Journal: April 9, 2006

Anchored in Statia

We got into Statia earlier then our expected arrival time with smiles on our faces, knowing that we will be able to go on the island a day early.

When we got on the island, we were greeted by islanders driving by us as we walked on the side of the road. We walked up the “Old Slave Road”, the road built by slaves in Statia’s heyday to bring recently arrived slaves to the market. It gave many of us chills to think about the history that was played out right where our feet were walking.

After we got to the top, we went to a baseball game which was really interesting to watch because everyone in the stadium was really into it, whether or not they were on the field. After watching the game for a few minutes, we got into groups and explored Statia on our own. My group ventured off to find a restaurant to grab a snack. We went to a good Chinese food restaurant that seemed kind of cheap. My friends got mad at me for moaning too much because it was so good. When we were finished and walked back towards “Old Slave Road”, I saw this gorgeous view of the sunset over looking the ocean. The sunset was so beautiful and I was angry that I didn’t have my camera with me to capture the moment. The colors were a mixture of yellow, orange, and red that all came together as the sun went down. When the light hit the water, it turned a beautiful mixture of orange and blue. I will never forget that sight.

Mesha Drew

Journal: April 10, 2006

In Statia

Our morning started off with our regular at-anchor chores. I was blessed with cleaning the heads, which are now sparkling clean. In fact they’re clean enough to drink out of, PSYCHE! After chores we left for shore and brought our laundry with us (first time in 3 weeks!) then we headed off to the high school in Statia. We were greeted very warmly by the students and were given a tour of the school. We exchanged information about each other and got word of an evening softball game that we might go to.

So far, I love Statia. The people are so friendly and the island is purely gorgeous. Statia has a small town feeling and lots of history, all of which gives it some character. There is a road that Marcos pointed out, which was built by slaves who then walked that very road only to be sold. Statia is rich with history. Its weird to think that I am sailing the same path Colombus and many other merchants sailed hundreds of years ago. At one time Statia harbored three hundred and fifty ships all for trade(the harbor is not very big)!

After visiting the high school we got to explore the island. Everyone went to the “hot spot” recommended by the students called Super Burger to eat. And then we spent some alone time at a fort. We had a fun day spent in Statia and look forward to some more.

Jane Marque

Journal: April 11, 2006

Anchored in Statia

Today, we began with a quick, early morning, cereal breakfast in order to arrive on the dock at 8:15. LeAnn had arranged a community service excursion for our group, so we could graciously give back to the community in Statia that has been nothing but generous to us. After the group had finished boat runs in the ceaselessly sinking E. and the wonderfully wet Gordita (some escaping dryer than others and thank God I was one of them), we walked to the Statia National Park (STENAPA) office. Eagerly, yet drowsily, we hopped into trucks and were driven to the botanical gardens to hack down Mexican Creeper vines. When we arrived early morning, we were greeted with papayas and hammocks vibrating with the colors of a luminous and energetic Caribbean sunset. We rested underneath the shade of a wooden roof and quivered at the sound of deathly yellow wasps. The sun beamed down amorously upon the dirt ground around us and the air was pervaded with the fragrance of freshly bloomed flowers. We fought in an incessant battle against the heaviness of our eyes.

The STENAPA leader invaded the stillness with an interesting speech on the purpose of the Botanical Gardens. After all the weather damage to Statia and the islands surrounding it, extinction of much wildlife has proven to be a predominant concern. The gardens were created in hope of preserving the quickly vanishing native plants. The speech soon ventured into the purpose of our excursion. In the Botanical Gardens, Mexican Creeper vine had been planted for the sole purpose of keeping the soil hydrated. Unfortunately, the vine had begun to take over the native plants endangering their lives and had to be ripped out. They handed out machetes, tools that looked like a cross between a pick axe and a garden hoe, clippers, rakes with cruel teeth, and gloves. They told us to watch out for the wasps and to not be afraid of the spiders. Hesitantly, we crept out from underneath the shade, still battling against sleepy eyes and hungry stomachs. The sun screamed viciously as it hit our backs, crawled within our pores, and dragged out every last bit of hydration we had into pools of sweat. The tools felt cumbersome within our hands. We hiked up a short little path and began to hack away at walls of Mexican Creeper vines. We slashed down small trees and hauled on malicious vines. Bugs crawled in our hair and up our legs. One can imagine the terror! We ended at around 11:00 or so, complete with a dirt tan that made us look about five shades darker. For lunch, we feasted on delicious Chinese food and poured a surfeit of water down our starved throats. Our bodies rested in white plastic chairs and some of our stench was washed away in the light breeze.

After lunch, Marcos and Nettie treated us to a luxurious swim inside a real swimming pool! We all ran in, as if beneath the chlorinated water lay miles of beds! Smiles spread like yawns as our lips didn’t feel burnt from salt, but almost felt clean from the chlorine. We dipped and dived, twirled and swirled, summer-salted and splashed, happy to be in a real pool. We organized three games of water volley ball (of course my team won!) and let all feelings of sleepiness slip from our memories. We showered in cold water, as the locals watched in curiosity and amusement. As we left the pool, we contently carried with us the fresh scent of shampoo and conditioner. Our silhouettes whispered away along the grass as we hiked back home to the Spirit of Massachusetts for anchor watch…

Ryan Marks  

Journal: April 12, 2006

Statia

Today, we hiked the Quill, one of Saint Eustatius’ most attractive features. It is an extinct volcano, that has been overtaken by the jungle. Walking up the hill to the trailhead from town, some of us already finished off our water so we had to hike back down to a store and purchase more water. The way up was tough, with many many switchbacks. Cool thing, we got to see a couple of red-bellied racers and some hermit crabs which were completely unexpected as we were in the mountains. I ended up trekking up the hill with Mesha and Melanie making myself into a walking talking karaoke machine.

We arrive at the top. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a while; it is utterly breathtaking. Looking down into the crater, you could see giant trees looming up from the unseen jungle floor. Taking in a panoramic view, you could see the crater walls dropping off quickly from flora to rocky cliff. A group of us chose to hike down into the crater which was amazing. The trail was more like a rock fall and it was pretty sketchy but getting down to the bottom, we saw those giant trees we had spotted from above. They were as tall as giants and smooth as limestone cave walls. We also picked up an astoundingly purple hermit crab and tormented with leaves and sticks. Mia wanted to test how strong its grip was and prompted to put her finger in between its pincers. Sharply reclaiming her finger, she exclaimed “wow, I didn’t actually expect it to be so strong!”

The way down was very pleasant, as you had to watch where you put your foot, any time you moved. We encountered a couple more snakes and I saw a frog. As we descended though, the temperature increased greatly going from manageable coolness, to sweltering and unforgiving as the jungle dissipated into shrubbery.

After getting back to town we went to the Fort Oranjestaad, built by the Dutch as a stronghold where took a quiz on our reading of Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid. It was pretty easy and we had some interesting extra credit questions such as: What is the exact name of the candy that all of the kids got in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory after Augustus falls into the chocolate river. After the quiz we got a bit of time to ourselves, and I chose to go back to the internet café, which had cheap rates and very good air conditioning which made it very pleasurable. After corresponding with my friends and family back home, we all reconvened and marched back to the ship. All in all, the day was pretty fulfilling and I got to do something I had really been anticipating for a long while: The Quill.

Mercedes Scott-Fowler

Journal: April 13, 2006

Anchored in Statia

We started off the morning at 0715 with our usual routine of chores per watch: soles and bowls, deck wash or brasso, followed by a healthy breakfast prepared by our fabulous cook Mr. Hunter. After breakfast clean up, we had an hour long “Englory” (History +English) class. Then we had a Muster (meeting) with all of the crew and they announced our new watch groups. Some students remained on the same watches with the same watch officers and deckhands (Teacher’s assistants), while others switched out. Although we had known that this change was coming for a while, it was still a difficult transition for all of us given that you have the exact same schedule as your watch and often end up only seeing those certain people while underway from port to port.

Finally after a long morning, we began to set sail from Statia: this requires a series of challenging duties that must be done in order to get underway…first we set the mains’l: this means that we all untie the sail , haul on a number of different lines (or ropes) in order to get the sail up and going. Once that is done, we crank on the windless (that hauls up the 700 lbs anchor), this task usual takes all of us about 30-50 minutes, switching out people, depending on how hard and fast we work. After that we must follow the same procedure for the remaining three sail as we did for the first. However, as you move up the list of sails starting with the mains’l at the back, fores’l, jumbo and finally the jib, the sail become increasingly easier to haul.

Once we have gotten underway, we coil and hang all of the lines that are not being used so that the deck looks neat and tidy, and finally we break up into watches so that one watch handles the entire ship while the remaining two are stood down, meaning that they have free time until called up for watch. The rest of the day was pretty normal in terms of watch schedules and meal times. P.S. Jane and I have a special treat for our OVERPROTECTIVE fathers: please see photo.

Angel Thackeray  

Journal: April 14, 2006
Underway from Statia to the Dominican Republic

When we first got on board the Sprit of Massachusetts in San Juan everything was great, we got assigned our bunks, we were introduces to the crew, we were happy and our sprits were high. We spent the first night in port and a few girls and I slept on deck and woke up to a beautiful sunrise. In the morning we learned how to set sail and we were then on our way to Vieques. We all could not have been more excited.

That was the honey moon phase of my next two weeks to come. About two hours into sailing to Vieques about 6 other girls and I were struck by the horrible and painful curse of sea sickness. The side of the boat became our best friend. Over the next day or two I noticed the number of sea sick girls began to decrease. Unfortunately, I was still part of the seasick group. Along with being sea sick, I somehow caught a cold. Everyday I woke up at little more sick, it started of being sea sick mixed with a little cough, then sea sick a mild cough, fever and sneezing. It finally got to the point where I had had enough, my cough was horrible, my fever was so high, my body hurt so badly, and the worst part was that all of this lasted all day long. My sickness didn’t go away nor did the chores didn’t go away either.

During my being sick we arrived in Vieques. The first day on the island, I spent most of the time we had there in the hospital. The people there were really nice, helpful and upbeat. They thought that it was really funny that I had a sun burn all over my face. Then they gave me three prescriptions for all my different ailments. The prescription they gave me really worked, I no longer had congestion in my lungs or my nasal cavity and my fever never came back. I was as good as new three days later.

For me this made the first two weeks of the voyage really miserable. On top of being in a new environment with new people and a new schedule and getting woken up every 4 to 8 hours, I was sick and that made my life on this ship so hard. During that time I had a really negative attitude about pretty much everything, which makes me really disappointed in myself. I feel like I gave everyone on board the wrong impression of me and my intentions of what I want to get out of this program.

So everyday now I wake up and try to do things differently. I want to prove to my classmates and my shipmates that I not that miserable negative girl that no one wanted to be around. Ever since I have gotten over being sick, I have been working hard and trying my best to be involved in all the different aspects of running the ship. To my surprise I’ve been really enjoying myself and finding out that I’m completely interested in learning everything I can about sailing and navigating and ship. I feel like the only thing that got me through the first two weeks was talking to the people I love, reading their encouraging e-mails and of course my medicine.

I think that my attitude has done a completely turn around, I’m now enjoying myself, I’m grateful for where I’m and I now can put in perspective why I’m here and what I want out of this for myself. So I sit here writing this journal entry realizing that after this next port stop in Dominican Republic we only have 12 more days on Sprit of Massachusetts. I ask myself, will I come out of this a new person or just more grounded of a person? Will I have new goals set for myself or will I strive harder for the goals I already have for myself? Finally, will I have gotten the most out of this trip that I possibly could of and will I walk away from this trip and this experience with no regrets?

Melanie Sherbula
 

Journal: April 15, 2006

Underway to Dominican Republic

It’s finally Saturday, the day that charts our halfway mark. As of today we are about one hundred and eighty nautical miles away from the Dominican Republic, which means that at our current speed, we expect to arrive in two days, on Monday morning. Our trip from Statia to the Dominican Republic marks one of our first five to six day voyages; I am sure there are more to come. It’s been an eventful three days since leaving port, but I‘ll keep this entry short so you can enjoy one of the most popular American holidays, tax day. This morning I was greeted by a member from C-watch at 3:30am to let me know that I had fifteen minutes until muster for my next watch. Muster is what we call our meetings. As per usual, Ife and I left our bunks to go above deck right after our wake up, because we represent the half of A-watch whose water resistant, Target-brand, pink watches have gone extinct since our arrival on the ship so we depend others with more reliable time pieces to wake us up.

Getting up at 0330 (three thirty in the morning) is not an easy task. All the same we harnessed up and sat on top of the crews cabin tops beneath the dark, starlit sky. Wearing harnesses has become a ritual during night watches, even though we are not in any danger; the crew likes to take extra precaution with us. The clock marks 0345 and Mr. Wells, the first mate, calls out to Ife and me and the rest of the A-watchers for fifteen minute muster before we “take the deck” as he so commonly puts it. We have just been recently assigned leadership roles on our watches and this morning was my chance to lead. I assigned everyone to the usual tasks, which include, steering the helm (the wheel), two lookouts on the bow (the front of the ship) and one idler who is in charge of the hourly boat check and filling out the rough log.

Since I was the first idler, I sat on the quarter deck, back aft (back of the ship) near the helmsman or in this case woman and the Nav room where all of the technical work takes place. Mr. Wells decided that it was time for A-watch to learn how to use the radar and since I was the only one on stand by, I was the first to learn how. The radar is what detects the motions and objects that surround the ship. The transmitter is located aloft (at the top of the main mast) and sends out strong frequency waves to detect other ships, pick up possible squalls (bad weather), and can also be used to take bearings so we can plot our position. In this case, Mr. Wells taught me how to trace two big steal ships that were located broad on the port bow, about forty- five degrees off of the left hand side of the bow. We used the EBL (electronic bearing line) to take an exact bearing of where the ships were relative to Spirit, to get an exact angle, and the VRM (variable range marker) to trace its range. With those things marked, I could then track which way the ship was moving. The radar can read up to about forty six miles relative to our ship based on a complete three- hundred sixty degree circle which allows us to keep track of vessels or squalls surrounding us before they are within eye sight. Our watch had only started a half hour before, and I could tell it was going to be another busy night.

After being in charge of instructing my fellow watch mates to switch responsibilities on the hour, and including myself in these responsibilities, I was exhausted; as I am sure the rest of my watch was too. Finally it was 0700 and it was time to wake up B-watch for their early breakfast, so they could relieve our watch at 0800 so we could go to sleep. 0745 and it was time for our last boat check and entry in the rough log for this watch. Boat checks include checking the bilges, where water leaks into, to make sure that they aren’t full, checking the water igloos to make sure there is enough to keep everyone hydrated throughout the hot days and nights, making sure the head (what you know as toilets) are in good shape and aren’t clogged, and making sure everything on and below decks is securely tied down so we don’t have a bunch of stuff floating around the ship. Boat checks are done, and the last step before A-watch can retire for the next eight hours is to fill out the rough log. The rough log is where we record our hourly course, wind, seas, clouds, and barometric pressure conditions. It is each watch’s responsibility to record what the average course line was for the hour, to determine at which angle we were traveling and to keep track of the high and low pressure zones on the barometer. It is also our responsibility to list the direction and force of the wind and swells (seas) and how clear the sky is in respect to the amount that is covered by clouds. Everything has been completed for the early morning and now it is time for B-watch to take over for the next four hours, and time for us to get as much sleep in as we can before class at 1000.

Christina Marquez