On the third day of the cruise (September 16), we set sail! Our goal was to to sail all the way to Yakushima (another island in Kagoshima) in two days, though the calm conditions meant that it was very slow going.
The Miraie schooner is a training ship, meaning that the participants in the cruise were expected to help sail the ship. We had to help set up the sails, and even pilot the ship ourselves! We also had to help do the water sampling as part of the scientific activities.
One of the scientists on board, Mayu Ogawa, was using an instrument to record the sounds that whales and dolphins make to communicate. The schooner is an ideal ship to do this, since there is no engine noise while we were sailing. We had some luck on the first day when a large pod of false killer whales swam by. Despite the name, they are a type of dolphin.
As the sun set on the first day, we still could see Kikaijima. It was very slow going! I continued working on my presentations, and prepared for my night shift at the helm, which began at 4 AM!
Raised Beaches 
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