For our first class of the fall we welcomed OCEAN students back aboard Longboat Townshend on a glorious fall day! We focused on getting to know each other and the boat as well as setting expectations and goals for the year.

The crew easily achieved the first team challenge of rowing out of the harbor safely without instruction from the staff! Returning student Gabe Hefley took the Coxswain position and gave commands to the crew that included some seasoned sailors and some folks who were pretty new to boating.

The second challenge was completing a Crew Overboard Drill which involved practicing our maneuvering and cooperation skills. And, of course, we had to sing shanties, to keep our rowing in rhythm! Snack and moment of silence was a great opportunity to look around and appreciate our surroundings. Daqaste, our journalist of the day, shared a wonderful quote by Aristotle: “We are what we consistently do. Excellence is defined by our habits.” We all shared what we are consistently working on nowadays which included fiddle playing, exercise, writing, artwork and robotics! What a creative and energetic crew! We hope to make longboat rowing and sailing a consistent habit which will build a strong team.

Captain Sonia introduced the Salish Sea Reporter role and told us about issues surrounding Atlantic Salmon farming highlighting the recent escape of 100,000 fish from Cypress Island pens. She also spoke of the latest news about a Rich Passage net facility for 1 million juvenile being allowed against Governor Inslee’s wishes. At the end of class we all shared an issue that concerns us about the Salish Sea such as plastics, pollution, Orca population decline and growing human population impacts. During this year’s class we will be choosing an environmental project that will allow us to learn more about issues and wildlife while making a difference within our community.

Next week we are looking forward to incorporating the team members who were absent and getting to sail!