Telltale Seamester 2004.pdf

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British Virgin Islands, Nevis

Fall Edition 2004, Volume I


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The TelltaleWind - Rudder Indicator and Tale Bearer of

The Caribbean Sea-mesterBritish Virgin Islands, Nevis

Fall Edition 2004, Volume I

Introduction

After three grueling weeks of blistering sunburns, newly callused

hand, and the never-ending sparkle of salt, we the editors of this

falls Telltale, present to you our rst edition. We invite you

to live vicariously through our experiences aboard our belovedOcean Starand the lovely Natasha. Enjoy!

Tiffany Talsma, Jaimie Clifton and Christina Rizleris, editors

Tiffany Davis A.K.A T-dawgor Touch Down. She is someone who

is always smiling come rain or shine.Her personality seems to be a lot like

her smile, where nothing gets in her

way of keeping things up beat. She

may be quiet but she is loud with

laughter, if there is something that

strikes her as being funny it is known

talks, driving her truck & hunting. She is an important part of

the Ocean Starcrew with her laughter, and the photo of her

miniature donkey. Her energy to dance keeps all of us going.

Simon Koch (Chief Mate)A.K.A Simon. Simon that blond hair

heart throb is a guy who seems to be

dedicated to windsurng, but would

rather be ripping up the good waves

on a surf board. The few times I haveseen him on the windsurfer he has

proven to be most delicate. He has

also proven to be good at diverting

predators; out for a swim at Peter

Island darted a 3- 4 ft shark from the dark depths of the ocean

water, with a quick thrash and a loud shriek Simon's predator

veered at the last second leaving Simon breathless and in a

panic. He is guy, who even though is 27, still has that boyish

charm and loves adventures. He is the Man.

Boomer(Captain)A.K.ABoom, Boomster and pretty much

anything else you can add with

Boomer. Here is a guy who loves

to tell his stories, many of which I

came to nd out rst hand to be te

tales. You know when hes joking

because he gets this twinkle in his

eyes and a smile on his cheeks.

many talents and loads of knowledge for us to gain. Setting the

sails again he embarks on a new journey with us, the new crew

to Ocean Star. He hopes to pass on his love and appreciation f

the ocean. He is the master of his domain as well as a practica

jokester.

Michael Weber A.K.A Mikey,GQ or Aqua man.

He has a personality that cant be hid-

den. Once familiarized in his new sur-

roundings, the fun-loving and enter-

taining Mikey revealed himself to the

crew. There was nothing, however, to

prepare us for the enthusiasm that GQ

had shown us one faithful night. It

was on that night that he did his pelvic1


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thrust dancing to thriller, which had the ladies on board in an

up-roar of hysterics. But it didnt stop there, his moves were

then pressed to the max when he attempted to do a split. Dance

aqua man, Dance.

Tom Rose A.K.A Tom-O or TommyYou will always know when Tom

is around because there is always

someone (well, mostly Dave) thatshouts a loud and prolonged Tom-O

when he is present. He is an ener-

getic out-going guy who is computer

savvy and uses his capabilities in the

best of ways aboard O/Star by cap-

turing photos of the crew members.

His photos range from a beautiful

sunset on passage to an underwater

photo of Jack who found himself

on an old toilet from a boat that sank. - -

ment on our grill night, he jumped in with both hands and took

control. He is the kind of guy who is always making sure that

everyone is okay.

Jess Fry (Oceanography Instructor)A.K.ABeaker Mc wedgie

She is hard at work whether it

be at the helm, sweating up the

anchor or planning our next

oceanography class. She can keep

herself busy by absorbing herself

in the adventures of Harry Potter

and relax herself by going for

a late afternoon swim. She is a

sweet person, and has become ouronboard "Fish Chick"

Alice de Marco A.K.Alittle buddy or kid sister.

There is nothing that Alice is not

afraid to say, which makes her so

much fun. You can never tell what

she will come up with next. Her

intentions are geared toward love

is pain and pain is love. She is

a happy person with a personal-

ity that will keep you laughingfor hours. She is the kind of person who is always thinking

positively no matter what the situation. Although she is small

in size, she has a big heart and many big things to say. Her

expressions are priceless and her presence is cherished aboard

O/Star. She is Mighty Mouse.

Dave Lee A.K.A Sarge, is a strong, hard worker& jokester. During the day, you can hear him making

impersonations of the Tasmanian devil & Crusty the clown.

He has shared with us stories of months on end of hiding in

camouage and played for us his collection of Dave Mathews2

songs as well as songs of his

own. His boyish charm and

smart comments keep us all on

guard, which makes him like our

brother aboard O/Star. His drive

and energy are just what O/Star

crew needs. His songs are perfect

endings to our daily events. He is

the musical talent.

Jaimie Clifton We are number one and we willremain number one for the rest of the trip AKA: James,

Jaimie (pronounced hiiiimay), Man-

lover, The Asian persuasion

Jaimies talents aboard Ocean Star

stretch from horizon to horizon. Any-

where from quoting any funny movie

you could think of word for word

to a textbook squirrel dive. When

confronted with the query of how she

became such a diving champ she just shrugs er s ou ers

and tells you how it is. How is it you ask? It just is. TheAsian Persuasion. A natural born leader, and her can-do

attitude (hence the quote in the beginning) She of course will

always be number one throughout the trip (according to her

watch team).

Jonathan Brooknerya know oooookay.

AKA: Bond

Johnny is our very own Boy

Scout on board and we are often

regaled with tales from the camp-

ing trails. Although he sometimes

loses his water bottle, its really

not a big deal and hell nd it

later. He always comes out vic-

tor ac ua y spot t y I wr te. Jo n sous an caous an ca ee aass ss

a sunscreen fanatic and encourages us all to protect ourselves

from the sun's mighty rage.

Tiffany Talsma what up! AKA: T2, TT, TalsmaI remember it like it was yesterday. When fate decided to

save the best for last and T2walked into our lives a day late.

Her smile and laughter brighten all of our early mornings,

late passage nights and every moment in between. She meets

every task head-on with a what up!and is always on top of her game

(who can forget our rst real grill

night with her and Tom??). Talsmas

swimming skills surpass even some

shipmates ability to walk on land.

Sometimes she and Simon go swim-

ming. Were talking real swimming,

as in caps and goggles, not just jump-

ing off the starboard side and doggy

paddling around. In fact, Simon has

been forced to make up outlandish


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fore I wrote this because he has been

Scuba Steve from day one. Scoobs

has got the best attitude of anyone I

have ever met. He loves everything,

from the smallest plankton to the big-

gest sail. Steve gets the whole crew

ready for action and is the rock we all

lean against. Scuba, your enthusiasm

is astonishing and your mustache is

the best.

Erin Hoag AKA EErin seems to have an afnity for

hurting herself as much as she can

If ever you hear a yelp you can be

sure it is Erin running into some-

thing no one else would run into.

She is always laughing and crack-

ing everybody up. Her empathy f

others is uncanny and she has a lo

for life.

Erin Hoag and Alice De Marco

Whos on Natasha?

James Tyson James is our personal encyclopedia. This

North Carolina guy knows how to think for himself. If youhave a question, most likely he has an

answer. James can be found around

the Cat reading intellectual books or

writing in his journal. Sometimes

James will be chilling with his drum

playing a mellow beat. If the drum

isnt around, an empty can or plastic

bowl will do. James loves all kinds of

music, except for country and is very

multi-cultural with a great appreciation

for many types of music.

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shark attack stories that, apparently, hinder his ability as a swim-

mer, since T2shows him up every time. What up Talsma!

Jack Hubbard Alriiiiiiiighty (pronounced very suave)AKA: Jack Attack, Jackie Boy

If Sea-mester was the reality TV show

Real World, Jack would be the heart

throb. With over 200 dives under his

belt, his vast knowledge of the under-

water world inspires the crew. He is

also our resident dare devil, boldly

jumping from unimaginable heights

off rat lines and free diving to depths

unseen by the naked eye. Jack always

has a hand in pulling up the sails or

and can name all of them. His dream is to take this talent all the

way to Howard Stern.

Traci Antonovich (Communications

Instructor)Are there any apples left? DUDE! AKA T-bomb, T-comm and GimpyTracy is our true blue Ocean Starhippie

who always has a smile on her face. She

makes everyone on board laugh out loud

and has taught us all that peanut butter

goes with everything. In fact, she just

served me a saltine cracker with peanut

butter and jelly on it. She entered our

little cruise with a gimp foot, but one

would never know. It hasn't stopped her

from windsurng or hiking.

Tyler Herrick AKA Tye, Sideshow BobAhh, one of our many Nantucket boys on this trip, but the only

one to grace us on Ocean Star. At 64, Tye is a big help on

board to us shorter kids.

If you think that is tall, wait till

you meet his 611, 16 year-old

rot er w o s est ne to p a oo

Coach Kay at Duke. Tyler is al-

ways giving us a good laugh with

his dance parties along with Mike

in the salon.

Scuba Steve I love it AKA: Andy Bennett, Scuba,Scubby, Steve, Scoobs, Scooby Certied

Oh Scuba, how do I count the ways? I can, guilt free, say that

Scoobs is the best person out of all of us (sorry if you thought

you where the best). I actually had to ask him his real name be-


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and sail. Nelson is laid-back and easy-going and always has a

crazy story to tell about his life. He has a wide variety in mus

taste and can be found aboard reading a good book or drinking

green tea. Nelsons biggest accomplishment aboard the Cat w

taking the rst step in catching our rst Mahi Mahi. Thank yo

Nelson.

Chris Williams (Captain)AKA CW

This true sailor is our captain. Origi-

nally born in inland Florida, he is a

Hawaiian at heart. If hes not surng,

windsurng, sailing, or kite boarding,

then he is telling us good old pirate

tales or funny stories. Chris loves a

nice clean boat and loves to hear how

our circle of awareness gets bigger

every day. Chris favorite pastime

on passage is competing for sh with Ocean Star, or drawing

sketches of his dream Catamaran. There is no doubt that Chris

will pursue his dream of yacht architecture because of his hard

core motivation.

Liz Randlett Elizabeth is our live on-boat Drama QueenNo boat would be complete without one and we love ours very

much. Liz has become infamous for reading bad novels, full o

scandalous information and can b

found hanging out in her hole,

astutely studying the latest Dan

Brown Books. She has found a

special ability to have some of th

funniest stories and could easily

be described as one of our crazie

people aboard. She loves shoppin

driving the dinghy without a ding

certication, spitting out random

information and consistently

nagging Chris. The paramount

question concerning Liz is, What exactly are you thinking dea

girl? A good question even the best of us cannot answer.

Chantale Begin Chief Mate & Oceanograph

Instructor) AKA C-tal, The French ConnectionChantale is a faithful member of the morning coffee clubwa

a minute, she isthe morning coffee club, along with her specia

coffee mug and French Press. She has

a hidden collection of every movie

ever made by humankind and a very

diverse music collection, which were

just starting to discover. She is a very

knowledgeable girl, especially when

it comes to oceanography or the role

a proper rst mate, or any lowly ship

hand should play on a boat. Even if

she was the rst one to fall in the wa-

ter on our rst night out wet landing

at Sunshines, shes still one hard core

4

Davis Hammell AKA TheGentle Giant

At rst glance, Davis can be quite

intimidating. Towering at 6 feet 6

inches, all the girls agree he would

make the best pretend boyfriend

at the bar scene to scare away the

local boys. Davis isnt your ste-

reotypical football player. He is a

big guy, with an even bigger heart.

His passion for reading explains his

very high intellect and love for learning. He can always be found

lying around the Cat reading anything and everything in sight.

Davis is the only one who can pull in the jib sheet without using

the winch- beat that Ocean Star!

Jeremy Garretson This Manhattan raised city boy mayhave the city style down, but really is a sailor at heart. He always

gets excited about putting up the sails and probably is the one

aboard who has the most experience sailing. Jeremy transforms

into a new creature during passage. A crazy yet hilarious

personality comes out. This meat-lover claimed the love pit (salon) for

sleeping arrangements, but if you

ask nicely he will share. His recent

famous drink called pinkerade

(a mix of lemonade and Gatorade)

keeps a nice variety of beverages

aboard. Jeremy keeps it lively

aboard with his occasional belts of

random song lyrics and can be given

the credit for our sailing theme song-

Enyas Sail

Away.

Clayton Webb Clayton is ourNantucket Boy #1 on board. He excels

in climbing (so good, he is mistaken for

a monkey), surng (ts the surfer look

to the T), cooking, and can make the

worlds best hemp necklaces. Clayton

makes any meal tasty with garlic

powder, salt and pepper- three essentials

our crew has now become dependent

upon. Easy-going and mellow, Clayton can always make you

laugh with a funny comment or story. If Clayton isnt snorkeling,

digging holes, or giving his informational speech in 3rdperson, heis most likely sleeping, sleeping, and

did I mention, sleeping?

Nelson,

Nantucket Boy #2 i ns an origs an orig

character. He has a good head on

s s ou ers an ours one os one o

entrepreneurs aboard. He owns his

own business back home called,

Help is on the Way. Nelson was

orn or t e w oves to surter. Heter. He


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French Canadian chick you dont want to mess with.

Christina Rizleris Wow!Where does one even begin describing

Christina. She is one of the most

pleasant, enjoyable, and sweet girls

Ive ever known. She is also always

willing to lend a hand to anyone who

needs it. Yes, even if she doesnt

know how to use a radio the right

way, consistently breaks rules with

Emiie, talks about Lifetime movies

on passage, or the fact that she is a

bonade country girl from Chicago,

she is still an indispensable member

of our crew. You can often nd this future marine biologist

sitting on the bow of Natasha, splashing her feet in the waves and

giggling like a little girl.

Emilie Montgomery Now let me tell you, Emilies onetough little cookie. Not only was she the rst one to fall in the

harbor but the second as well. This Nawlins country girltakes pride in telling us all about the South, lifetime movies, and

most simply how it is. Being a

ru e rea er w t C r st na, w om

among er o enses not on y a

the nerve to listen to music in her

room w t t e oor c ose , ut

she did it listening to unacceptable

mus c- oy an s an pop groups

from the late 90s. And yes, she did

L z an ot ers nc u nga moa mo

s w e sa ng smamy e Jamy e Ja

ething justboats, but soboats, but soee

t wou eut er; oweveut er; oweve

she didnt bring a Gretchen Wilson CD.

Christina Rizleris and James Tyson

First Day

The rst day of my Sea-mester voyage summoned up an amaz-

ingly long list of emotions. How does one describe arriving in

a totally new world, without any idea of what to do? I am sure

that I could not even begin to assign words to all the feelings andthoughts rolling around in my head. Arriving here knowing noth-

ing of what to expect while also trying to not feel too out of place

is an impossible battle. We did not all arrive at the same time.

The majority of us arrived on the 2:30 ight from San Juan,

however some had arrived earlier and others did not show up till

late Wednesday night. There was one exception, poor T-squared

had to stay the night in San Juan and did not arrive till Thursday

morning. But, we are glad she made it, because we would have

hated to make this voyage without her. So, back to my point, I

was lucky enough to arrive on the 2:30 ight. By the time we

cleared customs and took a 45 minute taxi ride that doubles as an

5

amusement park ride, we arrived in Sopers Hole, West End, T

tola about 4:00PM. The anticipation grew exponentially when

we came into the marina and the tall masts of Ocean Starwere

there to welcome us. I walked nervously down the dock to me

the staff waiting to give us our boat assignments. It was almos

surreal. It didnt seem like it was really happening. I had read

all the previous Telltale newsletters and thought I had a good

grasp on how it all worked. But there I was, living out the stor

I had been reading. I must say, that Ocean Starwas about how

had pictured her, only with less storage space. After a boat touI chose a bunk in the focsle; an extremely small crypt space f

four in the bow of Ocean Star. After that it was unpacking and

free time until dinner.

So here I am, surrounded by all these strange people, in a worl

have never been to, living on a boat, something I had never do

before. My brain felt so overwhelmed that I didnt even know

where to begin. After some time to unpack and settle in, we ha

a meet and greet on the trampoline of the original catamaranIbadilwamza. Meeting everyone helped to alleviate some of m

fears. Overall, the rst day is a mixture of fear and excitement

Something one can never really understand until it happens. O

course, that was three weeks ago and all these strangers feel lik

family now. I look back on the rst day and laugh. It seems lik

a year ago.

Tom Rose

Passage

Life at sea, is as calm as it can be,Making me feel as though I am free.

Until my food decides to ee,

Things I didnt know could come out of me.

Up my stomach and out my throat,

The sort of stuff that surely doesnt oat.

On the bow and at the stern,

Making my fellow mates stomachs churn.

But theres much more to life at sea,

Than heaving chunks and holding pee.


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person tails the remainder of the line. Once the sail is all the w

up, the halyard is to be pulled twoite by a process called swe

ing. When you sweat the halyard you do exactly that, sweat. I

is quite an exhilarating process but we managed without any

troubles.

Once the mainsail was raised, it seemed as if the major challen

was over, until we realized there were four more sails to be rai

and trimmed. Following the mainsail, we worked on raising th

foresail doing the same process we used on the main. Once the

foresail was raised radiating perfection we moved on over to th

staysail followed by the jib. As you move from the mainsail fo

ward, the sails begin to get smaller. The main is the largest, fol

lowed by the foresail, the staysail, and the jib being the smalle

The boat was pointed into the wind, and the sails started to ap

as the wind blew through. Our skipper gave the order to fall o

the wind and we did exactly that. The sails became tight and so

we were moving by only the power of the wind.

Once all the sails were raised, we all had a sense of accom-

plishment and teamwork. We had the same goals, and worked

together to achieve the goal of sailing. For the rst time this tri

we had all acted as part of a team.

Scoobers (aka Andy Bennett)

Open water Diving

From watching an eventful and humorous video to diving a pla

wreck, the open water divers managed to survive a rigorous r

two weeks of Sea-mester. For most of the group, diving looke

like it came natural, but soon we learned that there was more th

what we expected.

We began on Day 2 and have yet to stop. In the beginning, ou

2 instructors, Chantale and Boomer, divided us up into 2 group

6

The sh we catch make us dinner,

But in Alices eyes, we are all sinners.

Sailsh, mahi, or a fresh tuna steak,

We give those sh no time for break.

From dawn til dusk the lines are wet,

Only a foolish Cat (Catamaran) would take our bet.

A beautiful sunset to an unforgettable sunrise,

There are no breaks for our eyes.A blue skied day and a starry night,

Certainly would be Van Goghs delight.

How beautiful life is indeed,

Makes you fathom how there could be greed.

Life at sea is truly kind,

So open your eyes and pull up your blind.

Admiral Mike Weber

Commodore Tyler Herrick

Sailing Ocean Starthe 1stTime

Everything about Ocean Starand her 88 feet is intimidating. The

sails are huge, the lines are long, and the booms and masts are

massive. She was intimidating as ever the day O-Star crew had

decided to sail her for the rst time. No one knew what line cor-

responded to what part of the vessel, let alone what the purpose

or name of what each line was.Our trusty skipper and chief mate gave us a brieng on what hal-

yard and sheet did what and soon they were barking orders at us.

They told us what was going to occur and how we were supposed

to react when it happened. Although our crew was new and still

confused about the Ocean Starand her workings, we all had faith

in our trusty skipper and mate.

Before we knew it, the orders came to start pulling on halyards

(halyards are what raise and lower the sails). The rst sail to go

up was the main, and we raised it as if we had done it a hundred

times before. The main sail loomed over the entire aft half of

the ship. It takes one person to pull on the halyard while another


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That night, we all got together to watch an educational tape

of underwater diving created by PADI. We thank PADI for this

opportunity, because we now know not to become one of their

actors!

The next morning, bright and early, we all met on the Cat to

enjoy more lectures by our lovely instructors. After going over

how to assemble our dive gear, we were ready to head out. In

about 5 ft of water, all of us took our rst breath underwater.

(Even though it was only a few feet deep and the elephant grass

did major damage to a lot of our knees). With 3 more dives to goplus passing the exams, many of us were anxious to dive on our

own.

Then dive tables came around. Many people say that these dive

tables were tricky to learn but useful. After painful struggling

with the ever so famous dive tables, nally we mastered the skill.

Proceeding the tables, quizzes, and exams was dive number 4.

This was our last dive, and it came fairly easy to everyone. We

started out getting last minute maneuvers over and as soon as ev-

eryone was done, we explored a plane wreck that was purposely

put there for the movie, Six Days Seven Nights. After many suc-

cessful dives, all of us can proudly say we are scuba certied

and can dive without the help of our lovely instructors.

Emilie Montgomery

Advanced Divers & the Elusive SeaTurtle

The few, the proud, and the certied denes the advanced diver

group. However, the word advanced may not exactly describe us

all; nonetheless we came to Seamester already certied to dive.

The pressing question on our mind was what of us? How will

this ramshackle group of strangers entertain themselves while

the remainder of the boat took dive classes? We where not left to

wonder long. Jess, a.k.a Beaker, the British half of our beloved

Oceanography instructor duo, introduced us to the turtle tagging

project.

In the British Virgin Islands there is a project being led by Shan

non The Turtle Lady (never did nd out her last name). The

project is quite simple. We donned our snorkeling gear, jumpe

into the water and grabbed onto water ski ropes. See, it is theshipmates job to be drug through the water behind Irv, our

beloved dinghy, looking for sea turtles. Seem like some strang

ritualistic hazing? Oh, there is more. It was actually exciting.

We got a high speed (higher speed than swimming anyway) tou

of the reefs surrounding Gorda Sound. The excitement wore o

when we started running into jellysh. Our attention was shift

somewhat from looking for turtles to dodging jellysh in hopes

of avoiding a nasty sting.

The idea was that if we found a turtle we where to follow it unt

it was shallow enough that we could dive down and grab it. W

were then to haul the turtle back to the oating metropolis of

Camp Ocean Star. The project called for us to take measure-

ments, a DNA skin sample and inject the turtle with an electrontag. We then would return our new found friend to the big blue

Now, I know there are many of you out there crying to high he

en about the apparent monstrosity we are reaping on these poor

defenseless animals. In response to that I offer up two points o

information. First, turtles are hunted four months out of the ye

in the BVI. The local government is not interested in changing

their hunting laws. So, Shannon is trying to gather hard eviden

to show that turtles are endangered. The hope is that this will

bring an end to the hunting. Secondly, take rest in knowing tha

we never caught a single turtle. Not one. We did see one, but

he/she was way too deep, although we give props to Jonathan f

making a valiant effort.

Chasing the elusive Caribbean Sea turtle was not the sole en-tertainment of the advanced diving group. While the SCUBA

trainees took classes, we high jacked the catamaran and a coup

of staff members. With the threat of ogging hanging over the

head, the staff was all too pleased to take us on a breathtaking

Caribbean dive. Under the command and supervision of Chris

and Beaker (well, we like to let them think so), we dove the co

gardens and a plane wreck. I must tell everyone that this au-

thor has never dove in tropical waters. Being from Washington

State, this new world made me feel like a kid in a candy store.

Although I have to say, Washington does have some beautiful

diving, but it is just different from the tropics. We started with7


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a trip around the plane. Let me put in perspective for you. The

plane did not crash right where it lies, it actually crashed at the

Beef Island airport, then was used in a movie, and was sunk for

us divers to enjoy. In fact, it is not even the entire plane, only the

fuselage.

Our next dive was at Coral Gardens/Mountain Point. Again,

words cannot describe how beautiful it was. The challenge of

the Mountain Point dive was the surge. There was little we could

do to swim into it, so we just let it move us around. This made

for a really relaxing dive. Our latest dive was to the wreck ofthe Fearless, one of Jacque Cousteaus boats. The wreck was 80

feet deep. I got some good pictures, one in particular. The head,

a.k.a toilet, was sitting outside the boat. My dive partner, Jack,

decided he needed a little relief on the sea oor. The picture

turned out awesome! All in all the Fearless was very fun to

explore.

This last dive marked the end of the prestigious advanced diver

group. Since the SCUBA trainees have become the SCUBA

certied we are forced to close the book on our elite group of ex-

traordinary divers. But, we look forward to sharing the mysteries

of the deep with the remainder of our crew.

Tom rose

Keelboat sailing

The crews for both Ocean Starand Ibadilwamza were thrilled

to hear that we were chartering two IC24s for the day. It gave

everybody the opportunity to practice for their Basic Keel Boat

certication in a hands-on learning environment. The IC24s weremodied J24s that had alterations on the deck.

The staff split everybody up in four groups of ve and we all

went out on the boats. The wind was blowing strong at about 20

knots, perfect sailing weather. A few rain squalls blew through

the area, giving us an exciting sailing experience. As we sailed

around Sir Frances Drake Channel, we alternated turns at the

tiller, main sheet, and jib sheets. Everybody got a better under-

standing of the principles of sailing. For some, sailing the boats

was like a second nature to them, and for others, well there

is still hope for them. The sailing was good practice for us, and

soon we all got the hang of it. Later in the term we will really be

put up to the test as we get to go on Hobie Cats by ourselves.

Jeremy Garretson

Team Natashas Day of Luxury

Monday, October the third of two thousand four began like any

other Sea-mester day. We rose with the sun, ate a healthy but

simple breakfast, talked and planned for our passage to Nevis a

then motored to the historic and breathtaking site of the Baths

on Virgin Gorda. Unfortunately for our beloved Natasha, the

Sunsail catamaran fates were not in favor of Natasha. Approx

mately half way to Virgin Gorda, the port motor failed due ove

heating. While the Sea-mester crew played in the Baths, Nata-

shas fate was being sealed. Upon arrival to the Plat- Cat, th

crew was informed the passage was to be put on hold and a tw

hour passage with one motor was to be made to Hodges Creek

the Sunsail headquarters. We reached the headquarters with thhopes of an evening departure for Grenada, but again the fates

were in control forcing Natashas crew to remain on the docks

of Hodges Creek. However, our misfortune was not in vain.

fact, not only was the night a rewarding and luxurious night, bu

also with the setback our crew came together and overcame wh

could have become a seriously negative night. While stranded

with a malfunctioning catamaran, we enjoyed the pleasures of

fresh water showers, and in Jeremys case, four freshwater sho

ers. Following our uplifting bathing experiences, the member

of Natasha went to the world famous Fat Hog Bobs Bar and

Grill to indulge in fresh ice cold Cokes and yes, the restaurant

most popular one pound burgers. A perfect and fullling endin

to what started out as a day on a downfall.

Liz Randlett

Windsurng

Sailing an 88-foot schooner and a 46-foot Catamaran in the

middle of a tropical paradise is an event that we the FCS04

Seamester crews have learned to love. There are many differen

factors that go into the art of sailing, and no one factor is more

important than learning how to catch the wind.

8


11/48

Throughout these rst few weeks we have been learning vast

amounts of sailing knowledge. First it was our inaugural sail

where we nally learned that its not as easy as it looks, then

learning how to sail IC-24s where we found how powerful the

smallest amount of wind can really be, and most recently our

windsurng workshops.

Windsurng is basically taking a surfboard throwing a sail on it

and riding it around. Sounds easy right? Wrong! Out of all our

sailing classes and workshops this particular form of sailing has

proven to be the most difcult. At this point in our Seamestereverything from setting the board up to rigging the sail have been

difcult. Slowly but surely we are learning how to complete

these small tasks and hopefully we will soon be able to put the

windsurfer together without asking for help from our windsurng

big brothers Boomer and Simon.

After set-up comes windsurng right? Wrong again. The next

step is learning how to balance on the board so you can slowly

pull the sail out of the water. Next comes the sail. At rst when

you're lifting the sail up it seems as though you have 200 gallons

of water on the end of your up-haul, but as the water runs off the

sail it becomes lighter and easier to lift. Finally you have the sail

up. This is the point where most of us either loose our balance

or realize that the wind was actually at our face which causes

the sail to ever so quickly knock you right off the board at which

time you have to start all over again.

This arduous process gets harder every time you fall off the

board, and as our frustration goes up, our energy goes down.

Then something happens. Boomer and Simon like to call then

break-through days. Something nally just clicks into place. You

learn where to put your feet and you begin to learn what the sail

is about to do. Before you know it your slowly moving across thecrystal clear tropical waters. The excitement pumps through your

veins and you cant believe that you havent fallen off yet.

The few lessons we have had are only the beginning of our wind-

surng adventures, and we do get better every time we go out on

the water. Over the next sixty days or so it is our hope that we

will be catching a free ride from the wind to where ever our next

destination will be.

David Lee

Sandy spit and the BathsAfter turtle talk with Shannon the turtle lady, we all grabbed

some pizza and wings and headed off to and island called Sand

Spit. It was a neat little island that took a total of no more than

min to walk around. Two palm trees inhabited this small islan

and among it lives many hermit crabs. Although we did not ha

much time, it was a nice little visit and it denitely had a lot of

party potential. I wish we had the chance to use it for a BBQ o

something along that line. It was I nice little pit stop none the l

with a nice swim to it.

The Baths had to have been one of the neatest places we have

been to so far. Back in the days of slavery, this beautiful locat

provided one of the few chances for slaves to bathe after the lo

passage aboard ship. I have never seen or heard of a place like

that before. Huge rocks piled high covered an area of the beac

The water would come in and out from the sea and ll up knee

high depths of water in rock caves. Again, I wish we had mor

time to explore and see everything in the area. It was still an aw

some time and every one had fun. Luckily, there were minima

injuries. However, of the few injuries included T.D. falling and

sliding down a rock on her bum (it was pretty funny) Ty-sticks

got it pretty bad palming a urchin, but all and all it was a stella

time and I hope to go back some day.

Clayton Webb

9


12/48

Passages and Fishing

While on our passage from the British Virgin Islands to Nevis

and Nevis to Grenada, Ocean Starand the Plat- Cat have been

in an all out shing battle. During the rst passage, I (Nelson)

tended to a shing line that was nothing more than a blue nylon

line and a lure. After an hour of tending the line, I was asked to

perform a task for Captain Chris. As I handed the line off to my

shipmate Jimmy, he hooked a beautiful Mahi- Mahi. Jimmy tru-

ly believes that he was responsible for catching the colorful sh

but in fact, the entire crew knows that in reality it was I. After

the sh was brought aboard, Chris gutted it, bragging to Ocean

Starthat he was actually responsible not me or Jimmy. During

the passage to Grenada, our boat, the Plat- Cat, caught an even

larger Mahi- Mahi than before. To please Jeremy, we give him

credit for this mighty ne catch. Yum- Yum- Yum. As for Ocean

Star, they are most likely lying about their catches, and cannot

and will never be trusted. (Or so they think- from the O-Star)

Nelson Allen

NevisWe motored off the western coast of Nevis on Thursday October

7th, dropping anchor around one in the afternoon after about 20

hours underway from the BVI. The 3000+-foot peak in the center

of the island drew my attention from the rst glimpse to the part-

ing view out my hatch, meriting at least ve or six pictures. Its

easy to see why Columbus called the island Nuestra Senora de

las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows) when you watch the sloth-

like clouds roll up and down the 3,232 ft. zenith like so much

Caribbean snow.

We spent the rest of the rst day clearing customs, provisioning,

showering and giving Natasha some well needed appreciation

thorough cleaning). On the following day, we got our rst chan

to walk the historic island and go to its only city, Charlestown.

wandered through the streets, visiting the public library, Intern

caf, and the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton before returnin

to the boat to eat. After lunch, we went to see a presentation fo

Oceanography class on marine invertebrates and were allowed

to hold and observe a few of the animals up close, including

starsh, various sponges, Caribbean spiny lobsters and an elus

octopus. That night we had our rst ofcial night out at the fa-mous Sunshines Beach Bar & Grille, on Pinneys Beach, ju

north of Charlestown. According to the Leeward Island Cruisin

Guide, no trip to Nevis is complete without enjoying Sunshine

special rum concoction, the Killer Bee, on the beach with him

and his nephews. I think its safe to say that we agree, as all ha

a great time. The following day was a free day to explore the

island on our own, to try to see as much as possible before leav

ing. Some shipmates stayed around Charlestown, shopping and

e-mailing, others rented ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles) for a self

guided island tour. Most of the rest took taxis up to the Golden

Rock Inn to attempt the rigorous hike to the top of Nevis Peak

simply relax in the shade and swim in pool at the converted su

plantation hotel. Provisioning and laundry taken care of, we ha

a nal dinner in the bay and got ready for passage to Grenada.

That night I could see clearly through the Narrows, the pass

between Nevis and St. Christophers (St. Kitts) to the north, an

got chills upon realizing that that was where the pirate Captain

Culliford and privateer Captain Kidd met during a battle betwe

the English and the French almost 350 years ago. I fell asleep

wondering if they passed by where we were anchored, in their

stolen ship full of murdered French sailors. Overall, Nevis was

very interesting island for some, and very fun for all.

Davis Hammell

Barbs Lab

During one of our days at Nevis, we were able to meet a cool

lady named Barb. She lives on the island and is a local marine

biologist. We went into her house and all sat in a big room wh

she taught us all about Porifera (sponges), Cnidaria (jelly-sh,

anemones, coral), Ctenophora (comb jellies and non-stinging

jellies), Echinodermata (star sh, sea cucumbers, sea urchins,

and sand dollars), Mollusca (univalves, bivalves, squid, octo-

pus, nautilus, nudibranchs), Annelida (sea worms), Arthropoda

(shrip, lobster, crabs), and Urochordata (tunicates). First, she j

went ahead explaining them and showing some video footage.She also passed around some dead specimens as well. After

we went over all the phyla, we then split into two groups. One

group played on the beach, while the other group went to Barb

two aquarium tanks she owned. We all got the chance to hold

starsh, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. The most exciting thi

we saw was when the puffersh (who was named Elvis) ate a

one-legged brittle star, he swung his little head around and nea

ate him whole. It was a fun day of hands-on learning. We all

miss Barb and Elvis too.

Tiffany Davis10


13/48

Hking in Nevis

The island of Nevis was named so by discoverer Christopher Co-

lumbus because of the resemblance to that of the Nieve mountain

back in Spain. On this peak is what is appropriately called TheSource. It is named that because it is the main source of fresh

water for the whole island.

We arrived at Golden Rock Plantation after a nice scenic cab

ride from our friend Barry. We pulled into the driveway seeing

Ververt monkeys playing amongst the treetops. After a short

brieng from the owner of the plantation we started our trek up

to The Source. It started off as a brief walk on a paved road past

some local houses. Some local kids playing and a small group of

puppies greeted us as we passed.

The hike continued through the small village up into the rain for-

est. Because of the signicant amount of rain that the island had

received in the past few days, the sometimes steep and always

thin trail had become pretty slick. The trail followed a man made

aqueduct system that delivers the water from the source down to

where it can be used. On one concrete block there was a readable

date of 1896 scratched in by presumably someone who helped

build the system.

While in the forest, the trail opened up into some areas that of-

fered exquisite views of the sea far below. Hiking the slippery

trail through the dense vegetation took its toll on a few hikers in

the group and they turned back towards the comfort of the Inn

but a few pressed on with determination to nd the source. Aft

the others turned back, the trail took a turn for the worse. The

terrain got steeper, more slippery, and a bit more treacherous. W

nally came to a set of concrete steps that led up to small dam

The satisfaction of reaching the source was short-lived when w

realized that this still was not the source. So we pressed on, at

this point turning back was not an option.

The owner of the Inn told us that when we reached the bottom

the source we would nd a rickety and rusty old ladder, but tha

it was safe to climb. We eventually found a ladder, but our initireaction was that this ladder was a little too rickety and a little

too rusty to be climbed safely. So of course we climbed to the

top anyway and upon reaching the top we realized that this wa

in fact not the ladder she was talking about. Holding our breath

we descended the dilapidated ladder and pressed on further int

the forest. It turned out that actually the source was not too mu

further from the faux source we had encountered earlier. Stand

ing at the bottom of the next ladder we thought that it looked

even less inviting than the previous, so we climbed.

After a long hike of steep drop-offs, slippery slopes, and treach

erous terrain we nally reached the source. It wasnt exactly

what we had in mind. One hiker described it as searching for th

cup of life and nding a plastic mug. The so-called source wasnothing more that a few trickles of water spilling out of a smal

puddle over a steep drop-off. So there we were, three soaking

wet, muddy, sweaty, and tired individuals standing next to a

water source that didnt look like it could quench our own thirs

let alone a whole island nation.

So was it worth it you ask? Absolutely. There is nothing like se

ting a goal for yourself and achieving it, even if that goal doesn

involve a beautiful hike through a lush rain forest lled with

breathtaking view of some of the prettiest land on Earth.

Jack Hubbard

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Grenada, Grenadines, St. Lucia

Fall Edition 2004, Volume II


15/48


The Carib bean Sea-mesterGrenada, Grenadines, St. Lucia

Fall Edition 2004, Volume II

Word from the editors

Here we are half way through our adventure and weve all

been able to see and do what many people only read about. We

touched the clouds, swam to the sea floor, and have been sailing

through glistening seas of the Caribbean. We have much more tolook forward to in the upcoming forty days. The crews of Ocean

StarandNatashaproudly present our second edition of the Tell

Tale.

Jaimie, Christina, and Tiffany T.

Grenada

When we entered Prickly Bay of Grenada, our full crew drew in

a crude breath. Literally hundreds of buildings were torn thor-

oughly apart, hinge from hinge or were blindly in search of their

roofs. The group, one by one took turns looking intently and em-

pathically through the onboard binoculars. Each shipmate shooktheir head at the surrealness of the sight and surroundings they

had just become immersed into. The desperateness we imagined

the islanders to have after the lives, homes and island had been

plunged into a state of despair caused both Ocean StarandNa-

tashato have a pirate watch the first night of being anchored on

the hip of Grenada. However, the initial trip into the towns of the

ravaged island proved the demeanor of the local people different

then the directionless victims we had thought them to be. Ev-

eryone on the island was not only hopeful and positive to rebu

but also very welcoming to the group of thirty tourists barrelin

through their existing towns in microbuses.

Upon arrival to the island for our second day, we were bom-

barded by taxi drivers who promised to take us wherever we so

desired. The destination for most was the most developed and

practical town St. Georges. Seven of the shipmates piled into

Aorels microbus, sweating, drenched and sticking to the seats

We headed into the town with anticipation for the day ahead

including email and possibly telephone conversations with lov

ones, authentic souvenirs found in small personable markets an

the exploration of a completely new Caribbean town.

When I stepped out of the microbus, my body was wrapped

in the heavy blanket of the Caribbean heat and my excitement

exuded from my pores along with salty perspiration. My day

was spent walking through the narrow winding streets of whatseemed to be a replica of a small European third world town,

spending time in the aged National Museum of Grenada, emai

ing with friends and family and anindulgent lunch at KFC. Th

rest of the afternoon was spent on the ferocious search for the

smallest bit of ice cream and relaxing by the waterfront with

other shipmates. On the waterfront, we had the privilege of

watching a family vend sodas and waters out of a cooler, intera

ing with each costumer as a long lost family member.

Boarding the dinghies back toNatashaand Ocean Star, we cam

back with a completely different understanding and a respect f

the island we had just experienced. We know how interested t

1


16/48

locals are in us, how hopeful, and how beautiful their town is

as well as their culture.

Liz Randlett

The Seven Sisters Waterfall

The Seven Sisters waterfall was a very fun hike. This was one

of the many waterfalls in Grenada. Our group was the first

group to hike the path after the devastating Hurricane Ivan.

This made the hike a real challenge, considering the fact that

all of us were in sandals.

Many of the folks were slipping this way and many other ways

as well. The trail went down a little path with some debris and

then led to a riverbed. Although not every sister was visited

(each sister is a tier of this seven tier waterfall) because of

the state of the path, the one and only sister we did see was a

site to behold. It was even better to feel, for the first time, cold

fresh water. This was a nice refreshing reward to a long hot

sweaty hike. There was an awesome rock diving ledge as well.

Many of us were challenged to climb up to about 43 ft and

then jump into the cool refreshing water. That was much fun to

partake in. Overall, I wish we spent more time there but it was

definitely one of the best swims we went on and I will never

forget it.Clayton Webb

Tobago Cays

During our time in the Tobago Cays, where we spent several

days, we had an awesome time. Our time here was spent do-

ing various things; everything from windsurfing, and jumping

off the boom-swing, to visiting the Johnny Depp Island (as it

came to be called) and spending an awesome night barbequing

2

at another beach on Christinas birthday. The days past in a

blur; it was almost a pain to even have to leave these beauti-

fully sunny, and untouched islands. The Cays are a national

park and remain uninhabited, consisting of roughly 4 or 5

islands; the only population visible is the numerous yachts

that come to pay homage to this crazy place. To wander upon

these islands randomly would be like finding a small pieceof heaven on earth, but we found our heaven on earth here

regardless and loved every minute of it. Of course, we had to

cram classes the following week to make up for the reduced

amount of scholastic work while in the Cays, but it was worth

it. The morning we left, we were chased out of the reef la-

goon by a huge squall, which seemingly reflected our sorrow

at leaving such a beautiful place.

James Tyson

Night Snorkel

At 1900 hours, after eating a hearty meal, the crew of Ocean

StarandNatashaembarked on a night snorkeling adventure

in the Tobago Cays. We had snorkeled the horseshoe reef

site many times before this point, but that had been with the

safety of the sun at our back. Who knows what sorts of crea-

tures come out to stalk the high seas at night. For most crew

members, it was the first time going on a night snorkel. For


17/48

It was a wonderful opportunity to be in the Tobago Cays, but

what made this part of the trip so special and exciting was that

one little island which we will call the Johnny Depp Island.

You will definitely recognize this tiny little island because it is

the same exact island that the characters Jack Sparrow and Eliz

beth were stranded on in the moviePirates of the Caribbean.

As soon as we had a good opportunity, we motored the cat to

the island and hung out for the afternoon to walk around, swim

snorkel, and even fly a kite. As soon as we landed on the John

Depp Island, a bunch of us found the exact spot where the patand rum shed were in the movie.

Another scene that you could recognize in the moviePirates of

the Caribbeanwas the town. After leaving Bequia, we made

stop by a little town called Wallilabou Bay on St. Vincent whe

you can still see the old houses and the windmill type thing tha

Johnny Depp escapes from. There were still a few houses left

from the several scenes, and we saw the rock arch that they hu

pirates from. This time we did not get to stop and look around

but got many pictures.

Emilie Montgomery

Beach BBQ (Christinas Birthday)

It just so happens oddly enough that our occasional beach bar-

beque happened to fall on my 19thbirthday.

We started some fire pits in the rocks on an uninhabited island

the lovely Tobago Cays. I was one of the fine chefs that day. W

fired up some burgers, (well, I dont think they could be called

burgers how about mystery meat) and some chicken dogs.

One thing we have come immune to is the funny meats we ingdown here in the Caribbean. It tasted good though just becaus

it was cooked on an open fire. The highlight food of the eveni

was the gigantic cake that both boats cooked all day. T-square

and Jaimie added the finishing touches. The mountainous cak

had frosting, sprinkles and candles! This was a real treat for u

all.

Unfortunately, a rain storm came to our parade, but we didnt l

the rain ruin our fun. It ended up blowing over. We cut the ca

in half and I delivered it to Ocean Starand the Cat kept one ha

On the Cat we sang Happy Birthday and, after a face full of fro

ing, we devoured that cake. Perfect ending to a perfect day.

Definitely one of the most memorable birthdays I have had. I

mean, not everyone can say they turned 19 in the Caribbean

3

me, the suspense of what was to come began boiling up like a hot

sulfur spring on Saint Lucia as we began to pull on our wetsuits.

At dusk, Jess and T squared went to the exact spot where we

would be snorkeling and put glow sticks on the buoys so that we

would be certain not to miss the reef. We loaded onto the dingy,

snorkel, mask, and fins in hand. The ride went smoothly exceptfor the occasional scolding from Jess to keep the light pointed

in the front of the boat, not in my eyes, Scubs! We arrived in a

record time of one minute from our starting point, Ocean Star.

We immediately rolled back into the dark and foreboding waters.

All at once there was a mad mass of slashing fins and lights

pointed in every direction. The usual snorkeling-harmony of the

crew was lost to the darkness as everyone insisted on kicking

everyone else in the face. The current was uncommonly strong

that night and before we began to venture out on our own we

seemed to have a magnetic pull towards each other. For the forty-

five minutes that we were in the water we saw a couple of squids,

numerous fish, a puffer, lobsters, and a stingray. A lucky few

including myself had a close encounter with a nurse shark. Dave

wanted to let everyone know that he and Boomer saw two squids.

Night snorkels rock!

Alice Demarco

Johnny Depp Island and Pirates of the

Caribbean Town in Wallilabou


18/48

themselves to swing on it to see how low to the water it goes, a

they adjusted it appropriately.

Afterwards, the shipmates are given permission to use the

coveted boomswing. We were all very excited to try out this

newfangled contraption of ours. So, we began swinging on it.

Boomer went, then Sarge, Touchdown, T squared, Jack, Clay-

ton, Nelson, Tyler, Little Buddy, Scubs (Scuba Steve), Jonatha

Simon, Chris, etc. There were a lot of interesting moves being

displayed by everybody. Dives, flips, back flips, back flops,

plain old swings, and the whole nine yards. Everyone was doisomething interesting for the most part.

Touchdown put us all to shame with her constant and consis-

tent back flips. Clayton, being aerodynamic, swung out on the

boomswing and dove down gracefully. Scubs swung out and

dived every time he went. T-squared worked on her back flips

and eventually perfected the move after several more tries. Sa

flipped numerous times, and in between the flips, he got some

red spots due to some inconveniences in his swinging. Simo

swung out and did flying squirrels, as did Scubs. Tyler did flyi

squirrel after flying squirrel, and back flip after back flip. For

those of us who were unoriginal, Jonathan, Little Buddy, Nelso

and Chris, we just swung from the boomswing and tried not to

get hurt, which was a useless exercise. For example, take me,

Jonathan. I hurt my back trying to do a back flip, which turned

into a back flop. After these precious boomswing experiences

opted to not have any more that day.

Others were luckier, Touchdown didnt mess up or hurt herself

even once, and Clayton had minimal injuries, as did Nelson an

Tyler. Simon and Boomer had already had previous experienc

with the boomswing, and knew all the tricks of the trade so to

speak.

Of course, we had our photographer TomO, both on the deck, a

in the water (though not at the same time,) taking photographs

and video clips of the shipmates and staff members as they

swung from the boomswing.After several hours, numerous failed attempts, which lead to

some serious pain in some cases, it was time for dinner. Alas

the boomswing had to be put away, and our time with it was

done. So we dried off, and lowered the boomswing slowly, the

straightened the boom out the way it was supposed to go, low-

ered it, and of course, removed the thick rope that we had used

swing from the starboard (right) side of Ocean Star, into the bl

waters of the Tobago Cays.

Jonathan Brookner

Basic Keelboat Certification

Over the course of time that we have been on Sea-mester, the

students and even some of the crew have been learning to sail.

From day one, the sailing instructors have been doing an excel

lent job teaching us how to sail. We have learned all the parts

and workings of a sail boat, from bow to stern and from mast t

keel. We are learning proper maintenance of a sail boat - how

to rig and de-rig, how to clean and keep clean, and most impor

tantly, how to sail.

While in the Tobago Cays, we took the US Sailing Basic Keel-

4

Christina Rizleris

Navigation Dive

Now that we are all Scuba Certified we are pushing farther

in our diving learning and skills. Advanced Diver is our next

certification. Our first dive for this qualification was a naviga-

tion dive. This took place in the Tobago Cays right below Ocean

Star. The currents were pushing hard making it difficult forpeople to stay in one place for a long period of time, but we all

made it and the majority of us did not get lost.

The object of Navigation Dive was to use a compass to navi-

gate you and your buddy underwater. First, we had to swim in a

strait line for a hundred feet and swim back using the reciprocal

heading. Then we had to swim a four hundred foot square where

every hundred feet you make a 90 degree turn. This is where it

became a little more difficult because the current made it hard to

judge distances. While some people got washed way off course,others maneuvered around perfectly. While the conditions were

far from perfect, overall it was a very successful dive and we are

all looking forward to our next challenging and exciting dives.

Jeremy Garretson

Boomswing

Many have tried it. Many have attempted to better it. Many

have been abused by it. And many have tried to conquer it.

I speak of the boomswing. Now you may be asking yourself,What exactly is a boomswing? You will never know unless

you are able to try it yourself. This article, hopefully, will let you

comprehend the experience known as the boomswing.

The boomswing is a device made through brute, human strength.

The first step is to raise the main boom; this is what regularly

holds our mainsail. After the boom is raised from its perch, a

thick rope is tied to it with several knots. Next, it is swung out

at an almost ninety degree angle from Ocean Star, and is hoisted

up about twenty feet. Several knots are then tied at the bottom of

the rope as well, for people to hold. Next comes the initial phase

of swinging. Testing it. Simon and Boomer bravely volunteered


19/48

oat tt

Basic Keel Boat certified, which is a great accomplishment for a

lot of us. Right now we are currently working on the navigation

portion of our curriculum which is quite a bit harder, but a chal-

lenge everyone is looking forward to.

Nelson Allen

Canouan Dive

During our brief visit to Canouan we met up with a buddy of

Boomers named Andy. A few years ago, Andy started the Can-

ouan Dive Center and we were fortunate enough to have him take

us on a local dive. He and a guy he works with named Tim came

out and met us onNatashaand we headed out to the dive site.

We eventually made it out to the dive site and were briefed by

Andy. We entered the water all in one big group, about twenty-

five divers in total. Strangely, we started swimming with the

current as opposed to against it, which is the norm when diving

in a slight current. This is done so that you can exert yourself and

swim against the current for the first half of the dive and then

just rest and drift back to the anchor on the second half. It did not

make any difference other than a couple people that came back to

the surface a little low on air.

Either way, we descended onto a reef that was filled with beauti-

ful fish and coral. We saw everything from tiny banded coral

shrimp to schools of grunts and even a nice size nurse shark.

5

One thing that sticks out in my mind about this dive were the

arrowhead crabs. Not on any of my previous two hundred dive

had I ever seen such big arrowhead crabs. They normally have

extremely skinny legs that are only about two or three inches

long. On this dive, I saw numerous crabs with legs that had to

push five inches. That does not sound like much of a change

but when it occurs on an animal that is so small, it stands out.

Another pleasant surprise from the dive was a good size yellow

fin grouper that was pointed out to me by Boomer off the deep

edge of the reef. Of all the dives we had done so far that was th

first grouper I had seen and it was around three feet long and h

some weight on it. Due to heavy fishing and spear fishing, you

not see many groupers anymore, especially ones that big.

Overall, it was a great dive. Even having twenty-five people

it did not seem that crowded because there was good spacing

between the divers. The good briefing given by Andy before th

dive enabled us to stay on the reef and all find our way back to

the boat, even without the guide being right there with us at all

times.Jack Hubbard

Raising the six sails

It was the 31stday of seamester when the FCS 04 crew of Ocea

Stargot the OK from Boomer and Simon to raise all six sails.

When we got up in the morning we went straight to work prep

ping the boat to leave Canouan and head towards Bequia. We

raised the anchor then systematically started raising sails. Main

Sail, Fore Sail, Stay Sail, Jib. Then came the hate mission, weneeded a laz diver to go below and pull out the two remain-

ing sails the Flying Jib and the Fishermans. Scuba Steve being

the laz diver he is, went into the stale air of the laz and heaved

the large cumbersome sails up. The crew had flown the flying

Jib before so prepping it and raising it was no problem for the

motivated crew, but the Fisherman's was new to us. Boomer an

Simon began to explain how to rig the sail and send it aloft. Af

a few minutes of confusion of sorting out the correct lines, the

crew began hoisting the sixth and final sail towards the clouds

and with astonishing accuracy Ocean Starwas complete. For t

first time the crew looked towards the sky and saw how beauti

boat test and are proud to say that all of us are now U ailingoat test and are proud to say that all of us are now U ailingoat test and are proud to say that all of us are now U ailing


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corkscrew, or jewelry box, and carving it with a quite descripti

picture of whales or whaling. The island of Bequia is a fruitful

place of outgoing people and has great presence.

Michael Weber

Scrimshaw

While on the windward island of Bequia, the shipmates and sta

had the opportunity to peruse a gallery of uniquely beautiful ar

called scrimshaw. Originally, scrimshaw was the art of carving

and engraving designs on whale teeth by American whalers in

the early 19thcentury. Modern scrimshaw has evolved to includ

whale and camel bone, elephant and walrus ivory, and ostrich

eggs. Bone and Micarta have all but replaced ivory, due to an

international ban on new whale and elephant products. Scrim-

shaw pendants, figurines, corkscrews and knives were displaye

for sale as collectors items; they ranged from $60.00 (U.S.) fo

a small pendant to $1,000.00 (U.S.) for a rigging knife designe

for the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The knives

were the most popular choice for the Seamester crew, with fou

purchases representing four different types of knives. The scopgoes from two different sized camel bone rigging knives, to an

elaborate whale bone rigger, to a camel bone buck knife, all w

meticulously intricate designs. According to the pamphlet you

upon purchasing one of the knives, they are made exclusively

for the artist, Sam McDowell in Seki City Japan by Kai Cutlery

Company, the finest knife makers in the world and descendant

of the Samurai sword makers. The blades are surgical stainles

steel and exceedingly sharp, the handles are individually hand-

made and carved by Mr. McDowell, one-of-a kind collectors

pieces. Needless to say, the elite few who now are proud owne

of one of these masterpieces have added a noticeable swagger

their step.

Davis Hammell

The Truly Amazing Bequian Jeep Ad

venture

Bequia, a beautiful island filled with some of the most pleasant

people in the world. Most toured the town of Port Elizabeth in

Admiralty Bay. Some of the more adventurous souls took taxi

tours. But, the truly pure of heart, those whos bravery is over

shadowed only by their complete disregard for common sense,

rented a Jeep for our own customized tour of Bequia.

Erin, Emilie, Christina and Tom (myself) formed the prestigiouTeam Yellow Jeep. Once a small debate over who will drive (b

tween myself and Erin) it was decided that I would drive. The

we needed to obtain our very own local driving permit. I thou

this may be some sort of issue, like we would need to drive wi

a policeman to prove we can do it or something. How wrong I

was, a few dollars at the customs office and a permit was issue

So, permit, Jeep keys and a sketchy map of the island in hand

and we jumped into our yellow Jeep Wrangler and took on into

the wild blue yonder. Well, first I had to weave out of my park

ing spot around a bitter taxi driver who wouldnt move becaus

didnt hire them for an island tour. Secondly, I had to learn ho6

Ocean Starlooked with all of her sails in the wind. We continued

our journey to Bequia with Ocean Starlooking her finest.

Dave Lee

Bequia

So much to say and such a small vocabulary to express it. Bequia

is a friendly historic place of beauty. I was given the privilege to

see the Bequia that few do. I got a cab to take Jeremy, Jimmy,

Liz and I around the coast of the island. We drove past secluded

beaches, a turtle farm, and rushing school children. The highlightof the ride was most certainly the island kids that chased our

cab as they were getting out of school. They were wearing their

uniforms, screaming with joy, as we drove past and yelled hello.

Bequia has a vast whaling past. Now no more whaling occurs,

only two whales are caught and killed a year for tradition's sake.

This transpires between the months of January and April. Every

part of the whale is used after being killed. The island had a vast

selection of scrimshaw, the art of using animal bone for a knife,


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to drive on the left side of the road. Surprisingly easy to accli-

mate to I might add, I only almost ran into a truck once. Not bad

for a day of driving in a foreign country (at least in my humble,

yet always right opinion). Soon we where gallivanting up hills,

careening around corners and honking our horn like locals. The

horn was broken so we just used our voices, ingenious huh? We

visited the Oldhegg Turtle Sanctuary where a local man rescues

baby turtles, raises them and then releases them back into the

wild to increase their chances of survival. We went to the top

of Mount Pleasant and then back to the beach to eat lunch at

Dawns Creole Shack, that is run by an (almost) retired couple

from the States. Lunch was filled with great conversation with

these pleasant Democrats!

After lunch we attempted to find a local viewpoint call Moon-

hole Rock. After driving across the island, doing a little 4 Wheel

Drive Off Roading and ending up at a sketchy looking house

with a large No Trespassing sign, we gave up and retuned to

Port Elizabeth. Although our adventures were not complete. We

then ran into Alice who wanted to go for a ride. So back out tothe turtle sanctuary we went. Chantale met us there and asked

for a ride back up the hill (she had been riding her bike) past a

very mean dog.

We then returned to Port Elizabeth to return our little yellow ve-

hicle of adventure. Although the Bequia adventure had ended we

will never forget our experiences driving around their beautiful

island, where there are no driving laws.

Tom Rose

The Rock

Bright and early we awoke at 5:00 a.m. on day 39 to climb a rockcalled The Piton on the island of St. Lucia. The rock was over

2000 feet high and went straight up and down. We were deter-

mined, even at the early hour we awoke, to conquer the rock no

matter what the cost.

We took the cat over to the dock at the base of the mountain at 6:

00 a.m. and by 6:30 we were climbing. Two locals named Tyrone

and Norbert led us up the mountain. Norbert was a fairly large

muscular man while Tyrone was of average build. Norbert rode

his bicycle to meet us and we all thought he was going to carry it

up the mountain.

Tyrone was quite a character and the leader of our group. He

was at the front of the line, wore no shoes, and did not sweat on

drop. When we got to the top of the mountain we were all out o

breath and sweating like pigs, and Tyrone was lying down like

did not climb a mountain for the past two hours.

The climb to the top took us over two hours. The trail went

straight up in places to the extent that you needed a rope to help

in the climb. We all struggled to make it, some more than oth-

ers (e.g. Chantale due to the fact that one of her hands had four

recent stitches), but we all strived for the top. I personally coul

feel my character building every time I smashed my shin on a

rock spilling blood and causing me to swear in pain, and every

time a fire ant bit me.

Once I reached the top an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction

overcame me. I looked down over the cliff and saw how high w

were and I was astounded that we actually climbed a small mou

tain. I personally have never accomplished such a feat.

Reaching the bottom was even more satisfying than reaching th

top. Looking up at the mountain I couldnt believe the size of t

beast and the fact that merely two hours before we were at itspeak looking down. The fact that we reached the bottom in one

piece and no one was severely injured made the hike even bett

Once at the bottom my shins were bleeding, I had sweat pourin

out of me and my legs barely functioned from sheer exhaustion

I looked to the top of the mountain and thought to myself it wa

all worth it. The reward of knowing that I got out of bed, hiked

2000 ft. rock, and did it all before lunchtime was such an accom

plishment that Id do it again in a heartbeat.

7


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23/48

Martinique, Dominica, Les Saintes,

Guadeloupe, Antigua

Fall Edition 2004, Volume III


24/48


The Caribbe an Sea-mesterMartinique, Dominica, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe, Antigua

Fall Edition 2004, Volume III

A note from the editors:

Here we are once again with only twenty days to go, but with

twenty more words in French. After exploring these French

islands, we have discovered cheap phone calls, expensive ice

cream, and that the French like to make up their own holidays.As we sail into the homestretch of our voyage, we continue to

live every moment as if it were our first. So, here we are with the

next edition of The Telltale.

Jaimie, Christina, and Tiffany T.

Mount Pelee

Among the many ancient Hawaiian images of the afterlife,

the highest of these after worlds is in a flaming crater atop the

volcano Kilauea, where the goddess Pelee presides. Atop Kilauea

there is no pain, only sheer delight and the old chieftains dwell

forever, playing their royal games in the flames.

Mount Pelee is a volcano that erupted 100 years ago, destroying

the town of St. Pierre. The current dome, formed after that erup-

tion, comes out of the old crater. The volcano is over 5,000 feet

high on the beautiful island of Martinique, with peaks like spires

reaching above the clouds, almost touching the heavens.

While climbing this mountain, I could not but help but think

back to the Hawaiian myths of the goddess Pelee in her volcanic

home.

We drove up a gradual ascent approaching the mountain, as it

loomed in the distance, passing through small country towns th

at once struck images of the French country side and also the

tropical feel of the Caribbean.

We started the actual hiking portion of our journey at about 2,0

feet and began walking up a foot path that seemed rather easy,

first. Perhaps 30 minutes through our ascent, the path took on a

rather vertical nature continuing for the next 50 minutes. By th

time we reached the top of our vertical climb we found ourselv

enshrouded in fog and clouds. We began walking along the rim

of the first crater and were presented with two options; climbin

down into the crater then up on top of the new dome or to follo

the crater around to ascend the summit from the back.

I chose to take the long road, a solitary one providing a much

needed reflection on my thoughts. I hiked for over an hour alon

to the summit, only happening upon fellow shipmates at the

zenith. When the fog cleared enough to see around, I found my

self in the clouds staring at the sky, almost able to reach out an

touch it with my hand.

All of a sudden the Hawaiian myth and what the first nativesmust have thought looking into the heavens from this very spo

upon their gradual diffusion eastward dawned on me. Perhaps

some legend stuck with them and they found their long lost go

once again on this very volcano, looking into the great myster-

ies as I found myself doing. Perhaps the mountain brought som

peace and tranquility upon their long travels as it had on mine.

James Tyson

1


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Boiling Lake Hike

Wake-up at 4:40, get out of your bunk, get moving, eat, pack

your bags, get your shoes, get in the dingy, get to shore. If you

think that this sounds like our Piton hike, or even Mt. Pelee,

stop yourself right there. Its the boiling lake hike. Like Mt.

Pelee, we loaded up into our trademark vans, sardine style of

course, and drove quickly to the site of our hike.

Now, since youve found out that we were going to hike to

the boiling lake, you should be saying to yourself, wow, its a

hike, not a mountain climbing excursion, which should be easy.

Dont kid yourself. To get to the boiling lake, you need to

climb, or hike the mountain. First, go up on a dirt trail that on

occasion has wooden steps that seem like they should make the

hike easier but actually dont. Next go down the mountain, the

same conditions applying. But part of the way going up, add

rain, sometimes hard, sometimes just a light drizzle.

After hiking up, then down the mountain, now with mud trails,

rain, wind, puddles, and sketchy wooden steps, you must

proceed down into the Valley of Desolation. This may sound

like a harsh place. If you think that it is, you're right. On dead,

crumbling ground, with sulfur steaming up through cracks in

the earth, we hiked to the boiling lake. Of course, we did take

a break to soak in the warm sulfur springs along the way. After

that much needed refreshment, we hiked on, soaked from the

rain and the springs, reeking of sulfur, tired, hungry, and ready

to press on, we trudged through the mud, creeks, rain, wind,

and crumbling discolored rocks to the flat top where we could

see the boiling lake.

As we reached the boiling lake we were amazed by the sight

before us. We were told that the lake was as hot as 100 degrees

Celsius, and as deep as 150 feet. At the center of the lake,the water was indeed boiling up, with steam that smelled of

sulfur, blowing in all directions. In wet, clammy clothes, cold

and shivering, we ate our lunch. Our guide, Pancho, made the

best fish meal ever. It was excellent, accompanied with freshly

squeezed grapefruit juice. After fish and peanut butter and jelly

sandwiches we began our journey back to the entrance of the

park.

Going back through the Valley of Desolation, climbing up the

wooden, muddy steps of the mountain, now soaked through

with rain and with wet vegetation, we slowly made our way

back. We no longer cared about the water seeping into our

2

shoes, or the mud clinging to our boots and socks, nor the

clammy clothes making us colder, not warmer. We continued

trudging at a mind numbing pace, concentrating on only put-

ting one foot in front of the other

While the boiling lake hike was hard and long, we all suc-

cessfully made it there and back. In addition to that, we

were given the privilege of seeing the last boiling lake in the

world. Another one discovered in New Zealand dried up

some years ago according to our guide, Pancho. The experi-

ence of hiking to and seeing the boiling lake can be comparedto nothing else on this world. There are man made wonders,

there are natural wonders, and there are just some natural

wonders that cannot be explained. But I would say without

a doubt, every minute of that hike was worth it. No matter

the amount of rain, the smell of the sulfur, the mud of the

mountain, or anything else, there is nothing that could have

made that hike harder, or more worth the amount of effort we

put into it.

Jonathan Brookner

Tour of Dominica

The tour of Dominica began with a trip up the Indian River

where we took measurements for our oceanography class.

After that we got in some cabs that took us around the is-

land. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a beach on the

windward side where the guides cut us fresh coconut to go

along with the lunch we brought with us. A crew member

got a little sick on the ride, so our next stop was a friend of

the guides house, in the Carib Indian territory, where they

cured the ailed student with some traditional home remedies.

At the same time the rest of the crew ate real chocolate, fresh

bananas, guava, sugar cane, sweet sap, avocado, and coconut

milk. The next stop was a waterfall where the crew hiked

down for a quick cool off in the spring. After stopping at the

waterfall we went to a fruit farm where we stocked up on

seedless oranges and grapefruits for the rest of our journey.

The tour ended with the remainder of the island seen from the

cab and back to the boat. We did so much in one day, and it

was a great way to learn about this amazing island.

Nelson Allen


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salinity, depth, and temperature in four different groups. Also o

the way up we saw all sorts of wildlife, for example iguanas an

tons of different crabs. About a mile up the river there was an

isolated caf called Radjah Club where the bushman seemed to

enjoy drinking the local Dynamite Rum Punch. The caf was a

neat place where there was a little souvenir store with spices an

local wood carvings. After we made our way back to where wwere dropped off, we got back in the bus for the tour of the res

of the island.

Jeremy Garretson

Scooter Tour of Les Saintes

Our arrival to Les Saintes graced us with a beautiful little islan

with some of the coolest little shops and cheapest phone calls

one could ask for, not to mention the worlds best ice cream.

But to me, Les Saintes spoke in other ways. The moment I se

foot on this little island, it said, scooters. So being the brave

and adventuresome souls that we were, Emilie and I rented on

small scooter for the two of us to share. At first, learning to dr

this little hog was difficult. Combine that with a passenger wh

never rode a motorcycle before and it spelled almost certain

injury. However, we defied the odds, got our wits about us and

spent the day cruising around the island. We visited Napoleon

fort and gardens and all the beaches. We even located a super

cret phone that no one else knew about (except for Christina) a

enjoyed some uninterrupted calls home without a line up. I wa

by no means the only scooter on the road. Actually, Les Sainte

3

Do

During our stay in Dominica we managed to do it all. From hik-

ing to the Boiling Lake, rowing up the Indian River, and an ad-

venturous island tour, we managed to save an afternoon for some

scuba diving. We did a two-tank boat dive with Dive Dominica.

The first dive that we did was called Abyss. During this divewe were completing the Underwater Naturalist section of our

Advanced Diving certification. All we had to do was identify

fish, invertebrates and plants. During this dive we were able to

see a frogfish and a seahorse. These sea creatures are rare and

hard to find because they are so good at blending in with their

surroundings. On our second dive, at a site called Champagne

we saw another frogfish which was cool. This dive was really

neat because at the end we figured out why it had the name it did.

There were little tiny bubbles coming from under the reef, and it

looked like a bunch of champagne bubbles. We saw a really

cool school of squid, and a lot of eels. Overall, these dives were

my favorite and it would have been fun to be able to do more, but

in the little time we had in Dominica we saw a lot.Jaimie Clifton

Indian River

While in Dominica we got in SeaCat's bus and went to the other

side of island to the Indian River. When we got there we met

up with some local guides and got in their row boats to go up

the river to do a oceanography lab. On the way up we measured

ominica ivesominica ivesominica ives


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was one of the coolest things to see. Night diving is definitely

an awesome experience and I think one of the best times to go

diving.

Christina Rizleris

Diving at Pigeon Island Times Three

Guadeloupe is known for its great diving and that is exactly wh

we did while we were there. We had the chance to do three div

at the Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve on Pigeon Island. We

were going to fulfill our deep dive requirement for our advance

certification but due to murky waters and strong currents it wa

decided to save the deep dive for another day. Instead we did a

fun dive at a safe fifty feet. My dive buddy Liz and I geared up

and had the urge to submerge! While underwater we saw vari-

ous colorful tropical fish, sponges, sea fans, corals, and a statu

of Jacques Cousteau. Yep, you read that right, about forty feet

underwater there is a statue of Jacques giving the okay sign. Thwas the highlight of our first dive. The second dive took place

in the late afternoon that same day. We di

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