Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Open House

Boat Ride

The R/V Bay Commitment maneuvers to back into its slip at the SERC dock. SERC has several research vessels that scientists use to monitor the Rhode River, plus other rivers and the bay itself. I went for a ride on this boat.		Here we are out on the Rhode River. The man at the controls is the captain, plus he's also a research scientist (and he used to be a lawyer!).

This particular boat was loaded with electronic equipment—all kinds of scanners and computers. Here the mate (also a scientist) explains how some of the sonar equipment works. One of their sonar scanners can see individual crab pots on the river bottom. Another scanner can "see" dozens of feet beneath the river bottom.		The captain in the wheelhouse, explaining the vessel's operation.

Being the weekend, there was a fair amount of pleasure boat traffic. I have visited the Rhode River myself, anchoring out on several occasions. It's a nice place to hang out, with very pleasant anchorages and good holding.

With the cruise over, we're heading back to the SERC dock. You can see another research vessel loading up visitors for a cruise.