First Leg Complete

After five days of continuous sailing through the warm Caribbean waters, the schooner arrived safely in Florida. Throughout the course of the trip, the schooner enjoyed some of the most pristine sailing weather possible, with steady winds, calm seas, and blue skies. We encountered a few squall lines along the way, however the most to come of them were a few rain showers. After navigating through the Providence Channel, which is located between several Bahamian islands, the schooner entered the Gulf Stream. Our trip through the stream proved to be bouncy ride with wind against current, however despite a few spilled coffees, the schooner and crew made it through in high spirits. We sailed into West Palm Beach, where we anchored for a night and then motored our way down to Port Everglades the following morning, where we went dockside at Pier 66. In addition to the spirited crew, the schooner was provided with some extra entertainment along the way with the visit of a minke whale and multiple pods of dolphins. Casey, Dutton, and Ross, our onboard fishermen, doubled up on tuna one afternoon, landing a small yellowfin and albacore, which the crew thoroughly enjoyed eating the night after.

Once in Fort Lauderdale, the crew were allowed some free time to rest explore the area. Most of them wound up in the nearby pool and hot tub. We were also fortunate enough to be hosted for dinner at the Lauderdale Yacht Club.

Tonight, after a day of cleaning, the schooner hosted an alumni reception, where past, present, and future families had a chance to come together onboard. The even was a huge success, attracting over a hundred guests!

At 0700 tomorrow morning, the crew will awake and prepare the vessel to once again get underway and begin the second leg of her journey. From Fort Lauderdale, the schooner will reenter the Gulf Stream and sail up the coast until she gets just north of Cape Hatteras, at which point she will exit and continue her trek north. While in the stream it should be fairly warm out, however, the crew are already bracing themselves for the the brisk New England temperatures they will meet upon exit.

Day 7

The last research day of Caribbean Studies 2011 was a complete success. We woke up early in Hurricane Hole and motored around the east end of St. John towards the Haulover. We had two very productive research dives and an ROV session all before lunch. Jesse encountered a large but friendly Lemon Shark which he got some great photos of.

After a hearty lunch we got underway and headed further west stopping at Leinster Bay and Lind Pt. the two remaining areas that needed to be mapped. The conditions were perfect for the exposed waters and we collected data on over 300 colonies.

Once the research was completed we headed back to Redhook for some much needed deck showers and a delicious meal at Molly Malone’s. Tomorrow wraps up not only week six but this years Caribbean Studies Program. Over six trips the students mapped over 2000 Elkhorn colonies in total.

Tomorrow we leave early and head back for spring break while the crew awaits the arrival of the schooner crew and makes preparations for the 2000 mile voyage home...

Day 7

Day 6

After Eric Clapton serenaded us with Layla to wake us up, we immediately set sail to Leinster Bay, completing four research dives over the course of the day. We first did two morning dives, researching a number of different coral colonies. Re-energized on a snack of oranges and graham crackers, then an awesome mac and cheese lunch, we finished the day with two more successful research dives. After this massive coral bonanza, we ended the adventures (like the Wild Thornberry’s) with a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious MEATLOAF DINNER, backed up by some unreal Glen Wads. As we motored back to Francis Bay, a seawolf breached alongside the Tabor Boy, suspended itself in air, and gave our entire group high-5’s and floated of into the sunset.

From the imaginative minds of Nuge and Andrew

Day 7

Today was a marvelous day. The sun was shining and the dolphins were chirping. We had a delicious breakfast of toast, eggs and bacon and motored over to Haulover Bay. We prepared for our first snorkel in an area covered with Elkhorn coral. As we dove into the beautiful Tiffany Blue water, our horizons were filled with colorful coral and fish. The area we researched had not yet been surveyed by students so it was a new experience. Casey and the rest of the crew were encouraged when we came back with numerous coral counts. We all got out of the water and rinsed off. Due to the unexpected amounts of coral, we decided to break out the ROV. While that got started up, Anna provided us with a delicious lunch of clam chowder, chicken noodle soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmhmm delicious! As the heat took over, we were all ready to get back in the water so we geared up to continue our research. The waves were massive on the second dive which made it difficult but exciting to research the coral. We all got back onto the schooner and prepared to get underway. On our sail back to Red Hook, we took turns manning the helm, “guided” by a dolphin playing off the bow. We prepared a hilarious video for All School and are awaiting our dinner tonight out on the town. So sad we have to go but can’t wait to be home!

-Helena and Pete

Day 6

Today was the first day of major research, beginning at 6:30 am with an early morning dip and calisthenics. After another great breakfast, we headed into the vibrant blue waters for our first of four, hour-long sessions of collecting data about the elk horn coral in Francis Bay. Each group consisted of three students, a camera, and a PDA. Data was collected on each coral colony with the PDA, along with pictures and GPS location. The group named “the dream team” ( Sarah, Oliver, and Kate) ended the day with an amazing 72 recorded colonies. We finished our first two dives, had lunch, and went out for another two exhausting dives. As the day went on the group got more rowdy and snack time quickly turned into an episode of animal planet, as we fought over chips and dip. Another tradition that has carried on day to day has been a casual group singalong. As one person starts a song, the group will then join along and finish nailing each note. Some call us the songbirds of our generation. After a long day, and some sweet wetsuit tan lines, we were rewarded with a movie to end the night.
It was a GREAT day to be a seawolf.

Emma Goodman, Taylor Craig, Sarah White

Day 7

Today we woke up in Francis Bay to complete our last morning of morning calisthenics. After a quick dip to wake us up, we dined on Anna’s pancakes and crispy bacon. We motored over to Annaberg Sugar Mill where we explored the ruins of the sugar plantation. Local volunteers showed us how to “fish for tarantulas” with a grass reed; very exciting! We returned to the schooner and munched on a snack before going on the first dive in very shallow, very wavy water. We returned to a lunch of leftovers before moving to the south side of St. John because of the swell.
In the new location we divided into two sections and dove in calm waters. We then sailed to Red Hook Harbor on St. Thomas through big swells under blue skies. Anna then prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, watermelon, and chocolate chip cookies for our barbecue. While the crew cleaned dishes, we tearfully began to pack our bags before engaging in an epic battle of the card game spoons. We hope that snow will prevent our return to Boston.

Peter Pan, Miss Pukes-a-lot, Spoon Champ

Day 7

After hauling the anchor and getting underway at 0645, we motored to the south side of St. John on an exploratory mission. We went where no Tabor Researchers had gone before. Salt Pond Bay was our first destination, where a recon team was sent out in search of Elkhorn Coral. After researching and examining the coral for disease and predation we returned to the vessel for a quick snack while we moved to our next location; Lameshure Bay.

Our second location was an area thought to have few Elkhorn colonies and was difficult to access; however we managed to document and analyze 137 colonies after two long dives.

After a long days work we got underway and sailed to Christmas Cove off St. Thomas for a BBQ prepared and cleaned up by our phenomenal crew. All are sad onboard after realizing that tomorrow’s forecast predicts a high of only 31 degrees back in Marion.

Samuel Van Pelt, Adam Gerard, & Greg Scott

Welcome to The Caribbean

After less than a week at sea, the Tabor Boy arrived safely in St. Thomas, USVI’s. Unlike the first leg to Bermuda, the schooner saw calm weather for the entirety of the second leg. Light winds provided opportunities to sail just south of Bermuda and then again on the final approach to St. Thomas, however, a majority of the voyage was made under power. That is not to say the trip wasn't enjoyable. The crew throughly enjoyed absorbing the warm and welcoming weather of the Caribbean and even caught a small bluefin tuna and indulged with fresh sushi upon their arrival.

A major thank you is needed to all the volunteers and crew who have been generous enough to help in delivering the schooner; the trip wouldn't have been possible without you. We hope to see many of you back in the coming years for future voyages and good times.

From here, the schooner will remain dockside in St. Thomas until January, when she will commence the first of five eight day Caribbean Studies voyages around the USVI’s and BVI’s.

Thank you all for following the blog, we hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to checkout the Caribbean Studies posts, which will start in January.