Spring 2004 SEAmester East Journal
Sent weekly from sea by students on-board SEAmester ...
Log entry 6
What is there to say about Key West! It's the grand old United States.
What a relief it was to be back home, although port is always a tough
time. We got into Key West on April 1st. I was expecting some kind
of prank from the crew
but was thoroughly disappointed when nothing happened. Anyway, we
got in mid-morning around 10 AM and anchored out in the channel for
lack of dock clearance at that time. A little trip to customs was
made and thankfully everyone was let back into the country, even the
Swede and our Australian deckhand! After customs we were let loose
on the town, except for a special few who went back to the boat for
homework and to help dock when we did get dock clearance. While walking
around Key West we found many cute shops and spent a little money.
We made our way back to the shore just in time to help Spirit
dock and once again we were set free. The one thing which is a universal
trap to all students and crew is food......so almost all students
proceeded to stuff their faces full of real American food their first
night. The first nights in port are always interesting.
The next day we all took a tour of the Hemingway House which was
inhabited with over 60 cats. After the tour we all hopped on bicycles
and took a bike tour of the island. Our first stop was a cemetery
which contained many interesting tombstones and gravesites. We also
went to a garden on the shore, saw some pelicans on the boardwalk,
held an owl at the wildlife refuge, and visited an old naval fort.
Once back from our tour a couple of us took showers and got
dressed up for a nice dinner out on the town! Dinner was delicious!
The next morning before we set sail we took a tour of the Liberty
Clipper--a local day sailboat. It was very nice, but it made me appreciate
all the work that we do on Spirit. Also we dogged the watches; the
mates switched which watch they were mate of.
Out to sea again and nothing too exciting. Lots of people still got sick. Some
exciting happenings were a couple of birds decided to come and spend some
quality time with us--a couple of cattle egrets and some kind of warbler. Out
at sea, we put out our fishing lines and we caught a Mahi Mahi!! Unfortunately
after emerging from the water several times the student, who shall remain
nameless, lost it!! At least we got to catch one earlier in the trip. That
same day we saw a board floating and we just had to turn around--completely
around--and try to catch some Mahi Mahi which the Captain just knew were going
to be there.........and they were. But no fish catching that day. And for most
of this passage we motored except for the last day when we sailed wing and wing
for a little while.....excitement!!
We got to Cumberland Island, Georgia on April 7. This was one of the
happiest, if not the happiest, days on the trip........mail day!!!
The next day was the Death March. Crystal and I walked 26 miles in
11 hours. Emelie made record time with 7 hours!!! What a trooper.
Many of us nursed our blisters and feet back to health over the next
couple of days. The day right after the hike we had early wake-up,
chores, and a motor ride into St. Mary's to dock. We were all happy
to learn of shower facilities and cars we were able to drive. The
first chance we got we packed into the van, turned the radio on, and
headed into town to get food and some laundry done. We had another
field day the next day, and, lucky for me, the geology class was allowed
to go and do the ships laundry along with their own. "Clean" takes
on a whole new meaning after this trip. After field day we were again
set loose in St. Mary's. The next day was Easter and a couple of people
visited some local churches for an Easter service. Everyone we met
while in Georgia was most hospitable. Easter Sunday, a select few
students decided to go out bowling and have a blast! Others found
other types of recreation but all in all Georgia was a happy stop
along the way.
Out to sea again on April 13th. This time the seas were not so nice
to us and we had some large swells and even had to strike our mainsail
and our jib. We had two student strainers up, just in case any of
us got the idea to be flung overboard! We got into Beaufort, North
Carolina safely on the 14th. On the way in, we ran aground in the
channel so everyone was herded out onto the mainboom to get the weight
over. What a sight! We finally made it in safely and docked at the
Duke Marine Lab that evening. We have showers, internet, and a tv!!
Yesterday was a day full of classes and sail repair as our foresail
has some chaffage. It was finished today due to Dee and the help of
many students, especially Val A.. We've wrapped up all our class lectures
and are eagerly awaiting finals. Today was our nav/sea final......what's
the name of Devrie's dog? Oh well. Tomorrow we set sail for Greenport!!
See you all soon and hope you've enjoyed reading about our journey!!
Written by Crystal Ravens and Roxanna Myers
Past Entries
Log Entry 5: Emelie "The Swede" Bergendorff and Patrick Powell
Log Entry 4: Emily Kane
Log Entry 3: Patrick Keefe
Log Entry 2: Stephanie and Valerie R.
Log Entry 1: Jodi Topol, Matt Murphy, & Margaret Donahue
Revised Itinerary
Prof. Hamilton's Journal Archive
Fall 2003
Spring 2003
Fall 2002
Spring 2002
Fall 2001
Spring 2001
Fall 2000
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