By Carolyn Parker and Gabrielle Walsh
On the sailing side, our first week at BSSC started with a cold plunge as all 40 campers jumped into Linekin Bay to take their swim test. The shivers and complaints of cold faded as they all received their hot chocolate and got into the week’s activities. Unfortunately for the sailing instructors, the weather was not on our side as we dealt with rain, fog, heavy winds, and small craft advisories. Nevertheless, the instructors found creative ways to teach campers about various aspects of sailing and boating while keeping spirits high.
Instructors spent time teaching our young sailors knots before sending them out to the lawn to race each other in the very popular knot relay. Campers spent time learning about how wind is created, how charts work, and how to find direction with a compass. That all culminated in a rousing game of Jeopardy on Friday when heavy gusts kept sailors grounded. Campers excitedly answered questions from categories Knots, Weather, Navigation, Boat Parts, Sail Trim, and the fan favorite, Instructor Trivia. When we did find opportunities to get on the water, we saw some of our youngest campers try kayaking for the first time. Meanwhile, some of our older campers explored the bay in kayaks and rowboats, before landing on Perch Island, where they could be heard cheering as they raced the crabs they had caught while wading. We also found some time to get out on our Sonars as the oldest sailors rigged the boats up for the first time this summer and sailed out to Cabbage Island before the fog descended, and they had to turn back. This was a difficult weather week for sailing at BSSC, but let’s hope that this next week and the rest of our summer looks a little nicer.
This was an exciting week for science at BSSC. Our weekly topic was Ship to Shore: Discovering BSSC. We kicked-off the week with a scavenger hunt of the campus including the garden, tide pools, dock, and the sailing simulator (a big hit with the Mizzens). We also made crab traps out of hardware cloth and screening and used them as educational tools for the students to learn about invasive species such as Green Crab and Asian Shore Crab that reside in our nearby bay. Students checked their traps throughout the week and mostly found Green Crab. Tide pooling was a popular activity during free time, and it was a great opportunity to see all sorts of organisms up close including Lion’s Mane Jellyfish and Eels. We also learned about the Kennebec River and how development nearby effects the water quality in comparison to natural landscapes lining the river. We ended the week with our usual Friday cookout which was a great opportunity for families to see what their children are learning and how fun science is at BSSC.