"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

Rock me Charleston like a Wagon Wheel…

>> Monday, April 29, 2013


                  
            On the night of April 27th, all of the students aboard the Harvey Gamage went out on the town after dinner. The plan was to busk for money to buy ice cream, and then go to a concert that Mr. K was playing in. We were all dressed up in thrift store clothing. Our band consisted of two guitars, two violins, a few harmonicas and a homemade shaker.
            Hayden made our first five dollars on the dock. An older couple gave them to us and we didn’t even have to play anything! We set up on the corner of the main street, King Street, right by the large fountain. We played a little and made some money, and then we packed up and moved further down the road.  We set up in the doorway of a closed movie theatre. The musicians played while some people danced and others sang. We had a repertoire of about three and a half songs. From the doors of the theatre, we moved down to the market, which was deserted at night.  We picked up some random street fans that hung out with us for an hour or so, and they helped bring in a Bachelorette party to dance to our main song, Wagon Wheel. By the end of this first adventure we had made $86. We decided to go check out Mr. K and the band he was playing with at the Kickin’ Chicken. Mr. K was awesome, and bunch of people were dancing with the crew.
            Meanwhile, Hayden, Alex and Mira were still busking at the theater where we started. After a bit of dancing, I grabbed my guitar and went to join them. We played for probably and hour, and made an additional $60. Our set was almost exclusively Wagon Wheel. The people loved it, and quite a few stopped to dance with us as we rocked out. Alex broke two strings on his guitar during the second to last Wagon Wheel cover. We returned to the ship after midnight. It was a great night out!

Carter Goodell

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Did Someone Say Presents?

>> Sunday, April 28, 2013


                             
            Imagine, if you can, a small child, say six or seven, on Christmas morning. You were all small children once, maybe you still are. See if you can remember that feeling in the pit of your stomach. That utter elation associated with Christmas morning. However, as most of you can probably attest to, the older you get, the more boring Christmas becomes. It is a slow demise that starts with the truth about Santa Claus and ends with Christmas as an excuse to replenish your wardrobe once a year. However, if you’re lucky, Christmas just might hold all of the magic that it used to. Though for most of us, I doubt it does. But, if you are looking to re-introduce the “magic at Christmas” into your life, you’re in luck! Just hop on a schooner with little to no communication with the outside world and have somebody send you letters! Now, I can only speak for myself, but I believe many of my shipmates share my sentiment, and I’m being perfectly honest when I say that receiving letters while on board holds the same magical feeling as Christmas morning when Santa ate all the cookies and drank the milk. They do not have the colorful packaging or fancy ribbons like Christmas presents, and they may not contain more than a few trivial facts from our loved ones…However, I ‘ve ripped open my letters with the same feverish ferocity that I ripped open my packages when expecting that new playmobil castle not so many years ago. I can’t fully explain it, but on the boat, words from the ones we love are worth so much more than they ever were before. And, I am hoping this appreciation will last beyond the trip, and I will be able to carry it back into my normal life.

Joe Newlin

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Fort Clinch


                                                
            On Monday April 15, we went on an awesome field trip to Fort Clinch. In the morning, we walked as a group through town and then into the state park. In total, it was about four miles from the boat to the fort. It felt great to walk and stretch our legs for the day. Once we entered the state park, we had a nice walk on a paved road that was surrounded by live oak trees covered with Spanish moss. At the fort, we were given time to explore by ourselves before we met as a group to get a tour from one of the soldiers. The fort was beautiful and made almost entirely of brick. 95 percent of the bricks in the fort are original and in their original position. The cannons that lined the fort were all made to pivot and were able to shoot over three miles! We all had lots of fun finding small passages through the walls from one section of the fort to another.  All of the buildings were red brick with beautiful white windows. Everything was set up inside the buildings as it would have been originally. We all tested the barracks and decided that the bunks were equivalent to the ones that we have on the Gamage. The soldier who led our tour was a retired Navy man who now spends his time volunteering at Fort Clinch. He has a degree in 19th Century medicine, so he showed us the fort’s small hospital. It was very interesting to hear about all of the medical tools they used in the past. He also showed us the prison and some of us got locked in the cells. I had an awesome time at the fort and really enjoyed myself. It is nice to be back in the US. The weather was noticeably colder as soon as we reached Florida. I am enjoying the cooler weather, which results in much nicer sleeping conditions down below. Although some things are changing, I am having a great time.


Ben Crosby

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Sunset over the Sea

>> Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Red light streaks across the sky
brilliant to behold before my eyes.
The horizon drawn clearly in front of me
no land to obstruct what I see.

This marvelous view by none conducted
enjoyed by us unobstructed.
This beauty can not be viewed on land
where trees and hills and mountains stand.

Who would replace this beauty?
What could equal our view?
With gold and red staining the sea
and burning through the sky tenaciously.

Then away it goes with a flash of green
never before by our eyes seen.
The stars come out, the moon shines down
drawing our eyes from the deck as we scurry around.

Cameron White

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Back in the USA!!!


             Friday, after logging 1491 nautical miles since Santo Domingo, we sailed past Fernandina Beach and into the St. Mary’s river. During our twelve-day voyage from the Dominican Republic to Florida, we sailed north through the Mona Passage, past the southern Bahaman islands, along the north coast of Cuba, up into the Gulf Stream and along the eastern side of Florida. After more than a week ashore in the Dominican Republic, getting back into the rhythm of being underway was difficult. However, after a few days everyone seemed to fall into the schedule again. Along the way we saw tiger sharks and dolphins, caught tuna, Mahi Mahi and a Wahoo, and sailed through squalls, Sargasso and bioluminescence.
            Yesterday afternoon, as Fernandina approached on the horizon, someone on up on deck yelled “Dolphins!” I hurried up on deck and joined the few people who had already congregated at the rail. Swimming along, matching speed with Gamage was a group of Dolphins, maybe a dozen. The animals dart along, just under the surface of the water, moving in the wake pushed up by the bow of the boat. I quickly put on a harness and laid out in the head-rig, trying to get a better look. As I stood out in the bowsprit net, the dolphins were swimming along only a few inches beneath my feet. They surface just long enough for their blowhole to exhale a plume of mist, and then dive back down, twisting like a cork under the water.
            At the same time, we were sailing “Wing on wing,” which is when the main is sheeted out on one side and the fore is sheeted out on the other. This impressive sail display made the view from the head-rig even more awesome.


Alex Paige



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One with the Sea



            The sea is so beautiful that I want to be one with it forever. The sun sets and rises as the warm sea breeze constantly blows across my face, at the same time pulling the ship through the big, tropical waves. Every island is different and each one has its own memory and an experience on land that I will never forget.  The moment I leave one of these unforgettable places I just want to go back. At the same time, I can’t wait to see what the next one has to offer. It seems that everyone can’t wait to get to the United States because they never stop drooling about the food they imagine…but I don’t care about all of that. I just want to keep exploring all of these amazing places that will never be the same. I want to go home so I can see my friends and family who I miss, but at the same time I just don’t want this once in a lifetime trip to come to an end.


John Carter



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Down in the Galley

>> Sunday, April 14, 2013


            
            I got to sleep through mid-watch today so I had plenty of rest to help in the galley. I woke up at 0540 to report for my daylong shift as galley assistant at 0600. Pierre immediately set me up to prep grilled cheese for lunch. Then he asked me how he and I could possibly have the same last name (Cornell). He jokingly started a debate about who should leave since “there’s no room for two Cornell’s on this boat.”
            We finished making breakfast burritos, and then I worked hard grilling about 32 cheese sandwiches in a half hour. This display of my hard work impressed him. Soon after lunch, I made 45 butterscotch cookies for our midnight rations. They are supposed to come out a golden brown color. Mine could’ve used a bit more browning, but they still tasted pretty good. I thought the temperature in the galley was hot. Pierre said it was nothing compared to other experiences he’s had down there, so I am never going to complain about that again.
            At 1500, I sorted out all the cookies evenly by watch. My next task was rolling dough to prep the bread for dinner. I finished my day by making a giant salad. Today really inspired the cooking bug within me. When I return home, I’m going to look up recipes and perhaps make a binder full of stuff I want to make.
            Shout out to My Dad! When I get home, I may end up in the kitchen/ on the grill more. You’ll have to give me a lesson on how to make your famous pizza dough. Hello to all my family and friends! I miss you all.


Thomas Cornell



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