It was pouring rain as we lifted our luggage over the guardrail then climbed over ourselves to access the ship. But, it wasn’t long before the clouds parted and we had a good laugh playing Gumbi in our safety gear survival/lobster suits. To finish off our safety training we learned about how to use the life boats. (Ohhh, The boat rocking right now sucks, thank God for the Sea Bands, ginger, patches, etc).

Four presentations filled the afternoon. Mary Bohling gave us information about coastal development and redevelopment in this region, Rose Ellison talked told us about water quality and coastal productivity (like fishing? come to Lake St. Clair!!), Patrick Livingston reviewed shipping, past and present, in this busy waterway, and Dave Schwab reviewed his fascinating water flow modeling that can forecast and hindcast. The weather was really interesting as it suddenly started raining while we all listened on the O2 deck. We were all applauded for staying for the remainder of the presentation despite the rain. Today we focused on the Huron to Erie corridor. The Canadian side contains a 100 + year old prairie that has not been touched (farm, development,etc) because it is owned by the Walpole nation!!

The open waters of Lake St. Clair looked a lot like the Florida Keys!

We docked in Port Huron for the night next to a tallship!

After a yummy dinner prepared by the wonderful cooks on board we worked a little bit on concept mapping and prepping for tomorrow. Here are a few quotes for the day from our team:

“The most intriguing things about today was how often the weather changed. It went from cold and rainy to hot and sticky to rainy again and then to hot and sticky.”

“Today I found out how much I have to learn about the Great Lakes. I also learned that the ship comes with a very talented kitchen staff. “

“I learned that Huron/Erie corridor is a straight not a “river” and has characteristics not like a lake or a river”

“Gumbi suits made a new fashion statement for us all”

“I don’t know if it’s the patch or the wrist bands but I’m not sea sick, Yeah”

“Oh, and man oh man those cooks can cook!”

“Whoa, information overload!”

After an evening of rocking and rolling with the waves, we got underway for Washburn, Wisconsin. Enroute to Chequamegon Bay, Apostle Islands, Team 2 sampled all 3 stations along our final transect, Transect 5; lectures today included Dr. Jim Lubner’s “State of Lake Michigan,” including pertinent information on invasive species and their potential to “homogenize ecosystems around the world.” He spoke to the importance of the Great Lakes Compact and its goal of preserving and improving the integrity of these lakes by providing a guide as to when it is appropriate to remove water from them. Dr. Joel Hoffman followed with a lecture on coastal wetlands, which will provide valuable background for us as we see them firsthand from kayaks tomorrow. Rounding out our academic day, Dr. Nancy Auer spoke about the sturgeon, a fish she says has “…along with redwoods and horseshoe crabs, survived for 100-200 million years .” After discussing the issues facing this ancient fish, she concluded by asking both educators and scientists to speak passionately and positively about the sturgeon, in order to ensure its presence into the future.
And finally, at the end of the day, we were able to explore Washburn (land again!) and return to our mother ship for a delicious dinner of steak and shrimp!

Thursday afternoon we arrived at the Rock of Ages just off the shoreline of Isle Royale; the wind was a howling 25 knots, and the waves were building. An attempt to deploy the ROV was unsuccessful, too much current, waves and wind. We headed for the Kewanee Peninsula and the waves were building and the boat was rocking. The scheduled 20:30 Mysis relicta hunt had to be postponed to 00:30 (12:30) and moved to a location on the west side of the Kewanee to get out of the waves. The bed was calling me as my gut churned with the waves. I came back down to the wet lab shortly after midnight where the crew had the tunes cranked and getting ready to go on a Mysis hunt. Only a few of us made it to the event. Once on top of the collection site the Guardian shut off all her deck lights as not to scare the Mysis away, a red light was lit on the fan tail of the boat, and the hunt began. The net was sent to 83 meters, after waiting two minutes, the net was brought to the surface. A successful hunt, we filled a jar with the Mysis relicta. We awoke this morning to the calm waters of the Portage Ship Canal and a sun filled sky.
A most memorable day.

It’s 9:00 PM, and the Lake Guardian is cruising along the Keewenaw Peninsula on the way to Houghton, Michigan. Today’s highlights included working with Michigan Tech professor Marty Auer and his microscope attached to a flat-panel television. We viewed and identified phytoplankton and zooplankton from the Duluth-Superior Harbor compared to some that had been collected farther out in Lake Superior. Marty is an excellent teacher who often uses the technique of storytelling to keep his students focused on the topic at hand. He frequently checks for understanding throughout his lessons making sure no COSEE learner is left behind.

The marine technicians on board deployed two remote control devices into the water. Off Isle Royale, we watched as Steve Delworth steered the ROV. Later in the day, the Triax went for a “swim” sending several kinds of real-time data back to the onboard computers.

Stay tuned for more updates from other members of the expedition (I like the sound of that - sort of makes me think of Jacques Cousteau). TWS