90,000th Schoolship Student Sails on Thursday

Thursday morning,  9-15-11, ISEA will host its 90,000th Schoolship student when St. Francis of Assisi Middle School from Ann Arbor sails with us.  Join us for a short celebration at the dock at 12:30 when we return from the morning sail.  - Capt. Tom Kelly

September Comes to Suttons Bay

Early Morning at the Dock - 48 Degrees F, but sunny.

We will be getting the boat ready for the fall season this week...painting, cleaning, rigging.  If you would like to help the crew, give me a call at 271-3077.  --Capt. Tom

Inland Seas Visits Charlevoix and Little Traverse Bay - You can sail with us!



Visit or Sail with Inland Seas this week.

Monday, August 15:

Dockside Open House (Charlevoix) tours aboard the schoolship Inland Seas in Charlevoix, Michigan, will provide an opportunity to learn about the 77-foot schooner, without leaving the dock. From 7:00–8:30pm. Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, August 16:

Making the Great Lakes Great Sail (Charlevoix) is a unique opportunity to experience the Great Lakes as you become a scientist for the day. You will gain an understanding of the health of the Great Lakes and how it is determined, as well as issues that face the Great Lakes and the plans to address these issues. From 9:00am-12:00pm in Charlevoix. Free and open to the public. Ages 5 and up.

Dockside Open House (Bay Harbor) tours aboard the schoolship Inland Seas at Bay Harbor, Michigan, will provide an opportunity to learn about the 77-foot schooner, without leaving the dock. From 7:00–8:30pm. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, August 17:

Making the Great Lakes Great (Bay Harbor). Sorry, this trip is filled.

Dockside Open House (Petoskey) tours aboard the schoolship Inland Seas in Petoskey, Michigan, will provide an opportunity to learn about the 77-foot schooner, without leaving the dock. From 7:00–8:30pm. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, August 18:

Making the Great Lakes Great (Petoskey). Experience the Great Lakes as you become a scientist for the day. You will gain an understanding of the health of the Great Lakes and how it is determined, as well as issues that face the Great Lakes and the plans to address these issues. From 9:00am-12:00pm in Petoskey. Free and open to the public. Ages 5 and up.

These programs are sponsored by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, in partnership with Grand Valley State’s Annis Water Resources Institute, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Sea Grant, and BaySail.

The Inland Seas Education Association is a non-profit organization based in Suttons Bay, Michigan, dedicated to science education on the Great Lakes. Its shipboard and shore-side education programs are designed to inspire young people’s interest in science and to provide for the long-term stewardship of the Great Lakes. For further information contact the Inland Seas Education Association at (231) 271-3077 or on the web at www.schoolship.org.

News of Sea Lamprey Repellant

Research at MSU has come up with a potential sea lamprey repellant.  Learn more by clicking here.

Sea Lamprey caught in the Boardman River on display at the Inland Seas Education Center
Donated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians who operate the lamprey trap on the Boardman River.

Inland Seas at Great Lakes Maritime Academy

Inland Seas will be at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City until Tuesday morning.
The vessel in the foreground is GLMA's R/V Northwestern

To see a video of the recent sunken barge found by the R/V Northwestern, click here.

More Photos of the LSSU Oceanography Trip

Prof. Derek approaching the Bridge

Tyler

Tom Kastle under the the "Big Mac"

Good Sailing! (Kathy K. in her new Beaver Island hat)

Capt. Tom with the ill-fated core sampler - we never did get it to work.

This Week Aboard Inland Seas...

This week aboard Inland Seas we hosted the Lake Superior State Univesity Oceanography classs taught by Prof. Derek Wright.  We sailed from St. Ignace on Monday and after trawling and doing a limnology station off St. Ignace,we headed under the Mackinac Bridge for Beaver Island.  We spent two days a St. James, sampling on the east side of the island and at the harbor mouth. 

We waited out a blow (as usual) and left on Wednesday afternoon. We had smooth downwind sailing until we got out of the lee of the island.  Then big swells refracting around the island met us on the beam, producing a lot of rolling.  This lasted about an hour until we got clear of the island's effects and the waves were coming up on our quarter, which made life aboard much easier.  We arrived at Northport at sunset.  Everyone was ready for a shower and a walk ashore.

Today was our big sampling day, with trawls at Hall Bay and Omena, and limnoloy stations at Northport Point, Omeana,  and Lee Point (405 ft.).  We arrived at Power Island in time for a cook out ashore, followed by a hike up to the Eagle's Nest overlook. 

We are anchored tonight at Bowers Harbor.  On my 4 - 5 am watch I heard owls hooting, saw several meteors, satellites, the moons of Jupiter, and millions of stars.

Gray's Reef Light

Eric and Tom Kastle at the helm

Alex and PONAR Dredge

Dr. Wright

Anchored at Power Island

Titrations continued late into the evening

Comment from Prof. Wright: "My students learned more in the first morning aboard than in a semester of class work".

-Capt. Tom