S/V AMICUS

Three Weeks in with Sea Change 2021

Sea Change Expeditions is three weeks into our month aboard, sitting at anchor in Taconite Harbor.  Pea soup fog keeps us from seeing much outside, but we are grateful for the chill after serious heat in Marquette and Houghton.  My heart is full, so here is some of the outpourings....

Two nights ago we sailed here from Michigan on a rainy, dark overnight.  Mark called it just hours before takeoff, having decided that a nighttime passage would be the best wind and the safest journey, despite the fact that we had just completed a full day of programming and were still tired from our overnight two days before.  Everyone but me adjusted quickly.  I struggled.  My eyes were heavy with weariness and Mark didn't lie about the potential for rousting conditions and/or rain.  Sensing my wariness, he did all the heavy lifting, lying in the cockpit with the on-watch crew most of the night.

Brandi on watch as darkness slowly lifts

For me, lying in the quarterberth by the back hatch, it was a relatively peaceful and stable night. The red light from the chart table cast a familiar light on the cabin. The swishing of the waves through the hull was loud and constant and assured me of fair winds.  The motion went from calm to gentle--and stayed there.  Transitions for on-watch were efficient, the only sound the clicking of caribeanners to harness oneself to the boat, the clicking of the cabinet handle holding the muffin snacks, and the muffled clunk of bog boots climbing the steps.  Then, the low tone of conversation as the person leaving tells the person arriving the conditions, the direction, and what to expect.  At one point, fully awake, it was silent for so long that I wondered.  Then, a single question from Mark, dozing in the cockpit, "How's it going?" and Katie's cheerful and wide awake reply.  "Fine!  Yep!"  Ahh.  Katie is at the wheel, and all is well.  I could drift off again, satisfied that the winds were steady and the pelting rain was not getting anyone down.  When Mark finally got me up at 4:00 CT, I could make out shapes in the cockpit and the rain was reduced to a drizzle.  Brandi was just going on watch, and so together we watched black turn to gray turn to lighter gray--not the gorgeous sunset morning, but it had its particular charm.  Birds chirped nearby and flew into the cockpit.  The rhythmic swish of the waves became slowly visible around us.  When it was light enough to video without a flash, I made an attempt to catch the feeling.  Of course, the video didn't even come close.

Yes, we've reached that comfortable state--we've formed, stormed, normed, and are performing now.  We can take off into the biggest lake in the world in rain and fog right when everyone else is going to sleep, and barely skip a beat.  We arrived in thick fog and overshot the entrance to the harbor, despite our 2-knot speed, four people peering out, and my eyes glued to the radar.  On our second attempt we found the breakwall before hitting it, and put-putted our way along it until we were in.  Safely moored, we finished our day with a special dinner--a free range chicken and mashed potatoes.  By evening we tried a sing-a-long with the guitar, discussed books, and did art.  Andrew is an amazing artist and Isa loves to paint in his pen drawings.

Andrew speaks to 5th graders in Houghton

Meantime, have we done any good in the world outside our cabin?  Thursday's program in the drizzle with 24 6th graders reassures me that we are doing something right as well.  After our plastics talk, our skits, our games, and our boat tours, we bring the kids to our homemade sail map of Lake Superior, signed by hundreds of coastline kids who have committed themselves to the "Clean Cold and Clear" Challenge (what we want for Lake Superior).  We urge them to sign only if they are ready to step up in some way, and we have numerous suggestions if they are still wondering what they could do.  Over half the kids signed.

Our last week will be a long, slow homecoming.  Lots of time back on the north shore.  Several more school programs and virtual programs.  Visits with friends and meet-ups with Cedar and Lamar, including a potential home track meet that we all hope to attend in Two Harbors.  We'll see what actually happens but I know it will be good.

Sea Change Crew Blogs - Isa

Howdy! I'm Isa!

Every evening at dinner, Mark poses a question for the day. As food is passed around, the crew ponders their answers. We share stories of moments that have stuck with us through our lives.

In his book Cosmos, Carl Sagan said something along the lines of "We make the world significant by the courage of our questions and the depths of our answers."

Without questions, answers, and lessons being learned, I would surely be drifting in vague confusion as to what we are doing on this boat (note: physically AND metaphorically). However..! All sorts of queries are being considered such as: 
Why can't we have whales in Lake Superior?
How can we help coastal community school engage with the topic of climate change?
Wait, what is the rope spinner thing called??
Who is someone you have influenced? Can we empower the youth when we meet them?
Have we been accessible to all who may be interested?
Are you suuuuuure we can't have whales here someday???

Whether it's a quick answer or something that needs to be continually discussed, Mark and Katya, along with the crew are always open to a good conversation.

I find myself on the deck of the Amicus II - trying to remember anything and everything that I have had the opportunity to learn so far. As we sail on, I look out to the waves changing hues in the sun, thinking. Well okay ... there may be more snacking on banana chips than thinking.

~isa~

Crew Blogs--intro to Andrew

    Date:  Sunday, May 16.  

Your 2021 sea change crew just sailed from Copper Harbor to Marquette, Michigan. The crew and I have been enjoying sailing and were a bit disappointed that we had to motor into to Marquette. Luckily, we had a surprise guest that cheered every one up! Our guest was a Red-breasted Nuthatch which flew on to a stay near the stern of the boat. The bird, we lovingly nicknamed Wee Fluff stayed with us for six hours of our voyage.The wee part of the name came from the fact that  the bird was small. The fluff part of the name was added because the bird had its down feathers puffed up to protect against the cold wind. Wee Fluff spent most of her time on the boat perching on crew members heads and eating sunflower seeds.Wee Fluff left us for her new life in Marquette  when we reach the shore line.however, she will for ever stay in our hearts.

I was so excited to talk about the trip I forgot to introduce my self. My name is Andrew and I am member of the 2021 sea change crew. I hail from Saint Paul, Minnesota and go to school at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. I am a city kid with a passion for the outdoors. Lake Superior is a place I am particularly passionate about. In 2018 I visited Duluth for the fist time.  I spent hours watching and reading about the fish that lived in Lake Superior at the Great Lakes Aquarium.  This event sparked  my interest in Lake Superior. I wanted to learn more about the aquatic plants and other organisms that make up the lake's complex ecosystem. 

    Today as a part of Sea Change I am learning more about Lake Superior's ecosystem. Through the Sea Change program I have been able to see many places on the lake first hand and meet with many people that live and have grown up on the lake. Through conversations with these people, as well as with Mark and Katya, I have learned about the effects that invasive species and climate change has had on the lakes ecosystem. These experiences have helped  me understand the lake on a more intimate level.

That’s all for now and remember to keep Lake Superior COLD CLEAN AND CLEAR!!! :)

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Sea Change Crew Blogs - Brandi

During our first day on the water I leaned over the edge of the bowsprit as we sailed away from the rocky shoreline of Knife River. With the boat behind me there was only water and sunshine to be seen and I felt like the women carved into the bows of old wooden ships who were forever smiling into an endless horizon. It was exhilarating. This experience has been full of moments like that and we have had tons of great conversations about climate change, heaps of delicious food and some pretty incredible sails.

I grew up on a manmade lake in Nebraska. It was a sanctuary amid the endless corn and soybean fields of the Great Plains and I fell in love with being on water. My childhood was spent skiing, playing water tag and a whole lotta pontooning. My love affair with Lake Superior began when I started studying at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. When it came to choosing a college I knew I wanted to be somewhere close to water and I chose to be on the shore of the biggest lake in the world. 

I graduated in December 2019 with a degree in Natural Resources and Biology. One of the biggest takeaways I have from my education is that caring for the environment is useless without caring for the people who depend on it and building resilient and compassionate communities who live in tandem with the natural world. Mark and Katya have created Sea Change Expeditions to do just that, to raise awareness of what we are doing to our planet and what we can do to make a difference. 

I have been dreaming of this Sea Change trip since I first heard of it from Katelyn Nimsgern, a fellow Northlander who had been on Sea Change in 2018. This trip is much more than I had hoped it would be- lack of showers and all! Cheers to another week and a half aboard the Amicus 2!

~Brandi

 

Sea Change Crew Blogs

Note:  The following entries this month will be posted by our crew on Sea Change Expeditions--our month-long Lake Superior voyages focused on climate change engagement with coastline schools. 

Well hello there!

My name is Katie Cothran - I'm from Marquette, MI and study Biology at Northern Michigan University. After learning about Sea Change at an event hosted by NMU, I immediately sought out ways to get involved with the organization. Now nearly two years later, I'm a part of the 2021 crew!

Sailing to Isle Royale is without a doubt one of the most memorable experiences of the voyage so far. Most of the destinations we're traveling to are firsts for me, but now I can see why Isle Royale is the most revisited national park! Learning more about the island, its shipwrecks, and its cultural significance has been fascinating. The silence of nature is truly difficult to find, and Isle Royale is the best place I've been fortunate enough to experience it.

Sea Change has been wonderful opportunity to help educate young students on topics ranging from invasive species to plastic waste! Mark & Katya's passion for sharing the hope that we can reverse climate change gives me motivation to discover more ways to fulfill that mission! A thought that I'm constantly reminded of is that we need everyone to make an imperfect attempt to live sustainably, not a handful of people to do it perfectly.

I'm looking forward to taking more dips in Lake Superior and continuing to visit more classrooms. Stay tuned for introductions from other 2021 crew members!