STUDENT ENTRY

After much anticipation we arrived

in Dominica, the island of adventure. Sitting here at 0200 on anchor watch, the island is still full of life reverberating from the subwoofers and reggae rhythms. As Carnival quickly approaches the atmosphere on the island is one of growing excitement and joy.

Today we visited Dominica’s open air market. A colony of umbrellas has taken over an area the size of a few blocks, filled with stands overflowing with fresh produce. Walking from the dock where a cruise ship sat burping out tourists with pasty skin and cameras, we moved towards the heart of town and came across a colony of sellers all yelling about products, prices and quality.

The freshness and quality that the market offers is impressive, but the people are what make the experience really enjoyable. Everyone is approachable, happy to answer questions and lend advice about food, recipes, and life. Wanted or unwanted, it seems that everyone had something to say. We met a woman named Catherine in the market, and when we mentioned we were on a semester at sea program, her eyes lit up. “Oh, on the Harvey Gamage, no?” she asked and explained that she has known many of the crew members and cooks from past semesters. It was amazing that we were able to find that connection among the chaos of the market. She went on to advise us on the best ingredients for our meal and wish us a safe journey after leaving Dominica.

The experience at the open air market was a sensory overload, but overall very enjoyable. Not only did we buy fresh and local ingredients, we (the students) cooked our own Caribbean curry and got a taste of Dominican culture.

Claire

Glastenbury, VT

Read more...

STUDENT ENTRY

We are on the island of Dominica. Today we went on a twelve mile hike to the boiling lake. It took us three hours to get there, and three hours to return. The terrain was rough and it felt like we climbed (and slipped) up and down a million steps. The hike involved crossing a river called the breakfast river because usally people start the hike real early in the morning and when they get to the river they have breakfast there. After crossing the river we got to a peak. The view was absolutely amazing. We were able to see the tallest peak on the island, the small village we started from, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and many other mountains and forests. The view was breathtaking. Once we left the peak we got make our way to the boiling lake. The area took the shape of a volcano but instead of lava inside, huge bubbles of steam erupted and the chilly wind was interrupted by a steam bath. Watching the steam roll over the mountains was unlike anything I had ever seen. Also, along the way to the lakes we got to swing on vines and put mud on our skin, which felt weird but our guide said it was healthy. On the way back from the boiling lake, we stopped at hot baths where we swam. They were set up like steps, and the higher the bath, the hotter it was. The only way to get between baths was to climb vines. To get down we had to either slide or climb.

Once we got back, we jumped into this cavern with freezing (but refreshing) water. Parts of Pirates of the Caribbean II were filmed here, when Captain Jack tried to escape the cannibals. We swam back into the cavern with high walls, climbed up a mini-waterfall, and found a pool with a big waterfall to swim under. The day was full of fun and memories to last a lifetime.

John

Harwich, MA

Read more...

STUDENT ENTRY

We are on the island of Dominica. Today we went on a twelve mile hike to a boiling lake. It took us three hours to get there, and three hours to return. The terrain was rough and it felt like we climbed (and slipped) up and down a million steps. The hike involved crossing a river called the breakfast river because usally people start the hike early in the morning and when they get to the river they have breakfast there. After crossing the river we got to a peak. The view was absolutely amazing. We were able to see the tallest peak on the island, the small village we started from, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and many other mountains and forests. The view was breathtaking. Once we left the peak we got make our way to the boiling lake. The area took the shape of a volcano but instead of lava inside, huge bubbles of steam erupted and the chilly wind was interrupted by a steam bath. Watching the steam roll over the mountains was unlike anything I had ever seen. Also, along the way to the lakes we got to swing on vines and put mud on our skin, which felt weird but our guide said it was healthy for our skin. On the way back from the boiling lake, we stopped at hot baths where we swam. They were set up like steps, and the higher the bath, the hotter it was. The only way to get between baths was to climb vines. To get down we had to either slide or climb.

Once we got close to the start of the hike, we jumped into this cavern with freezing (but refreshing) water. Parts of Pirates of the Caribbean II were filmed here, when Captain Jack tried to escape the cannibals. We swam back into the cavern with walls towering high above us, where we found a waterfall to swim under. The day was full of fun and memories to last a lifetime.

John, Harwich, MA

Read more...

STUDENT ENTRY

Culture.

It defined today as we immersed ourselves into one of the last Carib Indian communities. Armed with hiking boots, two full water bottles, and a rain jacket, we made our way into our authentic vans. For two hours we snaked our way up into the rainforest, around switchbacks and up impossible elevations. We drove past locals starting their Carnival celebrations. Our driver saw it first, beeping his horn to the drumbeat. Then a crowd surrounded our van. Swirls of blue, orange and red filled my vision as the locals danced around. It was over as quick as it started, Sea Cat (our driver) honking a beat until we rounded the corner.

The Caribs, a historically belligerent people originating from the Orinoco river of Venezuela, had such a bad reputation that the Spanish created the word “Cannibal” after them. Columbus must have lost his mind by then because the Caribs I met were friendly, generous and hysterical! Nixon, a local Carib, led us on an hour-long hike through the rainforest, to where he and his brother are building a 15 foot dugout canoe. He showed us the right trees to cut and the process of hollowing out a solid old-growth giant. As the group was heading back home, we stopped at a few placed in the village. At my personal favorite destination, we pulled up to a house on the roadside. An old lady was sitting on the porch. I started exploring and it was not long until I found a small group staring in awe at a tree. There, a man was hacking away at a tree trunk with a machete. It looked if he was cutting it down, but there were piles of smoking palm leaves. Then, I heard the bees buzzing and was amazed as the man stuck his hand into the tree and pulled out a dripping honeycomb! Sweetened by tropical flowers, the honey was delicious.

Today was a good day. Not just because of the food (passion fruit, miniature bananas, cashew, custard apples, honey, cassava bread, homemade chocolate, among other tasty treats) but because I felt like I connected with the place and the people. I felt like more than a tourist, and it was exhilarating!

Brendan

Dublin, Ireland

Read more...

A Week in Review: Sail Minded

As always, things have been busy aboard the Harvey Gamage. Last week was a week full of new sailing challenges for everyone. It started off with the trip's first pin rail chase. During this activity the students test their knowledge of the ship’s running rigging and compete against the other watches to correctly locate lines before each other. Congratulations goes out to C Watch for winning this trips first race. The following day we put El Gecko, in the water for the first time this season. El Gecko is one of the ship's small boats, and is equipped with a spritsail rig. This traditional sail arrangement is much different from modern design dinghies as many of our student small boat sailors can attest to. Without a jib or boom she can sometimes be a challenge to get to sail to weather but everyone handled her well and many students got a knack for it by the end of their sail.

On Thursday, we were back in English Harbor, Antigua for a couple of last minute errands and a rare opportunity for a fresh water shower for those who chose to indulge. This day we had the pleasure of bringing local sailing historian Alexis Andrews aboard for a discussion about “Vanishing Sail” in the Caribbean. Alexis is currently working on a project to preserve and bring light to the Carricaou ship building tradition. Before the large steam and container ships were prevalent in the Caribbean much of the inter-island trade was done by locally built sloops. A few of them still exist today and a small community of boat builders also still exists keeping these traditions alive. Alexis is currently making a documentary about these peoples and ships and we wish him the best on his project.

Friday we were underway again, bound of Dominica. We had a deadline, for one of the Caribbean’s best open air markets is on Saturday in Dominica. We pressed on as much canvas as we could, setting the fisherman sail. This sail sets between the fore and main mast and greatly increases our sail area. We are not always able to use this sail because it doesn’t carry well to windward but the wind was in our favor. We gained over ½ a knot in speed helping us reach Roseau, Dominica in time for the market!

Overall it was a great week filled with new experiences, and I’ve only mentioned the new sail related ones that occurred. Much time was also spent exploring and snorkeling at new reefs, shopping in the markets, hiking through the forests, and meeting with locals. As a crew member, I have enjoyed so much being able to share my love of the sea and sailing with the students and get so excited everytime I see them meet a new challenge and conqueror it. I look forward to all the new experiences and challenges we will meet as this trip continues.

Jill Hughes

3rd Mate

Read more...

Literary Luminaries

Two weeks into the program, students were asked to describe their home, SSV Harvey Gamage, in a few sentences. Here is what some churned out:

“The Harvey Gamage is a loud vessel, never quite, never shy. The floor boards creak, the sails flap, the motor roars, dishes clink and clank, things fall. (We fall too.), but, she’s fearless. I say she’s beautiful.” – Patricia Tapia

“Her wooden bones are etched with time, knowledge tucked in every crack. Her salty perfume lingers in my nostrils as I inhale her breath. She cradles us asleep and shakes us awake, never idle, she slips on. Gamage is our mother, our vessel, our wings to far off places.” – Iyla MacArthur

“The walls of the boat whisper constantly, telling stories of long ago.” – Soren Walljasper

“The sails are my favorite part of the boat. They humm, buzz, and vibrate in strong variable winds until a harmony is formed between the jib sheets and the fore and main halyards.” – Claire Madden

“The galley smells like mom cooking apple-amazing-pie.” – Peter Kammerer

“The deck is a sacred area of the ship. It changes hands with every watch and holds every crewmember responsible for its daily upkeep.” – Libby Arford

“This new home of ours stands by us strong and proud through our joy and our fears, it groans in empathy as we stand bow watch at 0100 and rocks us back to sleep as we lie deep within its hold.” – Tegan Maxey

- To Gamage with love from its humble occupants

Read more...

Living Fast & Loving It

Our last morning, on February 3^rd, in Trellis Bay started with a refreshing snorkel on the nearby reef. Despite the strong winds and choppy seas we were able to enjoy the diversity of the reef and I, personally, was thrilled to see a beautiful Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral) colony. Following the excursion, it was again hands on the windlass, as we prepared to get underway to Statia (St. Eustatius). The Anegada passage was quite forgiving and we made it to our destination in under 36 hours.

In the waters of Statia, we got our first view of the textbook “volcanic islands”. We hiked the extinct “Quill” on Sunday and ate lunch in its crater after having dragged ourselves up and down the highest point on the island. The next day was filled with classes and walks through the historic town of Oranjestad. Evenings entailed refreshing swims prior to delicious meals and were usually followed by reading, music and relaxation.

We left Statia on the 7^th of February, bound for Antigua. With the Eastern Trade winds and Northern Equatorial current against us we took 3 days to arrive at our destination. The length of our passage was valuable for making steady progress in the art of sailing and program academics. With our colors flying, we sailed into English Harbor, Antigua, tall and proud on the morning of February 10^th.

Over the last two days we’ve learned about the history and culture of Antigua, hiked its impressive cliffs and swum its refreshing waters. The plan for the next few days is to give Gamage some tender loving care and if possible explore the local marine systems before getting underway to our next destination.

- MAHIMA JAINI

Marine Science Educator

Harvey Gamage

Read more...

STUDENT ENTRY

Everything floods my brain so quickly – I wonder if having too many new experiences will overload a person’s brain. If it does, then I’m probably very close to that overload. This world is so different from home – there is so much to learn and so much to know. Everyday life itself is foreign. The rhythm of the ship takes time to adjust to.

All students are woken up at 0700 and are given fifteen minutes to muster on deck and be prepared for morning chores. In a half-asleep daze, this task was difficult to accomplish at first. After a week, though, we have all fallen into the rhythm o the ship. Morning chores consist of three different tasks: “Sols and bowls” is the sweeping and scrubbing down of all the bulkheads, sols and heads below deck; “Brasso” finds a person polishing all of the brass on the ship: pinnacle, rails, bell and other bits around the deck; “Deckwash” follows with scrubbing down the decks with high pressure fire hoses and deck brushes. Each of these take about half an hour, and by eight in the morning it is time to eat breakfast.

Brasso polishing is my preferred chore in the sense that it yields the most rewarding results. I polish the bell at the fore mast. Using “Brass-O”, rags and an enormous amount of “elbow grease”, the stained, blotchy bell becomes a shining piece of golden pride. This task, if done well, can take an extreme amount of time. Right up to eight bells – 8am – when the chance arise to put the beautiful instrument to use. “Ding Ding, Ding Ding, Ding Ding, Ding Ding” always sounds louder when its right next to the ringers head. Polishing the brass takes time and love to perfect, similar to cooking. The most important ingredient is love. With the bell, I usually end up singing to it to make it shinier. “Shine On” by The Kooks is the most popular song for me to serenade it with.

Many actions on board require such attention to detail. The Harvey Gamage is the all-providing mother to us all. She is our home and our bed; our school and our workplace. We must take care of her with love so that she will, in turn, provide for us.

This home is beautiful, and the community here is family. Many of us may be strangers now, but in four months I’ll know these people better than my actual family.

- MEG DOWLING

Read more...

Trellis Bay, BVI, Home of the Gli-Gli

Most outsiders might not believe that the 32 of us just started our voyage a week ago. We are already familiar with each other’s sleeping and eating habits, to say the least. Students are literally “learning the ropes”. Classes have begun and people are acclimating to shipboard life. Our days are occupied with the study of our ship, the ocean, the surrounding maritime history and literature. We left the US Virgin Islands on January 29^th and made our way to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) perfecting our tacks, familiarizing ourselves with the safety protocols and priming our ship for harbor visits.

Our BVI explorations began at Peter Island where we did an early morning snorkel to get an underwater view of the nearby reef. The same day we found ourselves on the streets of Road Town, Tortola and gorged ourselves on delicious West Indian food at the infamous Roti Palace. The ladies even let us prepare some of our own roti. We concluded our day by walking the back roads of the bustling capital to their tropical botanical garden. In this botanical paradise we found orchids, calabash trees, banyan trees among others and participated in the first port report of our voyage.

We have been safely anchored at Trellis Bay for the past two nights. The folks in Trellis Bay welcomed us ashore and have been sharing their knowledge, expertise and experiences of living and ancient Carib (Amerindian) cultures. Students repainted the bottom of the traditionally built dug-out canoe, “Gli Gli”, an instrumental vessel for reestablishing connections between Carib island people. The “Gli Gli” Project is a symbol of Carib unity, and we were lucky enough to spend all day with a co-founder of the project and one of the Carib sailors.

After painting “Gli Gli” we visited the Good Moon organic farm outside of town. Here the students helped harvest cassava and prepare the soil for future crops while overlooking breathtaking views of turquoise Caribbean waters.

We are holding classes ashore today while we have an even keel. Tomorrow we hope to be underway once again.

For more information about the “Gli Gli” Project check this link: http://www.aragornsstudio.com/CaribCanoeProj.htm

-CHRISTINE HONAN SIMPSON, ABBEY LITMAN & MAHIMA JAINI

Educators, Harvey Gamage.

February 2, 2012, Trellis Bay, Tortola, BVI.

Read more...