Updated

I apologize for the lack of updates over the past months. The ports we have visited are not very internet friendly and so I have had troubles with blog posts and photo uploads, but I am now up to date. If you would like to see more pictures feel free to click the link on the side bar that is titled "Photo Time" or click the same link that is below. Again, I apologize and I hope that you enjoy the latest blog posts and photos.

Best regards and I'll post more in France after the crossing,
Sophia

Photos

Home (minus the palm trees) and Peanut Butter Provisions

Hamilton, Bermuda. First impressions? I'm home again (minus the palm trees). Everything here is very North American. As a result, rather than put my efforts towards exploring the culture and indulging in local delights, I took to the stage and with a few of my fellow crew mates we performed "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer." It went well. People came out to watch us and the abuse help center were able to spread awareness along side our performance. Even the town prior came to watch and support.

In the evening we gathered a team large enough to play soccer against the Saltus Grammar School Boy's U19 team. Things didn't go so well for us. We weren't nearly as fit or skilled as they were but everyone still had a great time goofing. I was just happy to be able to dribble the ball and be back out on the field. We lost 4 to 9, but everyone still got to indulge in the pizza party afterwards. 

The final day took me to Horseshoe Bay. It was one of those sights that you always imagined you would see but never thought they actually existed. The towering coral rock formations which rose up like daggers in sand made for an easy and deserted climb. Looking out over the horizon and then down at the rainbow of blue sea had shivers crawl up my spine. It was a gorgeous natural sight. I spent hours exploring the landscape and watching the sun set, taking in all that I could of land before I go a month without sight of it. I'm not timid to be leaving this time. I'm actually quite excited. When at sea it is as if the whole world slows down a little. Everything is just as it should be. And, I have a jar of peanut butter stored in the back of my locker so this time I think I'm set. Next port of call is Brest, France. 

News Paper Article

The V-Day Performers 

The dock in Bermuda

Only a quarter of the rocky landscape

A Shrinking Crew

Drama. Two more kids left the program today. One because he had acquired mono and could not afford to be so far from any help while we crossed the Atlantic and another because of a foolish mistake. Class Afloat has a binding contract that if broken serves some major penalties. Prior to the program it is made clear that there is a zero tolerance policy for drinking. The consequence: expulsion. Of course, teenagers never really follow the rules and so all through the year people have become more and more careless. Last night, however, things got out of hand, and one of my friends came back to the ship intoxicated. She could barely walk and vomited profusely. They rushed her to the hospital and today she was given one hour to pack her bags and leave. It was sad to see her go because of a single mistake, but this woke everyone up. We are now paying more attention to the rules and are much more aware of where the boundaries lie. Our crew is down to a mere 33. This is barely enough to handle an Atlantic crossing and many more hours on deck are going to be expected of us. I think and I hope that I’m ready for it. 24 days of desolate seas, here I come!

Salt, Sun, and Crisp Sails

Provinciales, Turks and Caicos. A very brief port. We anchored outside Provo. The captain called it “the worst anchorage he had ever been at”. We were a mere 100 feet of the break of the barrier reef (third largest in the world), the swell was a few metres high, and the wind was blowing directly onto the reef. The chief mate didn’t sleep the entire anchorage. He continuously talked about how he would doze off and then abruptly wake up to a dreadful nightmare where the Sᴓrlandet had run aground.

As a result of all this, we departed early and headed out for Bermuda. Before that, however, we were still given some shore leave and in those dozen hours I spent all my time at the local sailing team’s clubhouse.

I was allowed to take their Laser Pico out. Words alone cannot describe the emotions I felt as I sailed away from the water break on the sandy beach and took control of the dinghy. The crisp sails, glowing in the midday sun, were propelling me forward as the hull followed along effortlessly breaking the crystal clear water. Below me I could see every shell, creature, and crevice of the coral reefs. I was in total control. Not a single thought went through my head other than where I was in that present moment. I forgot what dinghy sailing was like. I had forgotten what it is like to make every decision for myself and be in total control of all the jibes, tacks, and points of sail. As I raced a motor boat along a stretch of deeper darker waters, I could feel the wind combing my hair, the temperate water splashing my legs and wetting my face. I hiked off the side. I was moving… fast.

In those moments, out on the water, I realized that I will always sail. I will always do what makes me happy and being out on that Pico was one of the happiest moments I’ve ever experienced. I realized that regardless of how old I am or whether I’m in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan or Auckland, New Zealand; I will never stop sailing. It doesn't matter whether it’s racing on dinghy’s, cruising in 30 foot sloops, or living on 210 feet tall ships. There is nothing so amazing as the freedom of a barren horizon, the excitement of a giant swell, or the adrenaline rush from being alone in a situation where strenuous hiking is the only thing that keeps you inches from capsize. 

Service in the DR

Dominican Republic. Our second service project was scheduled for this port and so we joined a local foundation that worked in literacy, town improvement, and female rights. José, the man in charge, had arranged homestays for the three day service project and had talked to the community council about house repairs. We were going to be painting houses for the families who could not afford to do it themselves.

Unlike the Senegal service project, in DR I really felt as if I had accomplished something. It was much more satisfying to look back at the end of the day and see the smiles on the families’ faces and the joy that simple colours brought to the rest of the street inhabitants. My group of 6 managed to get around to a total of 5 houses.

On our second day, we were painting the café a bright green and pink. This time we came prepared. We had bottled water, toilet paper, our lunch, and music… lots of music. By the time I got around to the front side of the building, it seemed as if every child in town had come out to watch and support and play with us. I knew a little Spanish and did manage to communicate with a couple of the children. One girl sat down next to me and pointed at my headphones asking if she could listen. I put one plug in her ear and one in mine. I’ll never forget how wide her smile was when I played Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing. After that all the kids lined up wanting to listen to the noise that was coming out of my headphones.

When lunch came around the people across the street brought us a table and chairs so that we could eat. We all felt a little guilty with the amount of food that was presented to us by José. So we ate a little of sight from everyone else. After I had finished eating I went back onto the street and befriended a little boy, Carlos, who had made a game out of a tire and a stick. We spent a good twenty minutes trying to perfect my skills. I never did get as good as him, but I was able to at least get the tire rolling. It’s amazing the games people can create from almost nothing.

Leaving DR was one of the more difficult departures. It was sad to say goodbye to all the great memories and friendships. There are no more service projects scheduled for the remainder of Class Afloat, but a few of us are trying to arrange something for Bermuda. Next port of call: Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Painting Team

Painting the Cafe

Flora and Fauna Delights

Limon, Costa Rica. What an ecologically amazing country. I believe that Costa Rica has the largest collection of Flora and Fauna in all the world and it most definitely shows. There is rain forest and jungle everywhere. Sloths and monkeys roam the city streets, tidal flats are covered in purple eels, and the white water rapids are out of this world. 

The first day took me to the National park. I was on a hunt to find a sloth and take in all the beauty that my eyes could perceive. It was gorgeous! A sense of my relation to this world clouded over my brain and I realized how small and unknown I am in our ginormous world. I realized how far from a natural state society had come and I slowed down to take a minute and breathe in my surroundings because if the sloth didn't need to hurry then why did I? Of course, the silence didn't last long and I ran straight into a spider web that coated the entire upper half of my body.... Yuck! An hour later my friends and I were still wiping the remains of the web off of me. I eventually found the sloth that I was looking for and watched it as it slowly moved across the tree branch. Ironically, there were many sloths that could be found just outside the dock and so I learned that I should probably keep my eyes on the trees more often. The coolest sight, however, was the raccoons that would dance for food. In Vancouver I am always taught to be weary of raccoons but in Costa Rica they gently take food straight from a human’s hand. Cool, eh? 

The next day was white water rapids on Costa Rica's longest river. There hadn't been much rainfall in the past week and so I was only able to experience class four rapids but they too were extraordinary. Our guide had me laughing until I could paddle no more and every time "get down" was commanded I whipped my paddle out of the water and hit the hull hard. I spent five hours on the river admiring the views and taking in the surrounding ecology. If national geographic were to visit the location of these rapids, I am sure that a photo might make their front page. The worn bridges and textured rock cliffs took my breath away. 

On the final day in Limon, I toured to Playa Bonita and explored the tidal flats. I observed that the waves came in patterns and every fifteen minutes the entire area would be flooded with water. To my dismay, a rogue wave hit and I was sent flying by the 12 feet of solid water. When I got back on foot again some fifty electric purple eels surrounded me. My heart began to beat a mile a minute and my head spun from one place to another trying to find an escape route. I was terrified of either being washed out to sea or dying of electric shock via eel. I think I may have made a mountain out of a mole hill when I look back on what happened. Eventually I came to terms with my current state and realized that this is AWESOME! 

The Epitome of Paradise

It is literally Paradise. We sailed into Panama's San Blas Islands and anchored overnight. It was a surprise port that, despite having been planned for weeks, no students knew about. I was in Biology 12 class when the Sorlandet shook vigorously at the friction of the anchor dropping and running against the hull. It was a type of excitement that couldn't be explained in words alone. As soon as we knew what was happening a roar of everyone's cheers ran across the banjer and my entire class jumped out of their seats to run at our teacher and embrace him in a hug of pure joy. For that day and a half that we were about to spend in Panama, we were leaving behind the viscous seas and dreadfully tough classes. It was the perfect vacation for everyone!

San Blas is the epitome of everyone's bream paradise. The island we occupied is a mere four hundred meters in perimeter and coated in palm trees. A single family of the Kuna people, indigenous to San Blas, took residence on Turtle Island, as ii is called. They wore the most vibrant clothes that I had ever laid eyes on and beyond friendly. From head to toe, bracelets, weaving's and died cloth covered their body. Some Spanish was spoken but it was in a pigeon dialect. I wish that I could have communicated with them in more than the basic sentences that I knew. 

All day was spent on the beach. The family had set up a volley ball net for our use and we played an extremely competitive game of students versus maritime crew. Ironically, it ended up being a game of one gender versus the other, and we, the girls lost badly. However, that is not to say that boys are better than girls (they had the height advantage). The waters which surround the island brought sights to my eyes that were on the verge of unbelievable. Speckled in various shades of blue from deep turquoise to crystal clear indigo, the sea had an abundance of marine life. I swam among the barracudas, stingrays, sea stars, reef fish, and sharks. 

It was an overall amazing day that ended with me taking a nap in the hammock which lies between two breezy palm trees. Only downside is that no paradise is perfect and a week later I am still suffering the burns that the sun was so kind to give me. Lesson learned: always wear and reapply sunscreen.