Sailing from Dominica to Bequia

The following song is to the melody of the Christmas Carol "Let it Snow" written by Mr. Graham and Jen of C Watch, performed at our Almanac meeting held daily at sea on the spacious quarterdeck of the Harvey Gamage.

The weather up north is frightful
But down here it’s plain delightful
Off Nova Scotia a gale does grow
Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow
When we finally reach Bequia
The barometric pressure will have dipped down low
If you steer our schooner right
We’ll be there by tomorrow morn
So our schooner is really sailing
The diesel is no longer wailing
We’ve 140 miles to go
And poor Toh is stuck up in the snow

2/20/2010 underway Dominica to Bequia

Comments on the Open Market



Being in a Dominican market is like being at a flea market for the first time. People are everywhere, deals are happening and people are trying their best to get rid of everything on their table. Every table consisted of more then six different types of vegetables or fruit, mainly breadfruit. There were huge amps blaring Bob Marley tunes, people are singing and dancing along to every song. Being in the market you experience and entirely new culture right in front of you, nobody standing still and the air is scented with a mixture of Bar-B-Q and fresh produce. My favorite part of the market was the friendliness of the people trying to sell their products. They will do practically anything for you to buy their goods, not from despair but their desire for you to try and have a new experience.
- Jesse Prothers

Walking into the open market in Dominica, I first take note of how different it is compared to our basic American grocery store; each isle, as we might consider it, is lined with stand after stand of colorful fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, and herbs. If you need it, chances are you are going to find it. Each stand is tended by the owner, proud to be selling their goods. The were kind enough to give us samples, walk us half-way across the market to help us find something, explain how they get the produce they sell, and how to use these local foods in preparation of a meal. Not only did the attitudes of the local purveyors make the experience worthwhile, it stirred my interest in them as people rather than just looking to purchase goods from them.
- Kaitlin Orne


Thoughts on the Carib Territory

The two and a half hour drive up the beautiful Dominican to the rural Carib territory was quite a journey. Every fifteen minutes was a stop in heaven. Locals brought fresh fruit and vegetables on the side of the road for tourists and travelers to enjoy. The Dominicans’ faces grinned as we sped up the hills and halted to share a piece of their culture. On our first stop we enjoyed one of my first tasting of grapefruit and coconut. The grapefruit was filled with an everlasting sweet and sour sensation of pure juice; the coconut was as tropical as you would imagine when smelling Suave coconut shampoo. We used a piece of the coconut shell to scrape the coconut jelly inside which was fun to eat and amazing to taste. We also drank the coconut’s milk that was thin, filling and refreshing. We walked a couple of feet to sample wild sugarcane. Our driver cut the cane, squeezed limejuice on it and handed it over our eager group. After this sweet tasting we continued on our drive to our final destination, passing more locals and their delicious goods on the way. On the outskirts of the territory were a few women and girls selling their handmade jewelry and baskets. On the other side of the road were three men selling fresh fruit and nuts they had just collected. We enjoyed our first breadfruit that was heated over a fire and tasted like gushy sweet potatoes. Soursop, a delicious sweet and sour fruit that tastes great in smoothies. The local Caribs were so generous to share their knowledge on how to cook the fruit, and where and how to pick them. Another half hour drive and we entered the private land of the Caribs. Many are not able to do what we did. We entered the territory with open arms and so did they. We were welcomed in such a kind manner, we were even given the opportunity to make chocolate. The dried coco seeds were crushed in a grinder with brown sugar and milk. After the grinding was complete we were able to have a finger-lick {or more} of the rich, brownie mix-looking chocolate. After one taste bud had touched the rich chocolate, all of us smiled in such pleasure and complimented on the recipe. The Caribs talked with all of us and were really intrigued by where we had come from and how we were traveling. Dominica was one of the more welcoming countries I have experienced full of memories to hold forever.
- Judibrown Sample


Yesterday we spent the entire day riding around the Carib territory with our guide, Sea Cat. At one point we stopped at the side of the road where a local man was selling fruit he had picked from his backyard. With a huge smile on his face he used a machete to chop open a large coconut. First, he let us drink the cool, sweet milk before he took it back, chopped it in half and scooped out the soft jelly for us to eat. It didn’t stop there, though. He gave us fresh grapefruit that seemed to contain more juice then was physically possible. The tart and sweet taste exploded when you took a bite. Before we could even lick our fingers clean he passed around sweet cacao seeds. We were instructed to suck the soft, candy-sweet flesh off, but make sure not to bite into the actually seed it unless we wanted a very unpleasant surprise. After being served up such a vast variety of fresh food; I found myself wondering why anyone here bothered cooking meals in the first place.
- Ian Leavitt

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Underway to Bequia

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Time on a ship has a greater density then its landside brother. Days, minutes, even seconds seem to fill quickly with experience. By the time the sun sets it is hard to fathom all that had transpired during the light of day. The events of the morning seem to exist far away in the world of childhood memories. You often end the day, not only with a sense of accomplishment, but of growth. You are not the same person as when you woke up that morning, you have lived another day at sea, traveled through a foreign country, sang a song with a shipmate, learned about the life thriving down deep, read the fictions devised by an island imagination, studied the cultures of an ancient people, hauled on lines, stood a trick at the helm, witnessed a green flash, and maybe took a nap.

Two weeks and four countries have passed since the students arrived on the Harvey Gamage. In many ways it feels as if all of us have always been here, I can not remember what it felt like before our ship’s company was complete, just a vague recollection of anticipation. The students already seem like different people. Yes, their skin is now tan, hands calloused, and hair lighter from the sun…but it is much more. They have gained an understanding of a new life, a world outside classroom walls and lazy Sunday mornings. I am amazed and proud of how they have embraced this salty world. Everyday is spent in the present, soaking in the adventure, the knowledge and the revelations of each other. Undoubtedly, there will be ups and downs; that is the balance of the world. From what I have seen of their character thus far, I am sure they will handle the days ahead with integrity and an open mind.

I am currently sitting in the Nav Shack writing these thoughts. It is two o’clock in the morning, the ship is off the coast off St.Vincent, looking to drop anchor in Bequia’s Admirality Bay with first light. I am able to sit here and write, grade papers or leisurely drink hot chocolate because I am no longer needed on deck. The students are competently standing their watch. Time, once again, seems to change value. It has become a gift in the early morning hours. The young sailors here have expanded my time, allowing me to accomplish tasks pushed aside in the rush of the day. I am thankful for this and wanting to remember this moment in their experience. Something inside bubbles hot with joy when I think of these fledgling mariners and who they will be upon landing in Boston.

Schooner Equation: 3 days on land = 1 day at sea

-Alyson Graham

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Dominica by Macy Lamson

We have spent three days in Dominica and I wish I could live here! Upon arrival we settled down in our anchorage, we had a pin chase (a competition between the three watches to see who knows their lines best), and then went ashore to have class in the Botanical Gardens and have a crew supper of local creole cuisine.

During our first full day on the island, we hiked up to the boiling lake in the Mont Trois Pitons National Park. It was the most rigorous hike I have ever done! 14 total miles, 3.5 hours each way up countless steps and rough terrain. The smell of sulfur from the geothermal activity filled our noses, telling us we were getting close to the lake. Once we finally made it back down to the trailhead, we swam in the Ti Tou Gorge, one of the most fantastic swimming holes.

On the second day we toured the Carib Territory with Sea Cat, our guide. We tried many local fruits like soursop, raw sugar cane, young coconut, and mango, made chocolate from scratch, and swam a deserted beach. Once inside the territory, I was both intrigued and disappointed. They were selling wonderful crafts like hand-woven baskets and jewelry, but I wanted to see what they did and how they lived when they weren't selling their wares to tourists.

The locals here get a very different impression of you when you say you are not from the cruise ships that call into port each day, but from a sailing school ship traveling for four months. I noticed that they will put on a practiced and perfected attitude with the cruise ship tourists, which somehow seems less genuine that their attitude toward us--we have been welcomed with open and generous arms into their homes and businesses each day we have been here.

This morning we spent in the market, which swells with activity on the weekends. We helped Mr. Hunter provision the ship with fresh produce, learned about local foods, and got to meet some more wonderful Dominican friends.

We are now bound towards Bequia... the ship's company wishes all of our families and friends the best!

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Writing Exercises: Underway toward Guadeloupe

Kaitlin Orne
2/15/10, 1451- En Route to Guadeloupe

As Gamage fights her way through the roaring waves, we all do our best in tending to her needs to get to our next destination. Sometimes the sails scream in the wind and she’ll sing us to sleep, but we’re forced to be patient and work with her. When the day is over and we take a look at what has become of our work, we’ll appreciate her even though the dancing lines have made our hands rough, the constant smiling sun has tanned our fragile skin; our integrity will have grown along with life-long stories that she’ll make sure we won’t ever forget.

“Seasick” – By Crawford Cunningham
After being seasick five times in less then two days, finally feeling better is like a spiritual awakening. Having to constantly fear being sick every time I come on deck was exhausting. After losing the delicious twisty noodles and beef gravy, I thought I was done. By the end of that watch I had also lost a glass of hot chocolate and an apple. The next morning I decided that it was a new day and I was done being seasick. For some reason or other I decided four pancakes slathered in syrup and some bacon would be a great breakfast to get rid of my seasickness. Just a few hours later I found out that was a bad idea and was over the rail once again. I decided to try the remedy the crew offered up- saltine crackers and an hour on bow watch. After that hour I felt One Hundred percent better and possibly cured. Hopefully I will throw up as little as possible the rest of the trip.



“Gamage” – By Charlie Campbell
As she, the Harvey Gamage, pushes through the water- she fights for the moment we anchor so she can get a brake. She can let her wood made ribs stop from aching. We will leave her and let her be in peace to think, calmly sitting in the world’s lake. There she sits and waits and waits for when she will move again on her journey wide-awake.

“Caribbean Swells” By- Judibrown Sample
The Caribbean’s mouth swells open as the waves engulf me from shore, tossing me in circles through out the body of water. Taking a breath of air felt almost impossible as the current was still tossing me about. Finally, the water came to a halt, I found my eyes closed shut with salt and sand. I realized I had been washed ashore like a piece of sea-glass waiting to be noticed. My hair tangled like silly string, sand imbeded into my scalp made me feel as if I had been tossing and turning for hours, when in reality it had only been seconds. “Round two!” , I fist-pumped and screamed. The swells entertained me for the next forty-five minutes of pure joy.

“Passage to Guadeloupe” By- Katherine Alwan
On our passage to Guadeloupe the swells finally picked up. The bow rises and then slams into the waves. The increase in swell has led to the increase in seasickness. Every trip below decks is a signal for an onset of that horrible, nauseous feeling in my stomach. Lunch consisted of rice and saltines, the only safe food for the moment. But, even through this horrible cramping in my stomach, the sun shines and the wind blows. The water is still a beautiful color and today is going to be a good day, even with the seasickness.

“ Before Sleep” By- Jesse Prothers
As I lay in my bunk wondering what sort of adventure awaits me the following day, I can actually hear the sounds of the Gamage as she rolls about in the waves. The squeaking and moaning of the walls fill my ears, it’s as if the ship is talking to me, asking me about my day. Those are not the only sounds that the ship makes; the constant crashing of the waves as the hull fights off the intruding swell also joins the rhythm. The moans and groans of the ship play in perfect formation, almost as if I have my own private orchestra.

Macy Lamson
En Route to Guadeloupe
Feb. 15, 2010
I can sense Gamage’s excitement when everyone hauls and works together on getting the sails up into the dancing wind. On a tack, I hear her exasperation as she fights to fill her sails by herself. That is, until the student crew scampers aft to the complaining main sheet, easing it out or sweating it in to alleviate Gamage’s frustration. All we can hear is the giggling of the thankful, happy rigging as the Harvey Gamage cuts through the rolling swells.

“Mid- Watch” By- Abi Campbell
As the waves threw themselves along her hull I braced myself on the griped anchor. Mr. Fleming called to set the outer jib, as I was hauling she took a huge breath of air lurching me forward. My exhausted arms and further exhausted mind begged for four o’clock. When I began down the companionway my rack, musty and ancient, smiled at me as I slowly laid my heavy head on my pillow.

“Ting” By- Dylan Troy
The green glass bottle hissed as I popped off the cap. Mist from the cold liquid inside rushed out and down the neck of the bottle. I took a minute to admire the beauty of the ice cold drink before touching it to my lips and indulging in my ting. Ting, the Caribbean grapefruit soda. My new favorite drink…I will miss it back in Maine.

“ Refreshment” By – Dan Dickenson
The bottle saw me when I came through the door. Sweat dripping down my face as I approached the cashier. I rang the shiny bell in anxious anticipation for service. I stared hard at that glistening green bottle. When the cashier came to me I became speechless in Spanish Town. The words came back to me as I pointed to the magic bottle. She took it out and my mouth dropped in the open air. My arm reached for the cold, shiny Ting. My dry lips puckered into the luminous emerald bottle. My dry taste buds were reminded of a day on the beach in the hot, dry Caribbean air.

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Nevis, by Abi Campbell

The weather during our sail to Nevis was uneventful other than our close encounter almost catching a fish and the nine foot north east swell that merely put a dent in out seven day string of perfect weather. The voyage from Trellis Bay to Nevis, though, was a good time to review all the information we have absorbed over the last week. Nevis is a small island that used to be the center of the British slave trade and was home to the most bountiful sugar cane in the world. We can into port and drove to an old sugar cane plantation called Golden Rock where we met up with Jim Johnson, who lead us through a nature hike.

Alone, this hike may have been a bit banal but for Jim's accumulation of knowledge about the flora, fauna and history of the island along with his sense of humor, which made the three hour hike through the Nevian forest totally rad. We swung on vines Tarzan style, ate leaves that smelled like cinnamon, avoided eating leaves that caused paralysis of the larynx and were introduced to plants that are the basis of many modern medicines today. After the hike we had time to explore the town where we picked up supplies for our Valentine's Day party, bought Ting (a Caribbean soda made form local grapefruits) and admired Charlie's new outfit. We are headed back to Nevis tomorrow after a full night of anchor watch to have lit class in front of Alexander Hamilton's birth place and enjoy history class on the coast line before we set sail for Guadaloupe.

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Road Town, Tortola

Another beautiful day in the British Virgin Islands, and another unique adventure. After a bbq ashore (where Ian's guitar playing attracted tourists from around the beach) and a night at anchor near Trellis Bay (near Marina Cay), we woke this morning to our daily routine ashore; muster, chores, and breakfast. We then piled into our small boats and visited our friends at Aragorn's Studio's to learn about Gli Gli and the Carib Canoe Project. Gli Gli is a dugout canoe built in the traditional Carib manner on the island of Dominica, and voyaged along the Lesser Antilles to the cultural homeland of the Carib people, the Orinoco Valley. Gli Gli now calls Trellis Bay home, and our students had the opportunity to sail with Aragorn for the morning and learn from him about Carib canoe building, art, and culture.

 

Gamage then sailed the short distance to Road Harbor, and we plan to have another special treat for supper tonight... Roti! Roti is a West Indian sandwich made of an Indian "skin" of roti and filled with stewed meat, potatoes, and chick peas, and garnished with chutneys and the spicy cuchela. Jean at the Roti Palace has been a staple in the Virgin Islands for decades, and her restaurant is the best place in the region to sample this Caribbean staple. Not only is roti delicious, but by studying the history of the cuisine, we learn about Indian migration to the Caribbean in the 19th century. Tomorrow we are bound for points east, and hopefully our fantastic weather and wind (not to rub it in) will continue to hold out.

All are well aboard, and the sunburn has begun to give way to hard-earned tans. 

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