These data may include sea temperature, salinity, chemical nutrients, water depth, plankton samples, sediment samples and weather observations. During deck portion of the watch, students participate in navigational exercises led by the mate on duty. These exercises include opportunities to maneuver the vessel, radar plotting, and near-shore piloting with charts and compass. In addition to routine watch standing duties that will be part of each student's experience at sea, two lectures are also presented daily. There is always something new to sea, to learn, to do.
Accommodations are comfortable, but cozy.
At least once during the cruise, students join in a general cleaning of the ship. This half of the OGM program provides the near-shore, coastal portion of the students' oceanographic study of the Gulf of Maine. Field trips to neighboring islands include visits to local harbor seal and seabird communities. Lectures and laboratory activities provide exposure to the fundamentals of coastal marine ecology. Depending upon tides and weather, OGM's daily routine often includes early morning collecting trips to the intertidal zone.