SEAmester Student Diaries
"diaries sent from sea"

April 26, 2007

Benjamin Fosque
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT

Following an excellent few days in the Dominican Republic, we set our sails and headed out to sea for the long voyage to back to the United States. Once we were clear of land, rough seas and strong winds came up, giving us a harsh refresher of sailing life. After our first night back at sea the sailing got easier and we were able to re-adjust to life at sea. As we set out on our longest passage yet, we were all eager to get back to the United States. We sailed around the western tip of Haiti, and turned north toward Cuba, keeping a lookout for Haitian sloops - small fishing boats notorious for having no lights, even sometimes carrying refugees headed for America. During this passage, the crew turned over the responsibility of planning our route to us. We all studied the charts and plotted out the best course around Cuba, through the Old Bahama Channel, and up the US coast to our next stop in Georgia.

On Easter Sunday, after almost a week at sea, we were given a much deserved reprieve from sailing for a night. In the morning we somehow managed an Easter egg hunt on our 120 ft boat. And, in what amounted to an Easter miracle, we caught our first fish in weeks. Our cook Ito prepared an amazing dinner including fresh sushi, tempura fish and vegetables, and green curry. We all put on our best clothing, (my watch mate Uli wore his best bedsheet) and dined in style to some old fashioned music just a few miles of the coast of Cuba.

After a long and exhausting sail past Cuba, we were treated to a surprise stop on a deserted Bahamian island called Anguilla Cay in the Cay Sal Bank just south of Florida. We all jumped at the chance to set foot on dry land. We hiked across the island through Dr. Seuss-like trees to conduct a geological survey of the windward side. Later we snorkeled around some reefs in the clearest water I've ever seen. My shipmate Jake spotted a three foot parrot fish, and an eight foot shark buried in the sand, which Professor Hamilton identified as a nurse shark (fortunately for us, they are harmless). As we made our way back to where we had set up camp, a squall with 60 knot winds slammed into the island. We fled to the trees and the water for shelter as we got pelted with rain and hail. The downpour and wind were so thick I couldn't see our boat a hundred feet away Then all of the sudden, the storm was gone as quick as in had come, and we set off to build a bonfire. After a night of reminiscing about the Caribbean and our time there, we slept under the stars on the white Bahamian beach.

The next day we set off to continue our journey and reluctantly left the Caribbean in our wake. Upon first sight of land in Florida we all became anxious to get back to the States. After sailing up the coast a few more days, we finally dropped our anchor at the small town of St. Mary's, GA. We stayed in town for a few days, and got to do laundry, take showers, read mail, get caught up with classes and explore the town. We experienced some good old southern hospitality at the local hangouts, Trolley's and Seagull's, and were even able to hit up the bowling alley for a night of much needed "sports".

Next, we sailed about an hour away to Cumberland Island National Park, were we spend our first day studying the natural and cultural history of the island, and our second day engaged in a grueling "death march" hike across 28 miles of barrier island terrain. Jake, in a most impressive sports display, set the Seamester record for the fastest hike across Cumberland Island. We learned quite a bit about barrier island ecology and geology. We made time for a little cricket match on the flat beach, and plotted out our scheme to bring cricket into mainstream American culture.

We spent a few nights lingering at Cumberland Island waiting for weather conditions to clear. When the winds became less unfavorable, we set sail for Beaufort, NC. It was a relatively short passage, and we had good weather the whole way. Yesterday, we docked up to the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, cleaned the ship, and set off for a little R&R around town. Today, we are back to work in classes including a trip to the Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve for biology and geology field studies (another chance for Calvin to put small creatures in his mouth). This afternoon, we have a sociology class, followed by a showing of Captain's Courageous. After a few more days here, we'll set sail for our final destination, Fairhaven, MA. It's been a long strange voyage, no doubt, and with good winds, we'll be home soon enough!