A majority of our lab's fieldwork is conducted from Balaena, a Valiant 40 class ocean-going sailboat. Balaena is equipped with a number of features that make her an ideal platform for conducting cetacean research, including a crows nest and towed hydrophone array. Since she first set sail in 1991, Balaena has been at sea for 2,544 days: about a quarter of her life so far!
Where in the world is Balaena now?
After a successful 2021 field season with the Northern Bottlenose Whale project, Balaena is currently in Panama. In a few weeks, lab members will fly down to bring her to the Galápagos Islands to study the sperm whales off the Archipelago.
Where in the world has Balaena been?
Balaena and Crew Over the Years
Over 200 people have crewed Balaena since she first set sail in 1991. The file to the right contains statistics for every crew member in Balaena's history, based on number of days at sea.