Journals 2004/2005

Debbie Quintero
St. Lucie West Middle School, Port Saint Lucie, Florida

I. "Biological and Cultural Resources at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary" Woods Hole, Massachusetts June 20-25, 2004 II. "Analyzing Data from the Nancy Foster Cruise" The University of Maine's Darling Marine Center Walport, Maine July 7-16, 2004

Journal Index: June Intro - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 (I. Woods Hole, Massachusetts) July 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 (II. Darling Marine Center, Walport, Maine)

I. DAY ONE: Sunday, June 20, 2004

I arrived at Woods Hole, Massachusetts around two o'clock. I walked to the docks to find the NOAA vessel that I was assigned. The Nancy Foster was originally built as a Navy yard torpedo test craft. The Navy transferred the vessel to NOAA in 2001 and NOAA outfitted the ship to conduct coastal research along the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts. NANCY FOSTER is named for Dr. Nancy Foster in tribute to her outstanding contributions in advancing NOAA's mission through her leadership in the National Marine Fishery Service and National Ocean Service from 1986 until 2000. The vessel is 187 feet long, has a cruising speed of 10.5 knots, and is equipped with a dry and wet oceanography lab. It has a crew of ten, five commissioned officers, three licensed engineers, and can house up to fifteen scientists. I shared a cabin with Sarah Fuller. The cabin was spacious with private bunks and storage space. The bunk was private and comfortable, my home away from home. I spent most of the day sightseeing the area as the scientists would not arrive until tomorrow morning.