Back from Sea

Cramer with her 4 fore and aft sails

I returned last week from an incredible sailing adventure on board the brigantine tall ship, Corwith Cramer, owned and operated by Sea Education Association. I join the vessel, her crew, and students in St. Croix, USVI on November 22nd and, together, we sailed to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Samana, Dominican Republic. Sadly, I had to leave the ship in Samana on December 12 and return to my real job in the office, while the ship and her crew continued sailing to Jamaica and Key West.

Student steering

In short I learned, first-hand, sail and navigation basics. Not too shabby for someone who has never really sailed or spent much time immersed in marine transportation culture. I'm actually having a hard time re-adjusting to life on shore, as my thoughts constantly drift to life on board Cramer. The experience did excite my interest in sailing and I am ready to expand my knowledge by taking lessons.

First Mate climbing aloft

I also have many pictures to share and stories to tell however, they will have to wait until, due to an error on my part, the bulk of my pictures are released from Cramer's network. Hope you enjoy the few I posted!

Land Lubber No More!

My new position is the Alumni Relations Coordinator for Sea Education Association (SEA), a term abroad program for college, graduate, and post-graduate students interested in oceanography, maritime history, and nautical and marine sciences. Students attending the program spend 6 weeks at the shore facility in Woods Hole learning about marine science, maritime history, nautical science and developing a research project. The second 6 weeks of the 12 week program is spent at sea on a 134ft brigantine tall ship in the Pacific, Atlantic, or Caribbean. During the sea term, students work together to sail the ship, navigate using celestial navigation, and conduct research for the project using cutting edge scientific equipment. It's a difficult but extremely rewarding program, and, since I am not an alum, I am over-the-moon to spend 18 days sailing around the Caribbean.

Corwith Cramer, my future home for 2.5 weeks. Photo SEA

The sea term begins in St. Croix, USVI, where I will meet the ship, students, and crew. From there, we sail around the British Virgin Islands and make port in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After spending a couple days in Old San Juan, we'll haul anchor and head for Samana, Dominican Republic, taking advantage of the warm Westerly trade winds. I leave the ship in Samana and return Boston (works calls!), but the students and crew continue sailing and stop in Port Antonia, Jamaica, round Cuba, and finally dock in Key West, FL on January 2nd.

Close-up of a sextant used to calculate ship'd position by sighting celestial bodies like stars.

On board the Cramer, I'll join a watch: A, B, or C and will rotate spending time on Deck, Science, Galley, and Engine Room watches. During deck watch, which is 6 hours except for 1-6am when they are 4 hours, I'll learn to navigate, plot courses, use a sextant, set and furl sails, practice emergency drills and steer. On science watch, I'll learn to deploy neutson nets and other scientific equipment and help identify marine invertebrates (my favorite). On engine room watch, I'll be in the engine room helping with ship maintenance. Every Sunday, everyone on the ship dons a costume for field day, also known as scrubbing the ship from top to bottom. During downtime, which is not much time at all, I'll probably sleep, take pictures, and sketch (actually, part of the program involves sketching, drawing and painting).

Student navigational aid adorned with doodles.

Though I'll miss sharing Thanksgiving with family, I'm confident spending the holiday in St. Croix won't suck. While I am away, I will not have access to email or phone. SEA maintains two ship blogs, written by students, so you can follow the cruise track and read our thoughts and musings about life at sea: http://www.sea.edu/voyages/blog_cramer_237. The blog is updated on weekdays by shore staff, so please be patient!

Lastly, wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving! I'll return Dec 13 with stories to tell and pictures to post. I can hardly wait!

Inside Malevolence

Last month I (finally) posted pictures of our fine vessel. It's time to share our living quarters and the challenges associated with living with limited storage.

Looking towards the bow inside the main cabin. Thank you, BP oil spill, for the TV.

To recap: Malevolence is 42ft, which is a little longer than the length of our house in Reading. It's your typical 1980's mixture of brown earth tones and dark-finished wood. To defend myself, the lighthouse lamp is a remnant from the previous owner. He GORILLA GLUED it to the shelf along with the microwave. Sections of the carpeted floor lift for access to the two gas engines, bilge, poo tank, and necessary plumbing and wiring.

The dogs on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Sandy and Tia love the boat. Sandy particularly loves the carpeted floor. When we first introduced them to the boat...yacht...Sandy, delighted to find carpeting, twirled in circles and rolled around on the floor. Our house in Reading has wood floors throughout the house and Sandy, lover of all things soft and fluffy, hated the hard flooring. Naturally, Tia prefers the couch.

galley on the port side

Moving forward towards the bow, the galley, small but efficient, contains a fridge, ample cabinet space for accoutrements, pantry, microwave, range and stove. Two out of three burners work and the stove is kaput, but that doesn't slow us down.

Additional galley space to the right of the kitchen on the starboard side.

Another aside. The previous owner, an illiterate electrician, and, as we continue to discover, knows very little about electricity and wiring. He installed an inordinate number of light fixtures in the cabin which, from time to time, overload the circuits.

V-berth and bow. Anchor line is stored in a small space through the little door.

The V-berth comfortably sleeps two, though we're currently using it for storage and Chad's closet.

port head off V-berth and galley

The port head has a little shower and adequate storage space. It's about the size of a small house bathroom and surprisingly roomy for a boat head. Bad design: the walls are covered in carpet, even lining the shower walls.

Main cabin looking aft. In defense of myself once more, the tacky shell mirror is another remnant from the previous owner's kitschy decor. It must be integral to the stability of the vessel because we CANNOT remove it from the wall. You can see the master bedroom in the aft-most section.

Aft cabin and master bedroom. The bed can almost comfortably sleep two. Since Chad and I enjoy cuddling, it works for us. Unfortunately, the full-size mattress does not comfortably sleep two humans and two space-hogging dogs.

The master bedroom is quite roomy with enough storage space to fit one person's wardrobe. It contains a small closet, 12 small drawers and lots of counter top space. The aft portion (see the fan?) leaked during rainstorms and, as a result, harbored mold. Sealant and scrubbing solved the issue but, during chilly nights, window and hatch condensation remains a problem. A ceiling hatch opens to the aft deck, which is wonderful to prop open on warm summer nights.

Another angle showing ceiling hatch.

The starboard head with shower also opens to the master bedroom. Currently in disrepair, I chose not to include photos.

Port-side view for internal orientation.

That's our house! Later this month, we'll shrink wrap the top half of the boat with opaque, thick marine plastic to protect against ice and snow damage and accumulation. Extreme temperatures combined with freezing salt water will destroy the best of paint jobs. Snow and ice accumulation on an exposed deck is especially dangerous and affects stability. Many boats will sink, list, or flip over.

Once we wrap and winterize Malevolence, our storage capacity will increase and we can finally empty our cars! Currently, we store our winter coats and clothing in big plastic bins under the bimini top. Shoes, linens, reference and academic books, bikes, tools, vacuum and other necessary material are packed in the Dodge and Xterra. The longer we live on the boat, we're able to realize essentials and let go of superfluous belongings. It's pretty free-ing!

Last Night's Winter-Cane

A huge Nor'Easter slammed much of the Eastern seaboard last night and early into this morning. Many areas received 3-12 inches of heavy, wet snow along with fierce winds.

In Eel Pond, we experienced 70mph wind gusts and sustained winds of 40-60mph along with at least 3 inches of rain. The wind blew the rain sideways, and it was difficult to walk...anywhere...but particularly on the dock. I felt like we were stuck in a giant vacuum or carpet cleaner. The screaming, howling wind was deafening at times. Tranquil Eel Pond was turned into a writhing, frothy wavy mess, which thudded and pelted our boat. I worried that our bimini top would rip off so, at 2am, began double checking and securing anything up top. I didn't take any pictures because, in the wind and rain vortex, knew my camera would be soaked. Thankfully, the storm passed before any damage to our boat occurred.

The marina sustained a little damage from boats pushing against the floating docks.

The scrapes extend about 2.5 feet up the piling. The floating dock scraped wood off the pilings from wind and current pushing boats into the floating dock.

Damage to floating dock from a boat's swim ladder. The wind pushed the boat, though secured, into and, at times, over the dock.

Chad tied extra lines to this piling. You can see how much the boat moved around...the lines rubbed off wood!

The precipitation ended early Sunday morning but the wind continued to blow and gust well into the day. Unfortunately, Falmouth held their annual marathon this morning. Runners battled 30-45pmh winds and a wind chill into the teens! The route passed right by Water Street in Woods Hole.

Second-place female runner with pace bike.

Members of the Falmouth Runners Club calling out splits and cheering.

The course is unbelievably scenic, but challenging due to the nutty Cape terrain and time of year. Woods Hole falls between mile 20 and 22. You can view more information about the marathon on the Cape Cod Marathon page: http://www.capecodmarathon.com/.

Here's hoping tonight is calmer than last, as I really need the sleep. Hoping the power is restored to our friends in NY, NJ, DC, NH and Reading!

Summer People, Some Are Not

"Summer people, some are not" is graffiti-ed under the Woods Hole drawbridge. On the hour, the drawbridge raises to allow boats to pass through the Eel Pond channel. But I am getting ahead of myself.

On Sunday, we moved our...yacht...from Taylor's Point Marina in Bourne, MA to Eel Pond, Woods Hole. The Town of Bourne closes the marina for the winter on October 31 and the up-coming weekend forecast called for rain, so we decided to move the boat a little early.

Leaving the marina

Chad plotted our voyage using navigational charts downloaded to his iphone. The voyage plan charted a little over 16 nautical miles to Eel Pond, which would take between 1.5-2 hours. Navigating the channel out of the marina and into Great Harbor (Woods Hole) is difficult. Navigation hazards like submerged rocks, sandbars and old shipwrecks dot the area and strong currents can push or pull ships into them. To mitigate these navigational difficulties, we left with the tide coming in. I'm sure there's a nautical word for "in-coming tide," but I don't know it yet. I heard from a few friends...it's called flood tide (thanks!).

It was a glorious afternoon to go boating with clear skies, bright sun, and a slight breeze. While underway, I took a few cool photos of a life at sea.

Invertebrate marine growth on one of our buoys. The blob-y things are young tunicates (sea-squirts). Tunicates are primarily sedentary and feed on plankton and other suspended particulates by siphoning. They are complex invertebrates with separate internal organs. Larval stages also have notochords, which all chordates (including humans) form as embryos. Notochord cells in chordates later develop and form the spinal column. Tunicates lose their notochord once they become sedentary. Weird! Tunicates: not simple creatures at all!

Integrated tug and barge full of cargo heading to the canal and probably North Shore refineries.

Tug escort for the integrated tug and barge. It's from NYC.

Our friend and Malevolence engineer, Jamie, as taken by Chad.

Cleveland Lighthouse, named after Pres. Grover Cleveland, marks Cleveland Ledge. Photo credit: Chad Smith

Woods Hole at sunset by Chad

One of the ferries to Martha's Vinyard pulling into the Steamship Authority in Woods Hole. Behind the ferry, you can see Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and RV Oceanus. Chad Smith

Oceanus at sunset

We arrived in the channel, hailed the bridge operator, and after several failed attempts, realize they switched to winter hours and we were too late. Instead, we docked at WHOI's pier overnight and passed through the channel in the morning.

Oceanus at dawn.

Going under the bridge!

Finally! At 8am sharp (the next day) we motored through the channel and into Eel Pond.

Passing through the channel and looking down Water Street.

Looking back through the passage. You can read the graffiti slogan under the bridge.

Eel Pond! The marina is to the left, and you can see our open slip!

We're still getting adjusted to our new location - especially the wind, which howls at night. Chad walks 150ft to work, while I have a 1.5 mile commute. Not Bad!

Sunset Over Great Sippewissett Marsh

After battling the extreme Cape wind to take pictures at Racing Beach, I drove around and found Sippewissett marsh and beach. I've been looking for the entrance to this damn marsh for years, and it isn't well-marked on maps OR on the street. Beaches on the Cape are typically local secrets; the best ones are hidden at the terminus of unassuming paths or residential neighborhood roads.

peeking through the woods to view the marsh

Sippewissett marsh and beach are nostalgic for me. Part of my term abroad was spent in Woods Hole on the Marine Biological Laboratory campus and greater Cape. One afternoon was spent mucking around Sippewissett marsh performing species counts and sampling. I was in heaven. So, 11 years later, I finally found it.

The marsh begins at the beach and stretches for miles! In this particular location, the marsh's connection to the sea is through a very narrow and shallow inlet. When the tide changes, millions of gallons of sea water funnel through this little opening.

Inlet to the marsh. See? It's tiny!

Shallow inlet channel, which is mostly sand. It's really easy to see marine life drift or swim by!

I arrived just in time for the tide to go out. Local fauna, especially birds, are well aware of the significance of tidal changes and position themselves along the inlet shoreline, waiting for schools of fish and other delicious marine life to follow the tide out.

The marsh is relatively shallow and tidal channels are, for the most part, exposed to air. Non-burying marine life must flee or find deeper channels - which are also dangerous! You'll have to forgive me, by the time I walked over to the inlet, the sun went down and I did not have enough light to photograph the marsh. Next time!
I did, though, have a great time capturing the sunset on the beach side!

My favorite. I couldn't believe my luck!

It was a fantastic evening and can hardly wait to return!

Another Fun Cape Experience: WIND!

After several days of cold, pouring rain, the sun finally broke through the gray cloud cover! The wind soon followed but, who cares, the sun was shining! After work, I took a trip to several Falmouth beaches on the windward side.

Racing Beach off Sippiwissett Road

No joke, when I opened my car door, the wind nearly ripped it off its hinges. I didn't bring a sweatshirt and, within minutes, was shivering trying to take pictures of the surf. At times the wind was so strong that it nearly knocked me down. I fought and struggled to stand and hold the camera. Plus, the surf spray and blowing sand made it difficult to see and protect my camera lens. Oh yeah, and my body and hands were shaking from the cold!

Sandblasted, wet and freezing, it was still a glorious evening!

Even though the tide was going out, the higher-than-normal surf still reached normal high-tide marks.

The waves were probably four feet, but the thundering, crashing and pounding of the surf made them sound much bigger!

Stupidly getting into the surf...which wet me even more

I hope this captures the wave action and energy!

The colors on Cape Cod are incredibly vivid, especially the clouds and sky. It reminds me of artwork by Thomas Locker and 19th century American landscape painters who attended the Hudson River School.

okay, and I think of Bob Ross's "happy clouds"

This is the wave that "got me." Soaking from the thighs down and shivering, I retreated!
And took my parting shots.

Actually, I immediately went to another windy beach to watch the sun set, but I'll write about that one later.