2008 – Spring Voyage of Discovery (May 2-8)
In 1609, Captain Henry Hudson led a mixed Dutch and English crew on board the Half Moon into a broad, uncharted river, seeking a northerly passage across the New World. Hudson’s exploration of this lush wilderness would lead directly to the foundation of the New Netherland Colony and later New York State, forever shaping the future of the river that now bears his name.
In 2008, we launch our season by retracing the original Half Moon‘s Voyage of Discovery. As we sail from Yonkers to Albany, our crew of New York Capital District students will study the environmental sciences all around us.
The Daily Log is our way of letting you know each day’s events.
Senior Crew
Half Moon Daily Log
On Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage up the river that now bears his name, one of his officers, Robert Juet, kept a log of the ship’s navigational record and other observations. This journal is now a valuable source of information about the what Hudson River Valley and its people were like during that September in 1609. It also tells us a lot about what Captain Hudson and his crew were like, and how they felt about what they were seeing.
Our Spring 2008 Voyage of Discovery parallels the expedition of the original Half Moon as it traveled up what the Dutch called the North River, culminating in the ship’s fruitful arrival at the site of modern Albany.
Each day, we’ll post entries from on board the Half Moon to let you see how our voyage is progressing. While waiting for our 2008 logs, you can track the progress of the original Half Moon in 1609, as presented in the journal of Robert Juet. (Juet’s original spelling has been preserved; note that English spelling in the 17th century did not follow the standardized rules we use today.)
We hope these logs will help you learn about what we’re discovering, and something about us, too. Check back often!
Click on one of the dates below to see what we’re doing on that day.
Half Moon travels from Verplanck to Yonkers.
Students board at Yonkers; travel to Bay Ridge Flats.
Travel from Bay Ridge Flats to Yonkers; project orientation begins.
Travel from Yonkers to Beacon; orientation continues.
Travel from Beacon to Athens Channel; data collection.
Layover at Athens Channel; complete data collection.
Travel from Athens to Port of Albany; student presentations.
Half Moon arrives at Albany, NY; students disembark.
Stop by the Crew pages to meet our student sailors, as well as the rest of the crew of the Half Moon.
The Learning Page is where we post information about our scientific studies.
We would particularly like to thank the benefactors whose aid makes this trip possible, including Randy King of King Marine; August Cambria, Commissioner, City of Yonkers Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation; Peter Hess and Glenn Wager of Albany Steel; the New York State Department of General Services; the City of Albany Office of Special Events; the Albany Port District Commission; the Hendricks Family Foundation; and the literal scores of volunteers who helped prepare the ship during our recent de-winterizing work weekend.
For information about our ship, including our past Voyages of Discovery, please visit the rest of the Half Moon web site.
Half Moon Home | 2008 Spring Voyage Home | Daily Logs | Crew | Learning Page
