"Haul that anchor up--"
"She's up!"
"Hoist the mains'l--fast!"
"Raise the jib!"
"We're away!"

    The flurry of activity subsides as the young crew on the deck of Wings of the Morning watches the great sails begin to fill in the early morning air. The sun begins its ascent as the boat begins a silent glide through the waters of the Chesapeake. A sleepy heron, startled by the sudden motion, gives a raucous croak and flaps away with heavy wings and dangling legs. Across the cove a waterman in a small white boat putters among the crab pots, halfway through his day, as we begin ours.  The students stand in awe of the quiet beauty as the sun clears the horizon.  Suddenly, the silence is broken.

     "Okay everybody, time to get to work.  Grab your journals and meet in the cockpit for your morning log entries.  Meteorology class in five minutes"
As the students head down the companionway, one student voices what all feel;
"This is so awesome. I can't believe I'm going to school on a boat!"

    These six students have begun Sea Week, a program in which students live aboard and learn to sail a forty-two foot sailboat while exploring the Chesapeake Bay.  Under the supervision of Jeff and Elizabeth Armor, both school teachers and U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captains, students learn to apply math, science, history and English concepts in a floating classroom.

Sea Week begins early in the morning when students arrive at the Coan River Marina in Lottsburg, Virginia.  From the  docks the eager students gaze at their new home floating at anchor in the distance.  The inflatable dinghy at the dock, obviously too small for six people and luggage, is the first lesson in teamwork for the students.  "Your job is to get all of you and all of your stuff out to that boat.. instructs Capt. Jeff.  "We'll be waiting for you."
 With a great deal of laughter, splashing of oars, and occasionally confused steering, they negotiate their way out to their floating new "home."

    Once on board and after the gear is stored, students learn the mechanics of running the boat, raising sails, tying knots, and learning new terms for everything.  There's a lot to master, but by the end of the day, the students are proudly operating the boat themselves.  After a day of hanking on sails, jibing and tacking on the Potomac River, the new crew and ship will be ready to head to the Chesapeake at first morning light.

    Anchored in a quiet Maryland cove for the night, the galley below starts bustling with preparations for the first on-board meal. Afterwards, students gather on deck for astronomy observations and evening log entries.  By nightfall, Wings of the Morning begins to feel like home.

     Each day of Sea Week includes algebra, geometry and trigonometry, as students navigate coves and shoals that line the Bay. They must calculate distance, speed, and time, then chart longitude and latitude using parallel rulers and dividers. They find the distance to a lighthouse with a sextant and trigonometric ratios, then take compass bearings on distant objects to get a "fix" on the ship's position.

    Part of a sailor's job is to become attuned to the environment and watch for changes in the weather. Several times a day students observe and log weather data in their personal journals/logs. They note cloud formations, sea state, wind strength and direction, and barometric pressure. They study down-loaded satellite images from the on-board weather fax, make their predictions, and note the local forecast.  Students quickly learn to appreciate what "keeping a weather eye" entails as they plan the next day's destination based on wind and weather.

    In this outdoor classroom, students assess the health of the Bay for themselves as they move from quiet harbors to busy ports throughout the week, taking water samples and testing for salinity, pH, and pollutants.  History comes alive as the class sails past the low shorelines of the Potomac and the Chesapeake, touring historic St. Mary's City, Tangier and Smith islands.
    Sea Week is just one program offered by Different Drum Sailing Adventures and is available to 7th through 12th grade students and schools in the summer, spring and fall.  Winter/spring Bahama voyages are also available.  A slide/lecture presentation depicting Jeff and Liz's Atlantic Ocean crossing in 1992 in a 28 foot sailboat is offered free to the public. 

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