Castle Island

A great way to begin our week was with a fishing trip aboard the infamous Belle. Captain Charlie gave us a lesson about how lobster traps work. Aidan and I were lucky enough to help hoist one each onto the boat, check what was inside and send it back. We learned that the lobsters travel backwards so they will climb into the trap and get stuck by the net that blocks them from walking back out. Although there weren't any lobsters in the traps we checked, we were able to catch a few crabs such as green crabs, baby spider crabs, and rock crabs. One of the green crabs were molting, which we were informed is around the same time the female crabs lay their eggs. The shell was very soft and squishy to the touch. Upon release we gathered at the front to enjoy the ride towards hull for fishing.

Team Fatima & Kharliyah

Out in the waters there was lots of fish activity. That morning my entire team was able to catch a fish, plenty of black sea bass, perch, tautog. I caught two fish that morning one black sea bass and one perch, both beautiful creatures with diverse colors and intricate patterns on their scales. The appearance of the sea bass is easily distinguishable, they are black or a dark brown and their dorsal fins have white spots. They are intimidating especially when they flex their fins. Meanwhile the perch's appearance was smaller, with a golden/green-ish tint and dark bands on its sides. I released them both after catching and helped others hook their bait. It took me over 5 years to become comfortable with touching a sea-worm. Just the sight of them makes my skin crawl, they look like water milipedes with tons of legs surrounding their bodies. Not to mention their two sharp teeth that come out when they feel threatened. They certainly are great bait to use because they were gone after fishing all morning, we had to use some squid too. I did not have as much luck catching anything with the squid.

We spent the next few days at Castle Island in South Boston. This was an interesting site to walk around and see the many people who come to exercise or simply enjoy the area for walks with their friends, families, and dogs. So many cute puppies and dogs showed out this week. The weather was perfect for a walk around the ocean and lunch at Sully's. We worked on a mural of the things we saw around the island, including Fort Independence. It is one of the oldest forts of English origin in the US, once used as a confinement for prisoners and training for local soldiers. On a regular day the fort would be open to the public where you can wander freely or go on guided tours. From above the fort has a distinct Pentagon/Star shape. Similar to the Charlestown Navy Yard, there is a Korean War Veteran memorial at the front of the peninsula.

Waiting to see what's next
-Kharliyah
Summer 2020

War Veteran

Castle Island mural

CHV Fishing Trip #4

Hey everyone it's Mauricio again and I'm back with more from CHV! This week we had another fishing trip and it was a great day! The last fishing trip was somewhat dampered by the weather but this time it was perfect fishing weather! The day started the same way and everyone was ready and enthusiastic to go out and catch some fish. This time we didn't have Sam so it was a little different but it was still a great day.

    We got to our spot and got to work! We pulled up a lot of fish. At first slot of the fish we were catching were too small to keep, but after a while we started getting better and bigger fish. We caught some Black Sea Bass which look awesome! The kids were getting fish all day and it was a overall great time! By the end of the day we had a boat full of extremely tired kids. I could tell they had a fun time so it's makes the experience even better for me! 

Peace out - Mauricio  

Best Fishing Trip Ever

As everyone knows this year is my first and so last Thursday we went on a fishing trip. It was also my first fishing trip. I was excited and ready to catch some fish, I knew it was going to be wicked hot that day and we'd be out on the water chilling. I've been on boat back and forth this summer. We met up at the dock near courthouse station and were separated into groups and placed with captains and their boats. This boat was beautiful. It was smaller than the ones I'm usually on. My group included Bella and Amanda and Amanda's guest. Just us four and the captain and his daughter. His boat was nice, it had a living room area, two rooms and two bathrooms, a little kitchen and the top deck. Unbelievable that all that stuff can fit on the boat. So we set up the rods and go around fishing with real bait and lures. We drive around searching for bites but nothing.

We come to a stop and get ready to go swimming. In the middle of the ocean! I was anxious and unprepared. Even though I can swim, knowing that there was no way I would reach the ocean floor that was probably anywhere between 30-50 feet below me is really scary. By the time I decided to jump in everyone was off the boat, onto the raft waiting for me. I gave myself a pep talk and everyone was encouraging me and telling me I should just do it, it's fun and if I know how to swim it'll be fine. I finally just did it and didn't think about it and jumped in. The water welcomed me with a cold splash that was refreshing. I was so happy and proud of myself! After that I was ready to get back up and jump in again.

The funniest thing happened that day. I decided that I wanted to jump off the boat and into the water. The girls and I lined up and the camera is rolling so we're ready then *BOOM*. Guess who slipped? Me! I feel my body going sideways and head first into the water and then I get kicked in the head by Amanda who jumped in before me. Here's a video for all of you to enjoy and laugh and show your friends and family ;D

Kharliyah Ortiz

All Summer 16

THE best fishing trip ever

Hey everyone. So this week was week 4 of session one of Camp Harbor View meaning we went on our fishing trip on Wednesday! This fishing trip was much different from the last one in many ways. First of all we only had three of the same kids from the last trip and second of all we caught a lot less fish than last time. Today was also very, very hot but captain Charlie kept us cool! When we complained about being in the sun he picked up the hose and sprayed us with it! Nobody cared that they were soaked because it felt great. On every fishing trip we always have a great time because a man named Sam, who used to work for Save the Harbor, works on the boat now. He is super fun and he loves interacting with the kids. Sam knows almost everything there is to know about fishing so it is always good to see kids learning about different occupations.

On this trip I was paired with a kid named JD. He loves fishing and we had a lot of fun together. This trip was extremely fun because all of the kids were full of energy; maybe too much energy at some points. Although we had a great trip I'm a little bit upset. All of the kids I got to know and love are leaving tomorrow and a new session will begin next Tuesday. I'm looking forward to seeing some new faces and making some new friends.

Until next time!

-Maeve

Here we go, CHV

We went fishing!

From left to right
Derrick, Javon, Dallis, Cori

Today, as always with the marvelous CHV crew, we embarked on our second fishing trip. Man was it a blast. This time around our fishing club was slightly slammer than last as the first session of CHV summer fun comes to an end. Some returners, Cory, and many new returners were excited as always to enjoy some time away from Long Island and on the water with Save the Harbor.

Irinna's Flouder (Nice Smile Cpt. Charlie)

It was a slow start to the day as we departed on the Belle at around 8:45. We sat down and went over guidelines, basics, and other essentials for the day as we enjoyed the tunes of Captain Charlies music playlist. Before we knew it as we moored in the harbor Irina made her first catch of the summer. A beautiful 14” flounder. Shortly after, Bang, J.D catches a skate.

The day continued with much success and leisure. All of our campers were delighted with the trip. Even the scorching hot sun couldn’t stop us from carrying out a great day of fishing for our partners. I think it is fair to say that today was a success!

-Ahmed 

CHV Fishing Club Takes to the Water

Yesterday was a perfect day to go out fishing in the harbor, and we did just that. Our bi-weekly fishing trip with the CHV fishing club got off to a slow start, but that does not mean that the excitement was lacking. We had a few returning campers that joined us on our last trip aboard the Belle, and that experience that they brought with them on the trip, allowed them to keep spirits up and made it so each and every one of us enjoyed ourselves.

As we motored out to the spot in the Harbor where we had the most luck last time, it was time for the staff to have their breakfast. I pulled out my bagel, and one of my coworkers pulled out a banana. Now I had never heard this superstition before, but it was a huge deal to Captain Charlie and he told her to throw it overboard. There are many different varieties to this story, but the one that is most widely accepted is the tale of bad bacteria being carried on a historical fishing boat that caused the entire crew to get sick. Nowadays, fishing boat captains are extremely careful not to have any bananas on board, and this can even spread to products that carry the word "banana" in their name. I felt silly having been fishing this whole summer without knowing such a widespread superstition about the sport, but of course now I know that you will never find me snacking on a banana near the harbor. 

As we continued to look for good fishing spots, we dropped our lines and were getting a ton of bites my smaller fish. This got the campers from CHV pretty excited and we were able to reel in a few flounder for them to take home. Since it was a pretty slow day, our boat ride consisted of a lot more interaction with the kids whether that be in the form of chess, ice breaker games, or just telling jokes. Although we didn't get to take home as many fish as last time, our fishing club had a wonderful time during their day on the harbor.

Until next time, 

-Kristen

Fishing and Football

Today we had tons of fun! The first group we had were interested in starting a football game almost as soon as they arrived. They made plans and plays all day until they had lunch. They ran up and down the sand, throwing and catching, having fun with their friends, teammates and the harbor explorers. All of the kids had so much fun, we already have plans to continue the game in the future.

After football, another group went down to the water to learn how to fish. They had a blast. We didn't catch anything, but they had fun just learning to cast. They all took turns casting, helping each other and always asking questions if they didn't know how to do something. Honestly out of all of the groups I've taught to fish, this was one of the calmest and most patient of them all. 

I'm excited to see everyone again and to continue the fun of the summer, Joe. S

Chv Fishing Trip & Fish Printing !!

Hey Guys its Mauricio. This time my blog is about the CHV fishing trip! This trip was a blast and we ended up catching around 14 fish. Flounder and a huge Black fish were the catches of the day! It was awesome to see the kids happy and excited to catch fish for their first time. We usually don't get the chance to catch a lot of fish at CHV so its great we get to take our fishing club kids out to catch some.

The next day we got a great chance to fish print! We had brought two flounder from the fishing trip. The kids were eager to see what fish printing was all bout. They did a great job on the prints and they liked the activity. 

Peace Out - Mauricio