Reports from the field.

Drew, Jake and Emily were recently asked to do some reports for the lesson work on the boat. Here they are in their original spelling.

Are you famous?
An unedited story about famous people and Martha’s Vineyard; written by Emily, age 8, July 2007


Oh hi. I am Emily. Did you no hilary clinton’s favrot book stor is Buch of Grapes book store? It’s in Vineyard Haven on Martha’s Vineyard. She is one of many famos people who visit this island and this is going to be the most coolest thing you ever hered, Judy Blume donated the young adult room in the libray. Did you know many athors and musical people visit Martha’s Vineyard?

In 1602 bartholomew Gosnold discovered and named it after his daughter and all the grapes he saw. The Indian name is Noepe which means in the water.

Yester day I wakt on the docks ware the movie Jaws was filmed. That was in Edgartown.

Sproting Lentils
Instructions written and illustrated by Emily sorry we could not include the pictures) based on the suggestions of Mea Hassell in the cookbook, Good Food, Great Medicine. August 2007

1. Fill a jar with water and lentils.
2. Soak for 6 hours. Tip: No sunlitgh.
3. Rinse a paper towel for a cover and get a drain boul.
4. Rinse and drain the lentils 2 times a day. Tip: ceep in cool spot.
5. Eat. Yammy!

Hurricanes and Hurricane Holes
An unedited story about our stay in Lagoon Pond on Martha Vineyard; written by Jake, age 8, July 2007

Hello, this is Jake. It’s good to be in a hurricane hole when a hurricane is coming, like when hurricane Andrew made a boat drag ancher all the way to a field of palm trees. A hurricane hole is a safe harbor blocked from the wind. We are in one rigt now called lagoon pond in Vineyard Haven MA. It’s blocked by a very hard to get in to brige. Hurricane season is late summer to early fall, so we are not here to escape a storm. We are here because it’s a great place. It has a bunch of ice cream and fudge shops, a great library, beaches, and light houses. Being in a hurrican hole does not keep you from getting wet!!!! If your dinghy is heading in to the wind the waves will still get you soaked. Also it still might rain on you.

The Monster Shark Tournament
A balanced perspective on the largest shark fishing tournament in New England by Drew, age 11, July 2007

The Monster shark tournament in Oak Bluffs, MA on Martha’s Vineyard has been going on for 21 years and is very cool. The monster shark tournament has a lot of blood and killing, but luckily the meat all goes to homeless people in Boston.

For fishermen, it is a very fun thing but expensive. All the fishermen have to pay a fee over 1,000 dollars and with all the bait and guest fees it cost over 1,500 dollars. In the tournament 2,500 sharks are caught and the biggest 50 are brought in dead to weigh them.

The sharks they catch are mako, thrasher, tiger, great white, and blue shark and children under 16 can’t participate.

According to the Humane Society, in the past 50 years, the shark population dropped by 90%. That’s one of the reasons that the Humane Society wants to stop the tournament and others like it.

It is fun to watch the sharks get weighed, and the biggest shark in the tournament weighed 1300 pounds. So I hope you come next year.