Fall 2003 SEAmester East Journal
Sent weekly from sea by students on-board SEAmester ...
Log entry 1
Hey Land lubbers,
So Fall 2003 SEAmester has finally begun! After many of us were lost for
some time in Boston, Ma, we eventually found the ship. This semester we are
sailing aboard The Spirit of Massachusetts. With a warm welcome from
Captain J.B. Smith and his crew, the 20 of us have begun what I would call,
“a life changing experience.”
Waking at 0620, we were all on deck at 0630 on the 5th of October. Soon
after, at approximately 1100, we set sail for Gloucester, Ma. What a
magnificent sail it was. At our fastest we were sailing at 10.5 knots. Upon
our arrival to Gloucester we set our anchor in the Gloucester Harbor, where
we stayed for just a day and a half.
While in Gloucester as a group we traveled by foot to Bass Rocks in Cape
Ann. For us biological surveyors and geologists, we got to take a look at
what a rocky intertidal shore had to offer us. That evening we had a guest
speaker from the USGS speak to us about surveying several bodies of water
around Gloucester. Shortly after the speaker left we ate dinner, which I
must say is way better than cafeteria food…Great Job Chantal! Later that
same evening we used “Satan’s Window” (television) to view Captain’s
Courageous, a classic film about life on a Gloucester fishing schooner.
Today we went to Cape Ann Historical Museum. I thought this was one of the
most significant parts of our trip so far. There we were able to view some
beautiful paintings, as well as actual documentation from schooners of the
19th century.
So now it is 2019 and we are sailing across Massachusetts Bay headed for
Provincetown. After a long day of work and learning, everything is quiet
down below in the main saloon. “A” watch is on deck until 0000 so I must
end to get some rest before my watch begins. Hopefully we will enter
Provincetown around the same time. This means “All Hands” will be called to
strike the sails. With the bow into the wind, gust behind, headed to
Provincetown is all we have in mind.
-Jessica DiGiulio
Log Entry 2
Hello from Chesapeake Bay!
Last time we checked in, we were coming into the harbor in Provincetown,
MA. We docked that night and the next morning we were up bright and early
to rent bikes and travel along the Provincelands Bike Trail through the Cape
Cod National Seashore. We rode up and down through the dunes and the
science classes got some work in at Race Point Beach and at the salt marsh
at Hatches Harbor. Some of us made attempts to shower in the sinks of the
public restroom. Our last stop on the trail before returning the bikes for
the evening was to the first landing spot of the Pilgrims aboard the
Mayflower. After all the bike riding, most of us students went to see the
diversity and culture that P-Town had to offer. This included talking to
the Lobsterman (not a type of fisherman, but a man dressed as a lobster).
The next day we had a little more of a historic field trip in which we went
to the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum. We shipped out for Mystic,
CT that afternoon.
On the way to Mystic, we went through the Cape Cod Canal and headed right
for Mystic Seaport. We had some great sailing on the way there. We also
had our first real underway watches. This included the three watches to be
up during the night to be lookouts, steer at the helm, be responsible for
boat checks and to do any sail handling necessary for the time. Our watch
leaders (one mate and one deckhand per watch) were there to help teach us
our lines and make sure we are learning all the necessary skills we need.
When we docked in Mystic we became part of the Mystic Seaport Museum. We
got to do literature and history field trips here which included listening
to traditional sea shanties and visiting the shipyard, village, and all the
ships that are part of the exhibit galleries for the next two days. We got
to see the re-creation of the Amistad, the whaleship Charles W. Morgan, and
the traditional Gloucester schooner the L.A. Dunton, to name a few. We left
around noon that Sunday and were bound for Baltimore.
So now it is Tuesday at approximately 13:30 and we are in the Chesapeake
Bay, heading straight for Baltimore and the Chesapeake Schooner Race. We
had some choppy waters on the way here and some seasick students that found
the best meal for them until the sickness had passed was water and saltines
(modern day hardtack). Everyone was feeling better and preparing for the
pin chase that happened this morning. Each watch has been trying to learn
all their lines and their purpose. B watch came in first place with 10
points for the pin chase thanks to a lot of teamwork and great teachers,
Sarah and Mr. Moseley. C watch came in second with 7 points and A watch
came in third with 4 points. The knot tying competition is next and is up
for grabs by any watch. In a few days is the Chesapeake Schooner Race and
both crew and students are getting pretty excited for it. We should be in
Baltimore before this evening and hopefully some of us might be able to find
a tv to watch the Red Sox and Yankees play (game 5 maybe?).
Until After the Race,
Bridget
P.S. GO SOX!!!
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