Ishmael’s Plankton Net: Teaching Marine Science Aboard the Charles W. Morgan
On a humid morning last July, 20-year-old Molly Weiner stands at the pier of Boston’s National Historical Park, unfazed by
the juxtaposition of the historical vessels and the modern instruments before her.
Visitors mill about, excited by the newly arrived Charles W. Morgan, which floats behind the USS Constitution. This is a unique opportunity to view the Morgan, the oldest commercial sailing ship in the United States, docked beside the Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. With the sound of sea chanteys in the background and the sight of several small whaleboats in the water, Molly finds herself in a living time capsule. She pulls out her yellow notebook, records the date, time and GPS location of the ship, and then she prepares to drop a rubber bucket over the side of the pier into Boston Harbor.
Read the full story in Wrack Lines, Fall/Winter 2014 »
Alexandra McInturf is a recent graduate of Williams College and an alumna of the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport. After receiving degrees in Biology and English, she spent a post-graduate year in the field for elasmobranch research in South Africa and the Bahamas. Having experienced the final stages of the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan during her semester with the Williams-Mystic program, she returned to Mystic to explore the connection between modern science and whaling history on the ship. She will pursue a doctorate in Animal Behavior at the University of California–Davis.