Winter Ambassador Program (Day 4 & Day 5)
St. Croix, USVI
Ship’s Logs written by Winter Ambassador Program students Vincent, Leo, Michelle, Fritz, and Angelo
December 22, 2023
HI, I'm Vincent. Today, I woke up ready to work. I helped bring in the anchor, raise 2 sails, and coil some lines. I'm about to eat breakfast. I can't wait to get home and see my mom again.
-Vincent
I've been thinking about some of the differences between sailing a tall ship and a little dinghy recently. The biggest difference is what teamwork looks like. In a dinghy (I may be using an incorrect term) communication is casually announcing what you are doing/going to be doing or discussing general navigational strategy. Here, sailing from St. Croix to St. John and back, teamwork looks very different. We have to manipulate lines in synchrony, as one individual can't manipulate that part of the boat by themselves. We have to work together to do so much more than sail, but to split evenly the responsibilities of keeping our living spaces clean. We practice call and response to disseminate messages over the whole ship and exhibit comprehension. It's so ordered, and I guess it has to be, because there are ~24 people working together.
Another thing I've been thinking about is the meaning of time. Our days are very ordered and scheduled. I assume for safety and fairness purposes. We have lunch at around the same time each day. Yet in contrast, the duration of our transit is unpredictable. Without our engine, there would be no guarantee we would return in time for our flights out. We would go as fast as the wind wants us to take. Yet we do utilize the engine, and I suspect this is due to the outside world. Outside our transit can be planned to the minute and I guess we are bound to the desires of the air travel which brought us here. It feels ironic that the one premier method of long distance transport must bow to the more timely usurper. I just hope the wind'll give us speed enough for swim call before sunset.
-Leo Schumminger
Throughout this week we were able to see a lot of cool sites on Saint John to hike and snorkel. On the first day and second day when we set sail I felt sea sick. I managed to fight through any complications, like flight delays, sea sickness, early morning wake-ups, etc. I got to see sea turtles and starfishes for the first time and added on to that I got on an airplane for the first time as well. There were a lot of "firsts" in this trip and I'm extremely grateful for the memories I created, the new adventures we've explored, and most importantly getting the opportunity to meet everyone here.
- Michelle
This week was a lot of fun. I enjoyed visiting my home and showing it to other people. Snorkeling and the hikes were really big stress relievers. Taking this trip away from everyday stresses was a great help. Learning lines on the boat was really hard. We still missed one of the lines on the boat during deckhand olympics, though. It wasn't due to the students learning skills but due to our teachers overlooking a section of the boat. My favorite lesson overall would be the knots. Learning them and being able to do them over and over felt really good. I had a lot of fun and made new friends with some amazing people.
- Fritz
This week has been nothing short of pure amazement. I've met some of the most hard working crew despite their challenges. I have learned so many things and have had the chance to learn about others, where their from and a glimpse of their life back home. This trip has taught me seaman ship and also has left me with great memories. Someday I hope to be back maybe as a crew member. This trip has taught me the definition of team work and leadership. Managing a tall ship isn't easy, it's much different than the boats I'm used to sailing. Knowing we managed a ship of this size and managed to sail this ba-hemeth of a boat all the way to St. John and around the other islands and back, is astonishing. I got the true expirience of sailing on an open ocean. Much love to this boat, crew, & friends.
- Angelo
