of submerged rocks. In the meantime, the RAINIER took off to map deep water approaches several miles to the east of Mitrofania Island and would pick us up at a rendezvous point in the late afternoon.
Some of the electronics I got to use.
Ensign Nikki Samuelson served as our hydrographer in charge with Matt Boles’ assistance. Steve Foye handled the RA 3 launch. Ensign Samuelson has been on the RAINIER for around a year and also serves as chief medical officer. She started out on the RAINIER by helping out the navigation officer and learning how to plot courses and determine the ship’s location. She then gained experience in sonar mapping and now regularly goes out on the launches. Ensign Samuelson likely will work on remote controlled submersible vehicles for NOAA in Rhode Island when she gets her land assignment in a year.
For most of the day our launch of four people saw no signs of other humans. Two Dahl porpoises charged over to our launch to ride our bow wave, but took off when they realized we cruised too slowly to make a satisfactory wake. All day we saw the spray of Sei whales, but they kept their distance and only occasionally could we see a dorsal fin appear out of the water.
Technically, we had some challenges. In the morning, our CTD (conductivity, temperature and density) probe failed to work and we tried to fix it. We concluded the battery had worn out and we exchanged ours with the divers before they headed back to the RAINIER. We then lost the Coast Guard transmission signal that corrects our global aboard. We tried several approaches with the radio receiver and finally corrected the problem.
I spent the day by helping on various tasks such as lowering the CTD probe, sitting on the bow to look for rocks, running the positioning computer and driving the boat. The water remained calm much of the day, but the sky turned gray and overcast. What a contrast to the previous two days when we could see the glaciers on Mount Veniaminof under clear, blue skies. However, the cloud cover did give Mitrofania Bay a special beauty:
At 4:30 pm we spotted a tiny dot approach us from the east that turned out to be the RAINIER returning to pick us up. Once aboard, the RAINIER resumed course to continue sonar work in the deep waters east of Mitrofania Island. Our plan is to continue this work until 11:00 pm and then to set course to our final destination of Homer, Alaska where I’ll leave the ship on Saturday August 13. However, we’ll make a few stops for “biological sampling” (fishing) on the way and a couple of hours in Kodiak to pick up fuel.
Personal Log
I felt melancholic today knowing our work in the Mitrofania area had come to an end and that the RAINIER would start heading towards my final stop in Homer. I’ll especially miss seeing Sei whales almost every day and the great fishing off the fantail.
It didn’t help that I had a fantastic evening and stayed up until 1:00 am last night. Four of us took a “short” fishing trip on the skiff to a nearby bay and each caught five large (8 pound range) salmon. Our foursome often caught two or more salmon at a time that tangled our lines as the struggling fish crossed each other. A fifth person on the skiff didn’t fish, but continuously netted the salmon for us. Often we would have two salmon in queue while Ensign Nikki Samuelson struggled to get a third salmon out of the net and untangle the hook from the nylon fabric. At one point Carl Verplanck just reached into the water and flipped a hooked salmon into the skiff.
The real work began when we returned to the RAINIER at 9:30 pm. We cleaned processed, and vacuum sealed over 80 pounds of edible fish meat. However, we also scrubbed all the fish scales off the fantail of the RAINIER. We used bristle brooms and detergent to “swab the decks” and then Greg King blasted the deck using the fire hose to rinse it off. We had a fine evening of adventure to remember for a long time.
Question of the Day
Why do Dahl porpoises like to ride bow waves? Explain your answer.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Philip Hertzog
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier July 25 – August 13, 2005
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: Aleutian Islands, AK Date: August 8, 2005
Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 56˚ 00.3’ N
Longitude: 158˚ 45.7’ W
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind Direction: light
Wind Speed: airs
Sea Wave Height: 0 feet
Sea Water Temperature: 12.2˚ C
Sea Level Pressure: 1006.0 mb
Cloud Cover: 1, cumulus, altocumulus
Ensign Jennings at work
Science and Technology Log
I slept in an extra hour and set about doing my laundry and log entries since I stayed aboard the RAINIER today. Given a quiet day, I focused today’s entry on careers with NOAA to provide information to students wanting a life of adventure while helping the environment. Congress created NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in 1970 to bring together several agencies under one roof. Congress recognized that the oceans of the world are closely tied to our atmosphere and we need to manage them through one organization. You best know NOAA through the National Weather Service which provides you with daily weather forecasts. However, NOAA has other branches that protect fish and marine wildlife; manage marine sanctuaries; observe changes in the environment; warn people about approaching tsunamis; respond to oil spills and disasters; and chart coastlines and bottom depths to protect vessels. On the RAINIER, we have two categories of jobs: civilian and commissioned officers. I will save the civilian jobs for another entry and we’ll look at the officers today. The NOAA Officer Corps is a uniformed branch of the United States military. Most officers spend two years assigned to a ship and then rotate to a land job for three years. The rotation starts over again and you can retire with a pension after twenty years. Ensign Andrew Halbach told me he could retire at age 43, though I believe he will stay with NOAA much longer and command his own ship someday.
At the computers
You must apply to join the NOAA Officer Corps and only dedicated people get accepted. Ensign Laurel Jennings told me you need a four year college degree with a major in math, engineering or science. You also must be in good health, pass a physical exam and be 35 years old or younger. NOAA asks for four letters of recommendation from professional contacts and answers to several pages of questions. You also need to pass a police background check and be interviewed by one of NOAA’s officers. Several ensigns told me this process takes from several months to half a year. Once accepted as an Officer Corps candidate, you go to the Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy located on Long Island, NY for three months of intensive training. The candidates train in safety, water rescue, navigation, CPR/first aid, ship fire fighting, knots, and ship handling. A few weeks before completing training, NOAA holds a formal ceremony to announce the ship assignment for the next two years.
Ensign Jennings told me she got on board the RAINIER in June and continues her training on the job. Her primary focus has been on ship duties such as bridge watch, navigation and ship operations. As she becomes confident on ship procedures, her training will shift to learning how to conduct hydrographic mapping and operating the computers. Ensign Jennings has a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from the University of Texas at Austin. She worked as an intern at Disney World’s Living Seas exhibit in Florida where she scuba dived, fed the aquarium fish, scrubbed tanks, and talked to the public. She moved to Boston after graduation and found that a Bachelor’s degree was not enough to get a satisfying job. She wanted to work in science and with people, but not in a lab all day. Ensign Jennings said the NOAA Officer Corps was perfect for her.
Over the past two weeks, I have talked to several Ensigns about their next assignments. Ensign Andrew Halbach will move to Washington, D.C. next year and work on remote sensing from airplanes. He will travel 150 days a year to various locations throughout the United States. In December Ensign Briana Welton will command her own skiff and crew on the east coast. Whenever a hurricane hits, Ensign Welton will be one of the first people into the disaster area to chart how navigation channels have been affected by storm damage. In the past, other Ensigns have gone on to work on designing tsunami detection buoys and underwater vehicles. Many other opportunities exist both on land and at sea for young people seeking adventure.
In addition to exciting career opportunities, an Officer Corps member can advance in rank as he or she gains experience and the confidence of senior officers. All Corps members start out at the rank of Ensign. You then can be promoted in progression to Lt. Junior Grade, Lieutenant, Lt. Commander, Commander, Captain, and finally only one officer gets to be the Admiral.
Personal Log
I wish I could be 35 or younger now! The NOAA Officer Corps has a lot of exciting opportunities that many young people don’t know about. I think about the adventures I’ve missed because no teacher ever told me about NOAA.
Many exciting opportunities exist for young people if they get the right education and study hard in school. As a teacher I feel a responsibility to make sure students have the skills to take advantage of the careers and adventure that exist not only with NOAA, but with other organizations. Too often I see students playing video games or ignoring homework instead of preparing themselves for the future. Hopefully they can learn to dedicate themselves to learning and preparation like the young ensigns on board the RAINIER.
Question of the Day
Why is a well-rounded, college education important for today’s young adults?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Philip Hertzog
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier July 25 – August 13, 2005
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: Aleutian Islands, AK Date: August 7, 2005
Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 56˚ 00.3’ N
Longitude: 158˚ 45.7’ W
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind Direction: light
Wind Speed: airs
Sea Wave Height: 0 feet
Sea Water Temperature: 12.2˚ C
Sea Level Pressure: 1006.0 mb
Cloud Cover: 1, cumulus, altocumulus
Science and Technology Log
Today I actively participated as a full member of the launch crew conducting a new type of survey for me, sediment sampling. The launches typically carry three crew members, one to handle the boat and two others to work the sonar and computer equipment. Generally Mike Laird (the other the teacher at sea) and I have gone along as a fourth person to observe. However, today we only had three people aboard launch RA 2, the smallest and lightest of the launches. Survey Technician Dan Boles and Coxswain Erick Flickenger (Flick) co-led our survey mission. Dan described to me today’s goal of collecting sediment samples from several locations around Mitrofania Island. Sediments are the material found on the bottom surface of water bodies. It includes materials like mud, silt, sand, clay, pebbles, rocks, shells or hard pan.
The nautical chart makers place sediment information on their maps so ship captains can determine if they have a safe location to set anchor. If the bottom is too rocky, the ship’s anchor may get stuck and trap the boat. If the bottom is not firm enough, the anchor will drag across the bottom and the ship could end up drifting to a dangerous location like a reef or rocky shore. The sediments in an anchorage area also determine the type of anchor a captain chooses to use. Some types of anchor work better than others in certain sediment types.
I helped unhook the launch from the RAINIER’s crane and Flick got us underway. Dan immediately showed me how to work the sonar and computer equipment. We used a Knudsen 320 M echo sounder to measure bottom depth at our sample locations. Dan had me turn it on and I watched the sounder trace the depth on a roll of paper:
The sounder recorded a black line on a scale so we know or bottom depth at the sampling location. Dan also had me write the type of sediment we found on the same paper. I then entered the data into the computer. We needed both an electronic and paper copy in case the computer crashes which sometimes happens when the launch bounces around. To the right a photo of Dan entering data while Flick watches in RA 2’s small cabin.
On the launch deck we used a “clam shell” sediment sampler. The sampler is shaped like a large, round clam shell with two metal jaws held shut by a large spring. We pried open the two jaws and set a trigger to keep the jaws opened. It works like a bear track with the trigger lever on the side. We took great care setting the trigger because the jaws can break our fingers if it snaps shut on them. Once set, you then lower the sediment sampler over the side. The sampler free falls through the water column and plunges into the bottom which triggers the jaws to snap tight and capture the sediment sample. You then winch the sample up to the surface, open the jaws and record the sediment type. The following photos show the sediment sampling process:
We found mostly fine black sand and pebbles of volcanic origin in our sediments around Mitrofania Island which matches the local geology. As mentioned in previous logs, the explosion of an ancient volcano formed Sosbee Bay (a caldera) on the south side of the Mitrofania Island. To the north of the island, the shield volcano, Mount Veniaminof dominates the landscape:
Our sediment sampling went well with one exception. We transited out to a sample location far south of Mitrofania Island. A combination of wind and tide suddenly hit us with two to three foot choppy waves as we took our sample. Our light weight launch took two to three nose dives down the face of a three foot wave as Flick tried to hold our position in one spot for the sample. Dan and I got knocked into the railings on the deck and the clam shell sampler almost snapped on my fingers as I tried to adjust it. Inside the cabin, equipment flew off the shelves and onto the cabin floor. Flick pronounced the sea conditions as too unsafe for us to work on the deck and yelled for us to get back inside the cabin. We then made tail and headed back towards land getting bounced about until we entered the wind shadow created by the lee side of the island. Flick later told us he considered having us put the life raft out on the back deck of the launch as a safety precaution.
Dan and I talked about boat safety. Dan told me that anyone on board the launch can call for it to return due to unsafe conditions. In our case, we did the right thing by not trying to finish the sampling south of Mitrofania and quickly returning to calmer waters. The rest of the day we worked on the protected side of the island and finished early. We fished near Cushing Bay and waited for the RAINIER to arrive and pick us up. The RAINIER again moved location to seek settler from the changing winds. We will spend our few remaining nights in Cushing Bay, our first location when we arrived at Mitrofania about two weeks ago.
Peering over the control panel
Personal Log
I enjoyed the opportunity to work today as a full member of the launch team. I appreciated Dan Boles putting me on the computer right away and the way we took turns collecting sediment samples out on deck. I found Flick to be a master at handling the launch in rough conditions and ensuring our safety.
I have felt safe on the launches, but our situation south of Mitrofania proved a bit worrisome. I’m glad Flick called off our work out there right away and brought us into a more protected area. While waiting for the Rainier, I got to fish and caught numerous sea bass near a kelp bed. We also saw a “fish ball” go by. The fish ball consisted of a large school of small candlefish tightly grouped into a ball shape about 7 feet in diameter just below the surface. Seagulls hovered over the fish ball and snatched out tiny fish as tasty treats. As the fish ball passed under the launch, we saw the outlines of large fish following the candlefish.
After supper we had another beach party out on the spit near the HorCon station. We had a beautiful, clear evening and watched the sun set. We again had a large bon fire and plenty of good conversation and company. I returned at 11:00 pm with an orange and deep blue dusky sky as a backdrop for our skiff ride from the beach. The days have grown shorter since my arrival, but night still arrives after 11:30 pm.
Question of the Day
What sediment bottom type do you think will best hold an anchor and keep a ship safe?
