First view of the masts - can't see the hull from here
Here it is, the Sultana, out of Chestertown, MD
Once a British revenue cutter that policed the colonial waters looking for smugglers who tried to avoid paying royal taxes on goods such as tea, the Sultana now has a different mission (colonial Chestertown gave the British a "tea party" much like the one in Boston).
The Rhubarb crew receives their instructions
The Sultana is now a research ship with a crew of scientist-sailors who monitor the environmental health of the Chester River and Chesapeake ecosystems. They also offer hands-on training in environmental science and local history.
Under their guidance, the Rhubarb crew will help perform and analyse some environmental tests and experience a bit of life aboard
the Sultana, both historical and modern.
The crew will lower this device to collect a sample of the river bottom.
Fine silt (with clams in), rich with rotting vegetation washed from the shores, begins the story of the river's food chain.
A crew member reports results of a test to measure turbidity: the level of animal, vegetable...
and mineral partcles in the water that render it more or less penetrable by sunlight.
The funnel net collects small particles and life-forms into the clear tube at its end.
The small swimmers are clearly visible in the collecting tube.
Evaluation indicates a healthy population at this level of the food chain, vital as food for small fish.
This fine-meshed net is used to capture a sample of fish to examine for signs of health problems in the fish population. All will be returned safely to the river.
A wooden duck float will help start the net overboard and mark its location in the water.
The Rhubarb crew preparing to cast the net
The duck is chucked
Emptying the catch into tubs for sorting.
One fish of each type was moved to a holding tank for examination.
How to give a fish a physical exam
The fish are all healthy
A big nest with a head poking up gives evidence of life at the next link up the food chain.
An osprey returns to the nest
A close-up of the pair of ospreys on their nest
Life below decks can be a bit cramped.
Examining food, games and surgical tools from the Sultana's past
Trying on the captain's coat and sword
We try steering
and navigating
Heading back in
Another old boat docked nearby
Maybe we'll get the story on it next time...
A little rest, afterward