It’s Day 3 on the hook, and we’re all starting to go a little stir crazy. There was no port call to Provincetown. We’ve been keeping busy by working, reading, shopping (RGT gets a new shirt!!), watching movies and Arrested Development (we’re excited to stream the new season today thanks to Chris’s fancy wireless card), and – of course – playing Peanut. Whitney and Kira are also staffing a friendship bracelet factory of 2 that rivals the production rate of a sweatshop. They are graciously making them for everyone on the team. If nothing else, you get to see pictures today that are NOT in the blue-gray color palate.
Fieldwork
NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Anchored

I awoke to a view of Provincetown’s Pilgrim Monument out of my port hole. Everyone is glad to be tucked in around Race Point, since the ship recorded 52 mph wind gusts yesterday. We’re going to pull the hook tomorrow to head back out to the Great South Channel.
NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Retreating
The “bad water” is back and we’re headed for Provincetown (Cape Cod Bay) to drop the anchor and wait out the weather. Fingers crossed that the captain gives us permission to deploy the small boats and ferry ourselves to shore. It will be a cruel irony to sit at anchor for days, over Memorial Day weekend, while in sight of land (and establishments that serve cold beers).
NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Students At Sea
Whitney Sitzer (Wheaton College ‘15, photo 1)) and Kira Kasper (Wheaton College ’15, photo 2) are joining us on Leg 2 of the cruise. They are graduates of my Marine Mammal Science and Biology of Whales classes at the Marine Studies Consortium. Today they participated in their first marine mammal survey, although foggy conditions made it difficult to locate anything exciting (as of 12:45 pm).
NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Shore Leave

Red nuns and green cans at the Coast Guard Station in Boston. They look so different out of the water.
Scientists at Sea – NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center Blog
The chief scientist will be posting to the NOAA NEFSC blog during Leg 2, and aerial survey updates can also be found here.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog
We had a middle school science teacher, Angela Greene, on our Leg 1 cruise as a part of NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program. She was very enthusiastic and asked lots of great questions during the trip. Check out her blog for stories from a new perspective.
NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Boston Harbor

NEFSC May Cruise 2013 – Dock Lines
Heading into port at the Boston Coast Guard facility.