Fall 2005 SEAmester East Journal
Sent weekly from sea by students on-board SEAmester ...
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SEAmester Fall 2005
Sailing Itinerary |
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Arrival Date* |
Port of Call |
Days in Port |
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| Sat. 8 Oct. |
Boston, MA (Fan Pier) Evening social for students, parents and crew. |
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| Sun. 9 Oct. |
Depart at 1100 hrs. First sail! Shipboard orientation and set up watches. |
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| Mon. 10 Oct. |
Provincetown, MA Historical visits and guest lecturers. Bike ride through the Provincelands to study saltmarshes, beaches and dunes.
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2 day |
| Thu. 13 Oct. |
New Bedford, MA Visit the famous Whaling Museum. Other historical activities TBA.
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2 day |
| Fri. 14 Oct. |
Mystic Seaport, CT Maritime traditions and crafts, river ecology, New England rocky intertidal zone studies.
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2 day |
| Thu. 20 Oct. |
Jamestown, VA The first European settlement in America. Ecology and geological origins of the great Chesapeake Bay estuary.
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2 day |
| Mon. 24 Oct. |
Beaufort, NC Duke Univ. Marine Lab. & North Carolina Maritime Museum. Intertidal flat studies of coastal North Carolina. Day and night plankton tows.
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2 day |
| Sat. 29 Oct. |
Cumberland Island, GA Barrier island biological zonation, geologic fieldwork, island history and island hike.
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2 day |
| Mon. 31 Oct. |
St. Mary’s, GA Okefenokee Swamp canoe trip. Provision the ship. |
2 day |
| Wed. 9 Nov. |
San Salvador, Bahamas Coral reef ecological studies, snorkeling and scuba for those certified. Island geology & fossilized coral reef. Other possible Bahamas stop if time and conditions allow.
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2 day |
| Mon 21 Nov. |
Luperon, Dominican Republic Mangrove swamp ecology, limestone coastal geology. Visit to ‘La Isabella’ Columbus’s first settlement in the new world. Waterfall hike.
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3 day |
| Tue. 29 Nov. |
Virgin Islands Island history and culture. Tropical rocky intertidal studies and more snorkeling.
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| Thu. 8 Dec. |
San Juan, Puerto Rico Walking tour of Old San Juan. Farewell supper.The program ends Friday night, you may stay aboard until Saturday.
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2 day |
*This schedule may change due to weather or other factors. |
November 2005
Log entry 2
Ahoy from Cumberland Island, Georgia! It’s been about 2 and a half weeks since our last update and I know you’re all anxious to hear what we’ve been up to, so I won’t spare any details. The few days we spent in Mystic Seaport, CT (back from the first update) was more of a historic port, we were docked in a museum and most of our time was spent walking around the exhibits for class and visiting the planetarium nearby. And it was the first port that had SHOWERS!!!! After Mystic it was about a 3 ½ day sail down to historic Jamestown, VA. The one thing that sticks out in my mind from that voyage was the fact that I was still seasick. I was probably the only one who still hadn’t gotten their sea legs and you can bet that I didn’t hear the end of it from the crew… “ah, still a sicky eh?” The third day of sailing the sun finally came out and by then we had reached the Chesapeake Bay. We passed the Norfolk Naval Base, and the Ghost Fleet which harbored old unused ships, and as we were coming up on the dock in Jamestown everyone was told to get into our Seamester shirts, look spiffy, and there I was back at the helm steering all the way up the river… in my pajamas.
The part of Jamestown we pulled into was actually a historic settlement where the employees dressed up like the old settlers that had lived there, built replicas of villages and the boats they had sailed such as the Susan Constant and the Godspeed. At first we thought it looked like Pirate Land, something out of an amusement park. The town is actually the chief mate’s hometown so we were welcomed with kind hands by the townspeople. Not soon after we docked we found out that Hurricane Wilma was headed up the east coast and we would be extending our stay in Jamestown to an entire week. The first few days in Jamestown consisted of tours of the museum and the Mariners Museum in Newport News. After the museum it was time to relax and be kids, not sailors. With a field across the street and a frisbee in the van it was time for a good game of ultimate frisbee, roll up the pants, tie back your hair and run till you felt like you were going to pass out. Saturday night was the famous Jamestown crab feast! Mr. Moseley had gotten us two bushels of blue crabs and for the first time I experienced a true crab picking. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day, one where we all got to relax and not have to review our lines and knots during idle time.
Alright, so two museums down and there were still several days left in port... what do you do with 17 students? Sunday was road trip #2 to Virginia Beach where Geology and Bio Survey field trips were held (couldn’t miss the Salt Marsh!) and afterwards we were freed to wander the boardwalk for a good restaurant, some shopping, or surfing for those who brought their boards. By Monday we thought the crew had run out of ideas to keep us busy. We thought wrong. Mr. Moseley declared this day the First Annual Southern Culture Day! All through morning chores and breakfast Ms. Falby required us to talk in southern accents, Moseley cooked us a biscuits and gravy breakfast and then road trip #3 took us 2 ½ hours out to Warsaw for a day of skeet shooting. We all learned how to shoot skeet with a shotgun and two different rifles for standing targets. If you hadn’t ever touched a gun before, you did that day. It was cold and raining the entire day, so a giant campfire was built to keep our cold toes warm, some attempting to dry their wet socks on a branch but making sure they didn’t fall into the fire. Tuesday was full of studying students for many had tests that afternoon (can’t have fun and games all the time) and we hit the sack for the night being that Wednesday morning we had an early wakeup to set sail.
Unfortunately due to Hurricane Wilma we had to skip our port in North Carolina and head straight for Georgia, but it was probably the best voyage we have had thus far. The sister ship to the Spirit of Massachusetts, the Harvey Gamage, had been waiting out Hurricane Wilma in Virginia as well and they were headed for Charleston, SC. On our way out of the Chesapeake we raced the Gamage for the ocean. All sails were set and as our jib topsail went up we caught the wind and blew by. Good try Gamage. The night sky Wednesday night was absolutely captivating, with no moon, and the sky exploded with stars and the Milky Way. The next morning it was actually hot! Most of us were in sandals and shorts, a major change from living in my foul weather gear for 2 weeks. The wind had died down and it was smooth sailing for the day. All the classes were held up on deck in the sun for the first time as well, and my Zooplankton class had the best day thus far of sampling for little marine organisms floating around the ocean, and we even found a species we couldn’t identify! It’s fascinating to pull up a tiny net of water, put a sample under a microscope and see it filled with tons of charismatic animals squirming around. The Captain decided to test our man overboard skills so he threw a buoy into the ocean and we proceeded to have a drill which I think we did pretty well. Right after the drill someone spotted a giant ocean sunfish (Mola mola) checking us out. Next thing we know Prof. Hamilton is in the water swimming right up to photograph it! Since the boat was stopped, we had our first swim call. The Capt. called us on deck to jump into our bathing suits, told us to climb up on the shrouds and well, jump! It was also considered our first bath so a giant bottle of Joy dish soap awaited us back on deck to soap up our hair and body, and then jump back into the ocean for a rinse. Mmm smelling like dishes.
Throughout the day we also saw a hammerhead shark, a loggerhead sea turtle and the largest turtle in the world, a leatherback sea turtle. That night the winds picked up and we were flying through the water at about 10 knots. Dolphins appeared on our starboard side riding the waves as we sailed, we spotted two different species, the Atlantic Spotted and the Bottlenose. It’s a nice distraction from sailing. Friday we held classes when we could if seas weren’t too rough, and most of our time was spent sail handling instead of sleeping. Due to the strong winds we were constantly setting and striking sails, coiling lines and practicing our newly acquired navigation skills. You become very proud of yourself when you realize you just traveled almost 600 miles completely by chart and no GPS. Each day of sailing that goes by the crew puts more and more pressure on us to sail the ship on our own and without the help of the deckhands. Friday night during watch we got bombarded by flying fish that would fly onto the deck, my watch was the midnight to 4am watch and my officer, Mr. Moseley likes to play a good prank every now and then. At the end of our watch he had one of us take a fish off of the deck and put it in the fo’c’sole head (the toilet) where all the girls sleep. Come 4am the next watch wakes up to discover the fish in the head and although they weren’t pleased at first to find it, you have to admit it’s nice to have a really good laugh.
Finally, we arrived in St. Mary’s, GA. It was a quiet little marina with some really good restaurants but we weren’t so lucky as to explore right away. We experienced our first field day, which means cleaning the entire boat top to bottom and that takes the entire day. I was put on group laundry duty and handed 30 bags of student/crew clothes and ship’s linens. We toughed it out though and were rewarded with a mail call after everything was done. It was wonderful to hear from family and friends, and I say for all of us that we appreciate it so very much and there is not one person that isn’t missed. If I remember correctly our first day in St. Mary’s was Sunday, Oct 30th. Monday, which was Halloween, we took a field trip to Okefenokee Swamp. It’s an absolutely beautiful wildlife refuge and we spent the day paddling around in canoes… just watch out for the alligators. Wildlife roams free there, so it’s your responsibility to watch out for them. After a rough start in the canoes, everyone got underway and many of us got to experience the wonder of being as close at 4 feet from giant alligators, and some, alligator babies. However, 4 feet close means you’re going to have an angry alligator and most of us were hissed at as we frantically paddled away. On our way back from the swamp we stopped to shop for Halloween costumes for that night, as well as any other provisions we needed since Georgia is our last port before leaving the U.S. My watch had the night off so we hit up the costume party at Seagle’s Saloon, with the crew dressed up as well. And guess what, we won the costume party. The prize? A ceramic gnome (yes, a gnome) and a bottle of liquor which we gave to the crew to enjoy.
Updated to today! We left St. Mary’s after re-provisioning the ship and stopped in Cumberland Island for some field studies and the traditional Death March. One side of the island is all maritime forest and the other side is all dune and beach. Biosurvey and Geology field trips were held again which found us all frantically writing in our little yellow field notebooks, after which everyone enjoyed a good game of beach ultimate frisbee. The next day’s Death March was a 16 mile hike halfway up the island and back, the Double Suicide Death March is the full 28 miles of hiking, which many actually did. And boy do their feet hurt. We’re anchored tonight for the last time in the U.S and tomorrow morning we are headed south to the clear blue waters of the Bahamas! It’s going to be the longest and toughest passage yet but we’ll do fine. We miss you all, and next time you hear from us we’ll be writing from the beautiful tropics!
- Kat Romano
Fall 2005 SEAmester East Journal
I was one of the lucky ones, my cab driver knew where Fan Pier (where the Spirit of Massachusetts was docked) was located. It didn’t take long for me and my oversized duffle bag to arrive, with all the butterflies in my stomach in tow. The nervousness set in as each new person walked up to the boat with their many bags of “necessities” for the next two months. I’m still amazed at how quickly it was for me to make such amazing friends, and to realize that what I once thought would be “necessary” for my trip could be thrown away before we departed Boston so that I could actually fit in my bunk. My bunk is among the smallest on the boat and located in an unfortunate area in the front of the boat (Fo’c’sle for you sailors) that we quickly nicknamed “The Puke Pit.” We set sail on Sunday, most of us having no clue why were hauling away on lines, or unfurling sails… we were only doing what we were told by the crew of the Spirit (each of whom is very welcoming and a very good teacher).
After we got out of Boston Harbor we started our voyage by sailing in to 10’ swells. My first job on watch was to steer the boat. After about 15 minutes I asked Ms. Falby if I could be relieved from the helm; my reason was so that I could relieve my sea sickness (or throw up over the starboard side). By the end of our first hour at sea, at least 12 of the 17 students were plagued with sea sickness. I, myself, got delirious and wanted to throw myself over the boat and swim back to land in Boston. Luckily a crew member caught on to my psychosis and before I knew it I was actually harnessed to a line on the boat so that I couldn’t go over-board. I finally went to my bunk to pass out. When I woke up, we were on land and I was back to reality. That night, the students on the Spirit got even closer as we swapped stories of our sea sickness. Sorry to the crew for flaking out on our first day!
Since then, it’s been smooth sailing. We’ve sailed twice since then and though the seas were rough, there was no sea sickness to report. I actually steered at the helm for a full hour without asking to be relieved! Today we got to see the sunshine for the first time in 6 days (actually, we saw the outline in the clouds, but it’s a start), and so we did a happy dance on deck. Chris Hamilton (the Biology professor) showed us some photos of past SEAmesters in the Caribbean… that was what we needed to recharge us from the downer of rain and clouds over New England this past week. That hint of sunshine and the encouraging photos of white sand beaches and clear waters lifted us back up to where we were before we ever felt sea sickness. Now we’re in port in Mystic, Connecticut; our classes are in full swing and we’re ready for the rest of our journey.
-Jenny Rice
Prof. Hamilton's Journal Archive
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