Ghost To Coast

A brief stop over for Spirit in Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I. brought delicious roti, hospitable locals and street music gridlock. Its hustle and bustle was a jarring layover between the serenity of Norman Island and Virgin Gorda.

"The Baths," named for a conglomerate of seawater pools that actively sweep past the feet of stacked, bus-sized granite boulders, are one of Virgin Gorda's most attractive natural features. The sunlit labyrinths and room temperature water was not only other worldly beautiful, but The Baths' vastness set the stage for an exotic, Five Star game of hide-and-go-seek with the belted chorus of "Hey Jude" bouncing off the ancient igneous.

An overnight sail took the crew and students to the calm, clearness of Sun Bay on Vieques, Puerto Rico. After significant studying, students and apprentices tackled their Navigation & Seamanship final exam before venturing out to the decadence of Bio Bay. With its luminous allure and bio-density, Bio Bay boasts one of the highest concentrations of bioluminescent organisms in the world. Every sweeping flash from a kayak paddle looks to be part of a homemade glow stick project, milling up neon creatures in the soupy blackness of the sea. Additionally, the exploration led students into the claustrophobic tunnels of the ecologically viable mangrove forests that twist about like discarded flying buttresses.

The passage to Culebra, another small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, held a shift aboard the Spirit of Massachusetts. At this point in the trip all sailing and navigation responsibilities are handed over to the students and apprentices, with the crew on hand simply to supervise. Having this dropped in their laps, the new controlling party was one part panicked and two parts unsure, as evident in their traded glances, pacing around midships and general agreement on feeling like the kids from Lord of the Flies. With significant teamwork and no ETA, they persevered.

Upon arriving in Culebra, students tended to final exams and helped the crew and apprentices in giving Spirit an end-of-voyage facelift that included painting the hull and topsides. Elbow deep in Fernandina Gray, stories were rehashed as laughs hit the bulwarks and cluttered deck. An afternoon cookout on Playa Flamenco's pristine shores and a visit with a local high school science class aboard the ship rounded out the port's events as all are gearing up for the final passage to Old San Juan. The "last day of camp" feeling lingers in the air as post-program plans sit on everyone's mind like a heavy crown.

- TAYLOR HAAG, Apprentice

Spirit of Massachusetts