Letter home

Hi everyone!

I am currently sitting on the lifejacket bench outside the galley, facing Granada! We are at anchor right outside a small bay. The colour of the water is exactly as you are imagining: blue, turquoise, clear. Reggae music is playing on deck and people are casually doing small tasks and chores.

I have just come off watch. I was really lucky today, I got to go out in the MOB boat (“Zodiac”) with Sune (Chief Mate, Danish). We went out and did a round of the outside of the ship noting what work has to be done. (FYI there are some serious fender scuff marks, three cracked portholes and lots of rust streaks… this means acid washing!) Then we went closer to shore and measured depths for about an hour. We have no records on board of the depths close to shore around the bay that we are anchored in. The measuring device was a rope with a massive shackle at the end of it. There were tape markings on it for 5 and 10 meters and each mater in between. It was actually pretty cool. Dad – I had some serious Nadia-and-Dad-in-the-Zodiac flashbacks. Boating in the Caribbean is a little bit cooler though! It was actually quite a lot of work. I must have hauled ten feet of line with the shackle 40 times! When we were coming back I saw a baby sea turtle. It was pretty cool. And everyone who had to stay on deck was quite jealous…

Before we anchored we had to take in all sail and I was aloft for about half-an hour stowing the main. I really enjoyed it because I was up long enough to get comfortable. Then I got the chance to helm while going into anchor (this is something I’ve always wanted to do). Not gonna lie, I’m pretty bad at helming, but I got lucky getting picked today and I think I’m getting better. We had chilli for lunch today. Very meaty and hot. It was pretty good.

Now that I’ve told you about my day, here is the story of the worst night watch ever…

It all began at 2000 (I was thirty seconds late to watch… I have never been late before!) I spent my deck time hanging out with Johannes and Paul playing “Would you rather”. Okay … that was fun. Next thing I know, I’m on fire watch and on my round I see one of the boys who had just gotten out of the shower (he was fully clothed, don’t worry). What was on the counter behind him, do you ask? That’s right. THIS BOY has been using my towel FOR THE PAST FOUR MONTHS!! I was so upset. I yelled at him last night and confronted him again today. He makes me so angry sometimes! What was he thinking??? I always wonder why my towel is wet EVERY time I go to take a shower. So after my round I go and tell Johannes, Paul and Captain Halvor about this new discovery – they laugh and sympathize. Thanks! Then it’s my turn to take the helm (which was going ALL over the place and it was really hard to steer) and I slip and face plant on the aft deck. I landed on my wrist and then had to get an ice pack. It’s totally fine, but I was really embarrassed to fall in front of an AB, a mate and the Captain! (Not to mention all of watch six and Ms. McNaughton …) I laughed about it after though. It didn’t hurt, my wrist was only a little sore but I thought an ice pack would be a good idea. Finally it was time to go to bed. But, oh no, not even that can be perfect. On my way to the heads a wave fills my shoes with water. Hmph.

As much as I complain about that evening’s events, it was actually pretty funny. I will never forget that night …

As for my classes, they’re going pretty well. I’m on to unit three in French and I’m reading a play. In anthro, we are dissecting the movie Tarzan and looking at Disney’s cultural power. I’m writing an essay about the character Jane and how Disney represents women (more specifically young heroines). Chem is good too except I’ve made several small stupid mistakes in tests and assignments, but other than that I understand everything. It’s actually quite fun and it makes sense!

OH MY GOSH. I have to tell you about the craziest week ever. Let’s call it the Zombie Apocalypse Sorlandet-style. It all started when Curtis puked on standby. We though it was seasickness because the seas were rough but apparently not … The next day (IT WAS RAINING SO HARD YOU GOT SOAKED IN 2.5 SECONDS) I was on fire watch and George (First Mate, Australia/lives in New Zealand) gave us all cupcakes. I went to deliver one to Theresa (on lookout) and she takes one bite and starts throwing up all over the foxal. I run down (well, we were rocking a lot so running was impossible) to find A – someone to clean it up and B – someone to replace lookout. Erin volunteers to take the lookout and Allison and I being left to clean up the mess. Next thing I know, Erin is puking over the funnels. SO I find Will to take over lookout and Allison and Erin finish cleaning the mess. It was CRAZY. But, that is not all. In the next couple of days no less than 26 students and teachers were all puking into buckets, had nill energy, felt constantly nauseous and experienced bad back pain all the while. I was one of the only survivors in the plague. Everyone who wasn’t sick had to do crazy amounts of work and run the ship. It was NUTS. We did a two hour clean/sanitizing of the banjer on the first day everyone was sick. Then, we had people doing ‘sanitizing rounds’ every half hour sanitizing all the taps, railing, door handles etc on the ship. Every morning after colours all of the invalids would report to Shawn and he assigned them sleeping areas. The nest, both chat shacks and the z-zone were FULL of sick people. Every morning we re-evaluated the situation, cleaned and sanitized all of the sick areas and reassigned people depending on how bad they were feeling. The sick people were like zombies and they dropped like flies. In a bad way, it was really funny. But most of all it was just strange to sail a ship full of nearly dead people. The ones still standing joked about when they would be ‘taken by the plague’. I was SO lucky not to sick. Knock on wood! Anyways, it was all in all a crazy sail.

FYI – we brought crickets on board in the Amazon and it is SO LOUD on deck at night. We are not quite sure what to do about it.

That’s pretty much it for my life right now… I’m having a great time and living the good life. AHHHH!!!! Carribbean J It is beautiful and I can’t wait to go to shore in Granada in a few days time!

Love,
Nadia

Belem, Brazil - THE AMAZON

All I have to say is WOW! The Amazon jungle is the coolest place I have ever visited. It was like my childhood imagination gone wild and come true - sort of like Tarzan or Indiana Jones, but real and tangible. I loved it.

 

Each day as we sailed closer to the Amazon, the water changed colour. A few days before reaching the river, we had a swim call and the water was so clear and blue, that with my goggles, I could see the ship’s hull and a shark swimming beneath us! By the next day the water was a dark blue and the following day it was a murky green. The Amazon itself is a muddy green and brown. The first sight of the river was a bit of a shock; it looks EXACTLY like the Fraser River back home. I was a little disappointed at first. I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t think it would look like the river in Richmond. The deeper we got however, the more distinct it became. It is a very impressive body of water.

We were ahead of schedule arriving to Belem, so before we could dock we anchored in the river overnight. The anchorage was an “at risk” area as there have been several pirate attacks reported around Belem. These kinds of pirates do not have eye patches and wooden legs. They come aboard ships to steal goods and electronics, or worse, hold a crew hostage for ransom. We prepared a piracy plan and deployed full night watches covering all the ship’s decks. We also kept all lights on and flashed a powerful beam light around the ship every few minutes. Although it was quite serious at the time, we did joke a lot about going on ‘pirate watch’. Unfortunately, Johnny Depp never turned up! Scarily, while we were anchored there was a pirate attack on a cargo ship nearby. We were very lucky.

Belem itself is a great city. It is home to the largest open-air market in all of South America. Everyone bought a hammock. They are SO comfortable to sleep in on the ship. We also bought jewellery, crazy hats and handmade leather sandals. You could uncover all sorts of treasures in the market. Of course, we were drawn to the food section. About a hundred stalls with rice, fish, chicken, salads and beans sold all-you-can-eat for less than five dollars. What a deal and it was delicious! A couple of us braved the fish market. Hundreds of varieties of fish caught in the river were being chopped and sold. Although it smelled DISGUSTING, it was pretty cool to see.

The port program was the best time of our stay in Brazil. We ventured off on a small tour boat for an overnight trip down smaller sections of the river. Our first stop was a small island that was part jungle, part small community. Our guide (who had lived in the jungle among the Yanomamo tribe for ten years) led us on a hike through the luscious trees. It was SO COOL. As we tramped through the jungle he informed us about the various medicinal properties of the plants we passed. We picked fallen mangoes from the ground, plucked star fruit from the trees and ate lots of Brazil nuts. There was so much edible fruit and plants in the jungle and it was all delicious.

We hiked a little further and discovered a couple of baby parrots perched in the bush. We took turns holding them and one even climbed on shipboard director’s head - very cute. The guide found a tarantula on the forest floor and we each took turns holding it. Surprisingly, although I was more scared then I thought I’d be it was actually pretty gentle.

There was one section of the jungle where our guide made us sprint through the trees. We had to run because it is the season for Brazil nuts to fall from the trees. According to legend, Brazil nuts falling on people’s heads is the leading cause of death in the Brazilian jungle. We also encountered a rubber tree. You could literally peel bits of latex off the tree trunk! 

The most fun on the jungle trip was tree climbing. One of the village elders demonstrated climbing an Acai Berry tree. He weaved a wreath of thick leaves to tie around his ankles and use it as a grip to shimmy up the skinny trunk. Watching him come down was scary. He pretty much let go of the tree and whizzed to the ground. I have never seen old bones move so fast! Luckily, I got a chance to try it and it’s a lot harder than it looks! I climbed pretty high and it was awesome.

Following our hike, the boat sailed further down the river to another island. En route everyone passed out and it was lovely napping on deck as we motored down the Amazon. Later, right after the guide explained that there were three species of piranhas residing in the area, he announced it was time to go swimming! I won’t lie … I was a little freaked out. The water is so murky you couldn’t see a thing (I’m not sure if that was good or bad). Eventually I mustered the courage to jump in and it was refreshing to rinse off after being sticky and humid all day. That evening the family, who owned the dock where we moored, cooked us a delicious meal and afterwards we headed off to bed (in a food coma) nice and early. We slept outside in hammocks and it was the most restful sleep I’ve ever had.

The boat docked at Parrot Island where we were awakened at 0500 by the sound of thousands of parrots as they took flight and head over to the mainland. Frankly, they were just as annoying as the herons in Stanley Park and I felt so sorry for the poor people who live there. Those birds make such a racket! However, I must admit, it was pretty cool to be woken up by parrots …

After that we meandered back to the Sorlandet. We spent the rest of our time in Belem exploring the city, visiting the market and contacting family and friends back home. I had a really amazing time in Brazil and I am looking forward to Grenada and the Caribbean!

Fernando de Noronha … A hidden little paradise

Fernando de Noronha is a small island off the coast of Brazil. It was our first sighting of land after the two-week long Atlantic crossing and it was a very welcome sight indeed! It seemed we were away from reality for a very long time, stuck in our microcosm community on board the Sorlandet with no contact with the outside world. I’m pretty sure we were all a little stir crazy by the end of the long crossing we were eager to get ashore.

Fernando is, in short, paradise. Our ship anchored a little way off the island’s coast and the tender (small wooden white boat on board the Sorlandet) shuttled us to land. On the short trip to shore about a hundred dolphins swam alongside the tender. People (tourists mostly) snorkelled in the bay and we had to watch out for sea turtles. The small boat dropped us off (in groups of six) on the sandy white beach and we were off.

It was very warm on the island and there was one dirt road leading from one end to the other. Our first stop … the grocery store! There was one on the island for all the locals and we quickly cleared out their stock. After a filling lunch we hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take us to a nice beach. The taxis were CRAZY! They were like small dune buggies or miniature jeeps and they were entirely open. We perched on the back with the wind blowing through our hair as we raced along the island. It was so much fun!

The beaches were absolutely GORGEOUS. Although the best beach was a bit of a hike, it was well worth the effort. First, we marched along a smaller dirt road until we reached a cliff. Then we climbed down iron ladders cemented into the rock face. After two flights of ladders and a long narrow staircase made of rock we reached the hot sand and it was nearly deserted. The water glistened a clear, brilliant blue and felt so refreshing. We spent hours body surfing, engaging in  chicken fights in the water and snorkelling. Some of us saw sea turtles and mud sharks. It was really cool!

Too soon it was time to leave this little paradise. We had only two days to spend in Fernando and on the last night we barbequed the Mahi Mahi we caught during the crossing (we keep five fishing lines off the back of the ship at all times). It was delicious, and although we were very sad to leave Fernando ...

... we were even more excited to reach the Amazon!

Dakar, Senegal

It has been so long since I last wrote. Life has been very busy onboard with final exams, Christmas, crew change, new staff and students and first semester floaties going home. After leaving Morocco, I ended up getting sick with one thing after the other. Unfortunately, I did not get to see Las Palmas in the Canary Islands (also we were in dry dock), but I eventually recovered and was up and running for the sail to Dakar. 

There is no one word to describe Senegal. The culture there is again very different from anything I have ever been exposed to. There were lots of ups and downs about the experience here but being in Dakar and exploring the surrounding areas was truly amazing. What were the downs? How could I regret anything about my amazing adventure to West Africa? Well … it all started in the first ten minutes of shore leave. Firstly, we drew lots of attention from the locals. Street vendors followed us for several blocks trying to sell us their merchandise. There were women with baskets perched on their heads filled with brightly coloured bead necklaces and handmade dolls, young boys walked alongside us trying to sell us sunglasses and a variety of artists wanting us to buy their work. It seemed as though because we were white, people assumed that we had money and were ready to buy. People were CONSTANTLY bothering us to buy their goods. It was really exhausting and we had to look out for each other as the throng of people that circled us wherever we went in the city could easily separate us. Anyway, before we could make any purchases. we had to get some money. I was the last in line for the bank machine and, just my luck, the machine swallowed my visa card. So, I had no money although eventually I managed to get some exchanged so no harm done. Another downer was that everything I ate did not like me. I was sick every single day while we were in Senegal. No details necessary, but it was not fun. Don’t get me wrong, none of these unfortunate events made me regret my time in Senegal. In fact, I learned a lot from the “downside” and it made my experience more real. 

Because we were in Senegal for such a long time, we did lots of really cool things. First, we met with Senegalese youth from an organization called SYTO (based in Senegal; promoting youth travel and cross-culture experiences). The students joined us in various activities throughout our stay in Dakar. On the first day that we met with the students, we each presented a skit to teach each other about our cultures. Their skit was about traditional lifestyles among different Senegalese tribes. Our drama team did a skit called ‘A Day in the Life’ where they demonstrated everything we do on board from wake-ups to galley duties. Then, a well-know storyteller came and we all sat in a massive circle around the room and listened to his tales. After lunch, we had a discussion forum were we split into groups and talked about things related to Senegalese culture such as politics, daily life, youth unemployment issues etc. It was really cool to talk to people around our age and have them participate in the other cultural activities we did. 

We also worked with the American ‘Peace Corps’ organization on a cultural project. For my cultural project, I chose to go to a nearby village called Popenguine and paint two new kindergarten classrooms with pictures and the alphabet. 

We also spent time playing with the kids and talking to the CYTO students. Being able to speak French was SO useful. Lots of the CYTO students could not speak English, and as one of the few French speakers I could easily communicate with them and I made some great friends.

Another thing we did in Senegal was travel up to the SOS Village Orphanage in Louga. The bus ride from Dakar to Louga was five hours in the blazing heat. We sat in uncomfortable seats with sweaty backs. One of the buses had a tire blow out when we were in the middle of nowhere, which made the trip a little more eventful. About one hundred children lived in the  SOS Village. There were ten houses, each with a “mother,” host and ten kids of mixed ages, genders and religions. This is where my French was most useful as I made some strong connections with some of the older girls living at the orphanage. I had a lot of fun and I was surprised by their quality of life in the orphanage. They are very lucky to be there. The children there have a “mother” to care for them, a safe home, food to eat and a decent education.

One of the girls African braided my hair, I read French stories with another and we played some basketball all together. While they braided my hair in African braids (which was really cool!), we all talked about their daily lives and hopes for the future. A girl named Jatis told me that she wants to be an airplane pilot when she is older. That same girl gave me a small leather bag. She insisted I keep it to remember her. I was hesitant to accept because she has so little but she persuaded me to keep it and in exchange I gave her a pair of earrings as a gift. Her generosity and thoughts behind her actions were overwhelmingly selfless. She was so kind and considerate. It amazed me how she could have so much happiness and joy even when she lives everyday without parents. I learned a lot at the orphanage and this particular memory will stay with me forever. I will remember those girls and their hardships; but most of all I will remember their joy. They have a good life, even if they have no parents and they are so thankful for what they have. 

We also took a quick trip over to Goree Island, which was one of the main slave trade ports and the ‘muster point’ where slaves were organized before being shipped over to the Americas. Millions of slaves died because of the terrible living conditions in the slave houses on the island and millions more passed through before crossing the Atlantic. It was sad, but quite incredible. The island itself was beautiful with brightly coloured buildings, cobbled streets, music playing and the feel of paradise.

On our last night in Dakar we went to a drumming and dancing festival that was put on especially for Class Afloat. We learned some traditional Senegalese dancing (which, in our culture may be considered vulgar and very sexual, but is perfectly acceptable in Senegal). Four dancers (all men) in very revealing lion costumes danced with energy that I have never seen before. It was INCREDIBLE. Little kids from the surrounding neighbourhood also joined us in the dancing and we had an amazing night full of music and laughter. I loved it.

My time in Senegal really changed my idea of ‘Africa’. There is no single story of Africa, which is something I have learned for sure. The idea of Africa as one entity is entirely untrue. Senegal was so different from Morocco, which is so different from every other country in Africa. They each have their own traditions, values and beliefs. I also learned many things from the people of Senegal including some of their core values and morals that are evident in their community. Something that was really neat about Senegalese people was the fact that whenever there was food, it was shared equally among everyone present. The people always wanted to make sure that everyone had enough to eat and no one was left hungry. I also learned, from the more impoverished people that I talked to, that no matter your situation or your standard of living, there can always be love, joy and peace. The people who had barely enough food to feed their families still smiled and laughed. This taught me that happiness is more than meeting all of your basic material needs. There can be joy no matter what. Happiness is a lot bigger than money. 

Can’t wait for the Atlantic crossing! Catch ya in Fernando ...

Merry Christmas from Dakar, Senegal

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Morocco - Our First Sight of Africa

Morocco is so incredibly unlike any other country I have ever been to. It was our first port outside of the European bubble and the difference was dramatic. First of all, I was culture-shocked. The way of life, social rules etc. are very different in Morocco. Dress is extremely conservative (to the extent that wrists and ankles must be covered at all times). This is especially important for women. Also, no dating permitted! Marriages are one hundred percent arranged and it’s the man’s family who must initiate these arrangements. Once an offer is put forward, a woman’s family will research about the man and their daughter will have an opportunity to speak to him in private for about an hour before she makes her decision. Girls usually marry when they are eighteen or nineteen and never after they turn thirty. Moreover, men always marry younger women. Women also will not be able to marry if they are not virgins. In fact, a certificate of marriage will not be signed if it is not medically proven that she is a virgin. If she is not, her family will disown her and the marriage will no longer be considered. Polygamy is also an acceptable practice here, however, the King has made laws to discourage the idea (that is, restriction on the number of wives, formal permission from all present and future wives to give consent etc.).

The education system here is mandatory, but not enforced. There is still a tremendously high illiteracy rate and many children do not go to school. Women can go to school, but they generally prefer to quit their studies if they receive an offer of marriage.

There is very little "starvation" in Morocco. The reason for this is because of the community based culture of the country. If you are hungry and you go to a restaurant, someone will feed you. They are also very careful about equal division of water and crops in smaller villages. Morocco is also unique in the way that they are nearly completely self-sufficient for food and producing exports.

As visitors in Morocco, we were very noticeable. Wherever we went, people stared. My blond hair was a particular attraction. We were also offered hundreds of camels for some of the girls on the ship. You don’t know whether or not to be flattered when a man in a shop asks you “How many camels?”

There is also a great bartering culture in Morocco. No shopping is at a fixed price. Although I am not very good at it, it is still a lot of fun! You can joke around with the shopkeepers (some invite you to drink tea with them), they are generally quite nice even if they are sometimes pushy.

On the way to our desert camping adventure (the best port program ever!), we stopped in several small towns and villages. We saw tree-climbing goats, visited hand-made carpet shops and factories and went to a pottery town to learn how they made pottery by hand as well as got henna tattoos from the pottery painter. We bought oranges for $0.80 a bag, ate dates from street vendors and bargained our way through the souks (large markets). Souks are really cool: imagine everything you can buy at the Canadian Superstore and garage sales Moroccan-style - outside, messy and alive with interesting smells and spices in the air.

Dear future Class Afloat Students,

Save all your spending money for Morocco!!!

Sincerely,

Floaties of 2011/12

The only trouble is, we have so little space in our trunks we cannot buy anything too big, bulky or fragile. Everything is inexpensive and beautiful. If only, if only …

Imagine, we did all of this even before we arrived at the desert (which was the coolest part of all)! We pulled up in the bus and our fleet of camels were ready for us. My first camel (I named Gary) was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I was falling off the entire time and everyone made fun of me! (Especially all the horse-riding Calgarians.) The second camel was a lot better and really fun to ride. It was pretty surreal though, like being in a movie. We alternated between walking and riding for a couple of hours until we arrived at camp.

 

The camp was a u-shaped compound with mud huts on the left and right and one large room at the back, which was the dining room. The walls in the huts were covered with brightly coloured fabrics. It was a lot fancier than I expected – we even had beds! At sundown, we sat on the highest dune and embraced ten minutes of silence (an absolute record for our crew!) as we watched the sun sink behind the vast desert. After sundown, as it was still light out, we had dune battles. We jumped off the dunes, pushed each other playfully and rolled down the sand hills. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! After that, there was sand EVERYWHERE. It likes to collect in pockets, hoods and everywhere else it shouldn’t. It was still light out after that and we spent some time sitting amongst the dunes, reflecting about our journey thus far and talking about life.

Dinner was CRAZY. I have never eaten so much food in my life. We had bread, soup, tajean (cooked meat) and cous cous followed by a large array of fruits. It was all DELICIOUS. In the end, I honestly could not move. I felt a little panicked about it actually, and my friend and I had to lie down before the dancing. There was a huge bonfire in the center of the camp. All of our guides and the people who ran the camp played Moroccan music and sang while we danced around the flames until the wee hours of the morning. It was fantastic! The next morning a group of us woke up really early and watched the sunrise together. It was spectacular. Beautiful. Wondrous. The Sahara Desert is a magical place.

Later that day we rode the camels back to the buses and continued to visit little towns all the way home. Yes, the ship really feels like home now. During the last hours of the bus ride we were very anxious to see her three masts again.

Morocco was my favourite port so far. I loved it so much and I will be back! I am afraid that I am now officially addicted to travelling and I can’t wait to see the rest of the world. I will carry these memories with me forever!

Change of course ... Mallorca, Spain

Because of stormy conditions, it was unsafe for us to attempt to sail to Corsica (Ajaccio, France), so we changed course and headed to Mallorca instead! Palma is a great little city on a beautiful island full of adventures. The best part was that it was HOT.

We spent our shore leave hopping on busses and taking them to random beach towns. In one place, we found a wind surfing board and tried it out in the water. There were also deserted huts along the beach and a winding, sandy trail that hugged the coast. A lot a time was spent relaxing and lazing about on the beach. It was very pleasant.

An impromptu port program was arranged to go on a snorkelling tour outside of Palma. We all suited up in full (very tight) wetsuits and flippers and hopped on a couple of Zodiacs. They took us out to some smaller islands right off the coast. We dove into the cool water and unluckily discovered a swarm of jellyfish. It was crazy. The guides where quite shocked and we had to give up our cave adventure because there were just too many jellyfish. I got stung three times. It seems they really liked me because almost everyone else came out of the water unscathed. A jellyfish sting feel like a cross between being stung by a wasp and burnt by a hot poker. YIKES! The discomfort only lasted about twenty minutes and by that time we motored the boats to another location and happily dove and snorkelled again - sans jellyfish this time. It was really awesome!

I also took the time in Mallorca to do extra deck work. I hung out with the AB’s (able-bodied sailors - this is the qualification that our maritime deck crew have) and varnished lifejacket boxes for a couple hours. It was fun … really it was.

We stocked up on snacks to sustain us on the eleven-day sail to Morocco that lies ahead … Africa, here we come!