This is a collection of Stanley's posts from the Charles W. Morgan's 38th Voyage in summer, 2014.7/31/2014 As more news concerning the Morgan come up post-38th voyage, look here for updates! Meanwhile, you can catch Flat Stanley Clayton W. Morgan exploring other places and things on his regular blog. He shipped out again in October 2014 to celebrate the 100th Birthday Anniversary of the Belle of Louisville! Here he is investigating the workings of the Belle's paddle wheel during a night cruise.
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We met all sorts of people when we sailed on the Morgan. We can think about what cool kinds of jobs people have, and about all the many perspectives people bring to the experience of sailing on the Charles W. Morgan!
On the July 12th sail, the Morgan's passengers saw whales on the Stellwagen Bank! But this time there was nothing to fear for the whales, and the whales were able to play peacefully near the ship. Here's a Charles W. Morgan whaleboat with some whales. What do you notice about them? What is happening in the picture? While Flat Stanley Clayton W. Morgan was out on the Charles W. Morgan, some of Ms. Doyle's family was out on a Provincetown whale watch. Here are some pictures they got of a baby whale. What do you think it is doing?
When whales were sighted, small crews got into whale boats which were lowered over the sides of the ship and into the water. Crews would use oars to row and set sails to sail closer to the places they saw whales on the surface breathing. Why did whales have to come to the surface?
First, the deck hands have to climb up and untie the sails that have been tied up for the night! Can you see them up there? Does it look like fun to do this? Or does it look scary? Now the sails are loose, but they haven't been set yet. Look at the next picture and see if you can tell what it means to set the sails. Now we're sailing!
Where is Provincetown? Why did so many whale ships sail from there? How did they find whales in the sea?
(We always buckle up for safety!) Provincetown is located at the end of the farthest reach of the eastern tip of Massachusetts. Zoom out on the map to get perspective! Whale ships like the Morgan sailed from Provincetown because first, it was a harbor with excellent protection, and second, it was near the Stellwagen banks, which were a wonderful spot for fishing and whaling. They found whales in the sea by looking for their spouts, where they blew warm air out as they exhaled. Or by their flukes, where the whales splashed out of the water with their tail fins or with their flippers. Once whale hunters knew whales were in the area, they could lower small boats and row out to try to find them. On a whaling voyage, ordinary sailors could expect to spend 3 to 5 years on a voyage, and everyone, over 20 people, slept in the same room! We have a lower bunk in the fo'c'sle where it's too low for people to sit up! But there's enough room to stretch out. The lines that tie our ship up creak in the night in time with the waves, and some of us snore. The crew member with the bunk on top has to get up to stand watch for some hours in the middle of the night! Fortunately, Voyagers do not have overnight duties, and we settled in and enjoyed a good night's sleep.
Why is the Morgan way out there? How will we get onboard? Who else will be there? Where will we eat and sleep?
Provincetown harbor is relatively shallow and the tide makes huge changes in the depth of the water in this area. For safety, the ship is in deeper water. We have to ride a small boat, a tender, to get to the ship! The ship's crew is on board, and some other 38th Voyagers are there. Everyone has a project they are working on related to the Morgan. Tomorrow there will be some other people on board when we sail. We will sleep in the fo'c'sle! (Say it, FO-ksul.) At meal times there is food on a lower deck, thanks to the steward, and we can bring it up on deck to eat. But don't let anything go overboard! What is the Charles W. Morgan? What is a whale ship? Why hunt whales? Why 38 voyages? Am I really going to sail on it?
The Charles W. Morgan is the last remaining wooden whale ship in the world, built in 1841. It has been at Mystic Seaport Museum since 1941, but was first in a bed of gravel, then floated and tied up to a dock until 2008. Then the ship was taken to the Shipyard at Mystic Seaport and completely refurbished and made ready to sail for the first time since the 1920s. Whale ships were built to hunt whales on years-long voyages. They collected and cooked down whale fat, a lubricant from the heads of some whales, and the flexible baleen from other whales. Voyages were so long, the Morgan only made 37 voyages during its career from 1841-1921. The 38th Voyage is happening in summer, 2014! Ms. Doyle and other "38th Voyagers" funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities will be sailing along with the crew. Ms. Doyle and I are getting ready to go sailing on the Morgan! What is canvas? What is a sail loft? What is Mystic Seaport Museum? Where is Connecticut?
Canvas is a heavy fabric used to build sails, and a sail loft is a special open room where great big sails can be built. Mystic Seaport Museum is the Museum of America and the Sea, where entire ships and buildings are together to show visitors what a seaport village would have been like in the past. Connecticut is in the northeast of the US, and Mystic is near the coast on the Mystic River. You can zoom out on the map to see where we are! My new friends Jason and Frannie are helping to build me and get me a grommet so I can stay safe in wet and windy areas. Ms. Doyle has big plans for me. Adventures, here I come! |