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

Fish For Everyone!

Admiring the catch.

The first fishing trip of the summer was a huge success! We caught 4 fish that were legal size, a few skates, a couple of crabs, and some tiny fish. We left the dock near the World Trade Center at 9:15, and preceded to head out towards the Boston islands. After about 15 minutes we docked the boat, hooked up some sea worms as bait and then started our fishing. Within the first couple of minutes Captain Charlie got a massive Black Sea bass, and then announced to the campers, "you see guys, there are fish here."
       This first catch pumped up all the kids and gave them the motivation to go and catch fish. And soon after one of the campers caught a fish, his first fish of the summer! The camper held his prize up high and everyone gathered around to see the colorful choggie.

One of his many catches of the day.

       The campers braved the cold and the rain and started to catch fish one after another. They added their layers, put on their hats and hoods and dropped their lines into the water. Even though the weather was less than ideal the campers were full of energy and were eager to be the next person to catch a fish. Our next fishing trip is in a couple of weeks with the next session, and hopefully we can have another fun day filled with laughter, fish, and hopefully better weather.
See you next time, Abel.

Tricky Fish & Saving a Life

Greetings folks! I had the amazing opportunity to attend the last fishing trip of the summer with Captain Charlie and the CHV team! During this trip we snagged a couple of small fish that notoriously ate our sea worms, which we released to only be hooked once again. We ended snagging a few black sea bass and Scup. Twice I had my line break due to a fish being too large! My excitement and frustration over losing such a fish got some of the fishing club kids on board to feel the same excitement when it happened to them. On our trip back, you could see some of the staff really enjoying their last few days of summer before the fall comes around by dancing to music on the boat and hanging off the edge of the ceiling on Captain Charlies boat!

In this same week we had brought back from the office a second fish trap that looked even more superb than the first! After a few hours of letting it sit in the waters with some sliced up fish from our office's cooler, we caught a whopping number of 6 fish! We ended up using a filling a giant cooler with salt water so that we could create a mini-aquarium with the caught fish. That was definitely a highlight of this summer at Pier's Park!

This week didn't end there, we ended up saving a grasshopper as well! On my kayak was Amalia and one of the twins (it was either Jopelin or Oliver). We were browsing around the waters doing one of the kids favorite activities, cleaning the harbor by picking up trash! We stumbled upon this grasshopper that looked like it was dead, so I lifted it out of the water with my paddle and it immediately jumped back into the water! I got the kids excited and told them that we could save the grasshopper and it was during our ride back onto the dock that the grasshopper took a ride one of the twins head! When we brought it back to the tent in a plastic bag (to make sure it wouldn't frantically jump off into the water) for snack time, all the other kids crowded around in amazement! It was shortly after that when Amalia wanted to release the little guy back into the grass. However, the grasshopper didn't hop off the moment we freed him, so one of the twins had the great idea of getting the grasshopper on his hat! In the next few photos you can see that the kids took turns having the grasshopper on their hats! That day, Amalia took home the grasshopper as a pet and that's when I figured that this could have been a Disney movie!

It was during the luau that I saw Amalia again and heard from her and her mom that they built a small terrarium for the small grasshopper and fed it lettuce! It stories like these that feel unreal despite being there to witness it all happen!

Signing out,
Raymond Chai

Boat Full of First Timmers

The Camp Harbor View fishing trip was a great day. We couldn't ask for better weather, and the fish were biting. By the end of the day we had reeled in a little over a dozen Black Sea Bass. For almost all the campers it was their first time fishing and catching on the harbor. I know for a fact it wasn't their first time on a boat since we had taken the entire camp out on a tour of the harbor. Everyone was excited, and happy for those lucky enough to reel in one of the two keepers that day. 

Young anglers showing off the two Black Sea Bass keepers!

 

Deckhand Christian and I posing in young campers first fish photo

At the end of the "five hour tour" the campers were exposed to something a little different.  Bruce Berman, also known as the Bay Watcher at STHSTB, filleted the two fish and made sushi for them to try. I myself didn't have any that day, but I am a fan of sushi and have tasted his during our training week! Overall the day was a major plus, with lots of first time experiences and fun. Captain Charlie and his crew made the trip easy and did such a great job on The Belle. It went just as I had hoped, and although I was technically working... I had just as good a time!

Sushi feast!!!!

- Will Conroy