Open Window School – Day 2

It was a special sunset last night from Sucia Island which turned into a cool morning with a light breeze. After juggling some logistics yesterday and getting a late start, today played out in a more normal fashion. The mid-day breeze provided for some good sailing weather.
The S/V Carlyn and S/V Orion sailed in tandem towards Jones Island where the students are spending the night.

The Afternoon Report provided by Amar and Neta:

“We are at the dock at Jones Island tonight along with the S/V Orion. Looking from the boat, there is a small open field with bathrooms on the left side and a campfire and picnic table on the right side. As we write the Afternoon Report, we’re watching everyone onshore getting things ready for the night. The camping gear from the Carlyn and the Orion lies next to the picnic table.

On the way from Sucia Island to Jones Island, we were fortunate to not have any rain but there was still a lot of wind. Based on another camper’s research and their post to the boat weather log, the wind moved at a speed of 4 knots in the morning and increased throughout the day. Compared to yesterday, the wind had increased and the temperature had decreased.

During the science station today, we set up our science equipment for deployment, deployed the plankton nets and niskin bottle, and later analyzed the water samples we collected. Half of the Wind Watch observed plankton through microscopes. It was fun to analyze the water from our morning deployments. We used reagents and a colorimeter to test the water samples. During the sailing station, we learned how to navigate using the chart and charting tools, and then raised the sails. We enjoyed raising and tacking the jib sail (the sail at the front). Just before arriving at Jones Island, we saw a family of 3 seals.

A question we have is how we are going to sleep in the main cabin without being squished (in this case Wind Watch). We are concerned about the weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon which is expected to be very windy and might impact our voyage. Captain Ryan is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for us. We may be visiting parts of Orcas Island tomorrow.”