Captain's Log Archive

Charleston, SC May 2009
Cumberland Island, GA one of my all time favorite spots. Plus Spirit of Massachusetts is in and we can see old shipmates and new friends the students get off in Fernandina beach for the all important icecream and some wandering in town between classes. Cumberland is magic as always walking down paths overgrown with live oaks and armadillos running around. We shared an evening of fun with the students of Spirit and a pilot from Fernandina who talked to our prospective merchant mariners about academy life .All to soon we are underway again bound for Charleston sc always a welcome stop students were off and running yesterday on a scavenger hunt and today they are working with the crew doing ships maintenance mostly painting as everybody knows a marine professional is just a boat painter .
Next we are bound around Cape Hatteras which we always approach with caution still many times I have been taught a lesson in caution and the power of the sea. So we will wait until the wind is just right and make our dash around and into the Chesapeake bay I’m so excited!
Fair winds Capt. Flansburg



Fernandina Beach, FL April 25th, 2009

Welcome home! We said as students came back from Spring Break. Away for one week they came back well rested and ready to go. We ( the crew) spent the week doing ships maintenance we replaced the Radar with a new chart plotter/ radar, a new toy for the Mates , repaired the damaged bolt rope in the fores’l, built new linen cabinets for the forward compartments and many other small jobs we couldn’t do underway. We also took some time off.
But now our shipmates were back and we had two more. New friends from Grand Cayman Sarah and Fred folks we had met when we were there old friends of Christine’s who were joining just for the passage to Dry Tortugas. They had a lot to offer both being teachers and island conservationists (check out blueiguana.org to see some of the work they are involved with).
After some safety classes to remind the students they were back on a ship and waiting for a cold front to pass, Harvey Gamage was underway bound for the Dry Tortugas and Ft Jefferson with a light northerly wind to see us on our way. The trip down was quiet we did catch two more fish always welcome.
Mr. Simpson was at the con with Christo steering and we made our way in on a slow bell. The anchorage was small and crowded but we found a good spot with great holding even if the night before our arrival other boats had drug their anchors I was confident we wouldn’t.
This spot is remarkable for several facts as the last place the Battleship Maine took on coal before sailing to Havana and her place in history, also there is a Sooty Tern rookery witch was going full swing and a marine sanctuary with some living reef right here in the US! Students got off the ship for class, snorkeling, yoga, art and a BBQ run by our apprentice cook Anthony. Also Schooner Olympics where the three watches pit there sailing skills and knowledge against one another for bragging rights I was so impressed that even after break the students knew all the lines and knots without fail and the contest was the closest I have seen in a long while.
We were soon underway again bound for Fernandina Beach Fla. With a quick stop in Key West for provisioning. The winds were light but fair and the Gulf stream carried us along so we have made good time getting here. We will be seeing old friends aboard Spirit of Massachusetts as she is inbound from the Bahamas on a different trip we all look forward to seeing her and exploring Fernandina and Cumberland Island the whole east coast awaits !
Fair winds, Captain Flansburg.