Life at Sea Part 5: Semester 1
Greetings from Barbados at the end of an adventurous threeish months living and teaching on a tall ship. It has been a privilege to see and experience all I have, so I wanted to share as much as possible about what I have been doing.
Teaching: Life as a teacher on a ship differs greatly from traditional schooling, even the boarding school variety. We live with the students on a 65-meter vessel, with our only separation being at port (even at port, we are required to supervise and support the itinerary planned for the students). If we are at sea for ten days, then we teach for ten days straight. Depending on the watch rotation, this could mean class at 8:40 in the morning and at 18:30. Our holidays might mean a half day of class and the other half supervising student activities: cleaning, swimming, cooking, dancing, etc. Since they are students, they don’t always understand that we don’t want to answer math questions during Christmas dinner or at 21:30 the night before an exam. We are on, always. It can also be hard to teach, given the constraints on the internet and space. Sometimes, you will be in particular rough seas, resulting in all the chairs sliding around the class or students falling out of chairs. I try to have class on deck when feasible, but as soon as a pod of dolphins goes by, throw that lesson plan out the window because it will be at least 30 minutes before you get the students wrangled again.
Sailing: The teaching requirements take precedence, but learning to sail is often one of the highlights of each day. I do not get much free time during the day, but if I am all caught up on grading and prepping for class, I will join my watch for 2 hours of sailing. We have an engine and frequently have to use it to make different checkpoints on our schedule, so we are not always working with the sails. Still, the good watches are spent hauling different lines all over the ship to adjust one sail’s angle, set another sail, and take down a final sail. We take turns on the lookout and helm. Helm can feel like an app game trying to ensure our heading is within a small margin of error on the compass. Lookout is usually spent looking at any empty horizon, but occasionally, there is something like a refugee boat (a student called this one out). Things don’t always end up on radar, so it is very important to stay focused. Each watch goes on for 2 hours at a time twice a day. One at night and one during the day. The 4-6 watch is considered by most to be the worst since you have to be up at 3:30 in the morning and then get a late dinner during the evening slot.
The Route: We started our journey in Bremerhaven, Germany. Our first stop was Plymouth, England, and then a surprise stop in Acoruña, Spain, before heading to Porto, Portugal, which was our last stop in mainland Europe. Next was Casablanca, Morocco. We went across land and met with the ship in Agadir, Morocco. We then landed in Tenerife, Spain (weird to type since it is still considered on the continent of Africa), traversing the seas to Mindelo, Cabo Verde, before heading across the Atlantic. We made port after the crossing in Paramaribo, Suriname, and finished this semester in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Adventures: There has been so much on and off the ship, and I will certainly forget to mention some, but I will go in chronological order so you can keep track based on the route. I won’t stress the seasickness too much, but pretty much the day after setting sail from Bremerhaven, I was sick until Tenerife. We hit stormy seas near the Cliffs of Dover, which meant I woke up sleeping more on the wall than on my bunk, and most of the watches would finish rotation soaked. The waves were crashing right over the side and sending us staggering off the lines we were supposed to be hauling. Off the coast of Spain, we had our first swim call. We dove from the ship into the brisk Atlantic. Immediately after we got out of the water, under the setting sun, whales surrounded the ship, and dolphins were feeding. We explored, pretty thoroughly, every city we went to, but in Porto, we specifically took an African Heritage tour and learned about Portugal’s role in the enslaving of Africans. In Morocco, we did a lot. Every day was some new adventure. We toured Aït Benhaddou, camped in the Sahara, explored Little Marrakesh, visited a pottery collective, and more. Every moment was full. In Tenerife, I took a surf lesson and surfed at sunset on a black sand beach. In Cabo Verde, we hiked across the island to a remote beach with a fantastic crepe shop, and we met with a local school to learn more about the local culture. In Suriname, we traveled upriver into the jungle and spent a few nights on an island in the river, searching for reptiles at night, learning how to survive if lost in the jungle, and swimming with piranhas. The sailing can feel uneventful at times because of the routine, no matter how fun that routine might be, but every new country offers a plethora of activities and memories, making the days seem longer ashore.
It is an incredible experience. There is so much life to be lived, and I can’t fathom the ways I’ve grown, though I often ask my students to reflect on their changing identities. As you can probably tell, it is not all sunshine and dolphins, but it is manageable, and I am blessed to be here.
