Mr . Mandela

I thought I'd write down part of Anna research on Nelson Mandela for a school project:

As the leader of the banned African National Congress (ANC) Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1963 and sentenced to Life in prison on Robben Island. His release came 27 yrs later in 1990. With then president FW DeKlerk, he negotiated the dismantling of Apartheid, (white minority rule and separation by color of one's skin) For which they jointly earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Democratic elections were held in 1994 and Mandela became the country's 1st black president. -- part of Anna's research.

SA now is suffering a horrible battle w/ AIDS , it is killing people in SA by the millions . The politico's again seem dissident and off base. Drugs are not available the way they are in the Americas .

Its estimated 35% of the population is HIV + !!!

latitude 14' .44 S

longitude 7' 031 E

distance to Cape Town 1294 NM

sea depth 16076 feet

water temp 66'

sea swell 10 feet

sea contions 3 feet

signing off Capt J

NEPTUNE DAY ON THE HIGH SEA

We partied as we crossed over into the southern hemisphere! We all became offical Emerald Shellbacks by having fish guts poured on our heads then jumping in the pool and kissing a fish!!! Aso about 1/2 the students shaved their heads, Declan said he wanted a Mohawk and vala he has a classic Joe Stummer (Clash of 80s' )

All"s well as we head to CapeTown SA we arrive there Sunday morning. We will keep you posted w/ the hap's

Best

jd

Now he has even more of the ship ladies all over him :)

Classic

Seeing , Experiencing Ghana Africa

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,we must carry it w/ us , or we find it not." R.W Emerson
The people of Ghana are a kind and seemingly happy people. Our encounters during our travels were always met w/ people ,men , women and children who seemed to have a desire to make you feel comfortable. They were generous w/ their efforts to meet our needs. Philip our cab driver was a real sweet guy and looked out for us . He drove us all over , to the fishing village, the market, an orphanage http://www.egyamorphanage.com/ . He did this for a very small some of money. For example we got in his cab around 9;00 am and he dropped us off around 3:00pm for 50 cedes which is $35US .
The market in Takoradi was bustling and exciting , Traci bought some of her favorite old Kente' cloth , bracelets , necklaces and even a couple small carved drums . Traci knows how to bargain and isn;'t afraid to offend w/ an offer even if she wants the particular item. It say this in the best way. I found it was better for me to perhaps point out something to T and sick her on the poor shop owner. They might say 100 cedes Traci would say you must be crazy - 30 is what I will pay and it would go on , she would walk away only to be followed w/ a counter offer. I don't think she ever paid more than 1/2 the starting price. :) Marshall's beware she will likely start setting her own prices there at home!!
We experienced so much in 4 days traveling w/ the kids . The kids loved it and were exhausted by the time we left port .
I'll let Traci tell you of our experience at the orphanage as she was able to speak w/ the director for sometime while I was being mauled by a bunch of polite and curious kids. Boy do they love cute white kids!!!
There were so many highlights to this part of the journey its hard to put it all down , I talked w/ an economist from the ship about his perspective of the country (70 yr old professor at UVA) a very intelligent and well travelled man who said he had never seen such a poor place and didn't know what they could do to change the economic disaster that is Ghana. The poverty was abject, the living quarters were on top of each other w/ out running water or electricity in most cases. The days were spent hacking at the jungle and "gardens" to pull out Yams, coconuts , tomato's , garlic ,and all manner of veggie. The men did the hunting and fishing . All for the village to eat that day while selling some to buy the bear necessities.
There is an upper class but we didn't see it. Like all countries like Ghana the corruption of the Gov. and the exploitation by big business (mining,cocoa farming and now drilling for oil is real)
The power is separated from the people. This is a country that could truly use some sustainable energy , Wind and solar.

I speak for all of us,The Ghanaian people have left lasting memories for all of us.

Current position :

0' 09minutes N- Latitude

0' 03'minutes W Longitude

Water depth - 16148 feet

sea temp 79'F

distance to CapeTown 2201 NM

Over and out

JD

ZERO DEGREES LATITUDE-BY- ZERO DEGREES LONGITUDE

Hi All,
We have just crossed the actual bellybutton of Mother Earth our True co-ordinates were :

00' 0.0 Latitude - 000"0.0Longitude



I guess this would be a good place to say " Been there, done that!"

It really is very cool because it is the only place on earth that is ZERO-ZERO

as the capt. says enjoy the moment


Capt Ron signing off

A village remote...

So many thoughts are running through my mind after three days in Ghana...I guess I hadn't really thought a whole lot about what it would be like to come back to West Africa, so close to Guinea-Bissau, now with my family! I think the hardest thing for me has been feeling like such a tourist. In G-B, I spoke the languages. I was familiar with all of the cultural nuances. I felt like I understood the people. Now I feel we are very much on the outside looking in. Having said that, it has been so important to show John and the kids even a glimpse of what my life was like in GB. Most important to me, is for them to see how happy and warm and generous these people with seemingly nothing are. We have been fortunate enough to visit two villages. The first village was Akwidaa which John wrote about. It was overwhelming even for me. The houses were literally on top of one another. It had rained for several days so everything was muddy and wet. I realized that day after spending time in the village that there were many things that I choose not to remember about Africa...

Today we went on a Semester at Sea sponsored trip to a water village called Nzulezo. It was truly like nothing John nor I had ever seen. Thanks to a young strapping Ghanaian named Tommy, the five of us made it to the village on stilts in about 45 minutes. We passed through two dense jungle areas in the canoe and then a large open expanse which was beautiful and covered with many lily pads. We saw many different ways that they catch fish which was quite exciting for John: a basket trap, something resembling fish weirs, a weight system that they had rigged, and nets. We finally reached the village which is comprised of about 450 people - mostly from the same family line we were told. There is a primary school from grades 1-6 and a church. There is no health clinic. Anyone in need of emergency medical care is taken by boat to the nearest town. Our guide told us that the village has been hosting tours for over ten years and that the people are directly paid a share of these monies. It was hard to know if this actually occurs. There is no electricity or running water and the village is primitive to say the least. One thing that I found absolutely amazing was the thought of a baby learning to crawl or walk on decks, no more than 4 1/2 feet wide! We did see several children swimming so at least it appeared that at least some of the people can swim - something that always amazed me in GB how people who grew up on the water and couldn't swim!

Tomorrow we are going to an orphanage nearby. It will be interesting to learn why these children have been placed there. The word orphan didn't exist in Kriolu -- children would be taken in by extended family if they were to lose their parents.

Well that's it for now. I am truly exhausted... Hopefully we can try to write some thoughts from Anna and Layne in tomorrow night's blog. I think they're as emotionally overwhelmed as we are. Until tomorrow...
Traci

Tiny fishing village in Ghana

Hi All,

"In the wings his pangs of remorse Oh life, of the child that becomes a man, ever by the sea."

Yesterday we went on a trip into the bush and ended up in a remote coastal village, Akwidaa 1 1/2 hrs south of Takoradi . The place we stayed was simple . They had a generator for electricity for a few hrs. in the evening , and mosquito nets for our beds.

I went fishing local style. It was incredible to see the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the men from this village. It was a real experience . Picture wading through water to get into a "pi rogue" canoe . You set out w/ your smiling and trusty guides you met 4 seconds ago and realize no English spoken.... Its OK you can fish w/ anyone. As we head out of the protected little lagoon you realize most of village folk are heading to the banks and the small foot bridge to see the white man in the forward part of the canoe. I was smiling and tipping my hat, couldn't be happier . I had to laugh these guys took us out in a dug out tree w/ a 20 yr old 8 hp Yamaha through what I can honestly compare to the "CHATHAM BAR" a truly hairball rip!!! The yelling from the three started in earnest ...Faster! Slower! , (I would think ..) . We took the second wave 60% into the canoe meaning I was now 100% drenched head to toe. The bailing started w/ no great urgency , the man used an old construction helmet. I scrambled to the bow where the buoy had been flung overboard. I noticed our anchor then, it was a heavy crankshaft from a truck tied to a dicey line. At this point I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have passed a USCG inspection.. . more on this later gotta go

2nd part

We made it past the rip . The ocean was still big 10-12ft swells, it's a trip in a canoe. The wind was up around 15mph so it was also a bit rough in head sea. The men I was with had no rods and were honesty interested in how mine worked. It surprized them I could cast it 50 yds from the boat or cast it at all for that matter... I showed him my little pack of lures I brought, he selected a shiny castmaster w/ a single hook. This produced nada. I kept saying I'll use what you use. He made me one of the rigs they were using, it was a simple hook w/ pieces of clothesline pulled apart and attached to look like the sardines the king fish were feeding on. It was actually a darn good looking salywater fly in the water. I hooked up 5 times lost two but was very happy. They all caught twice that # . Their technique was very simple no rod just mono line w/ the hook tied direct they would send it out and wrap it around their big toe . When the fish hit they knew it and grabbed the line and pulled in the fish.

That was the way it was and still is in Ghana. It was an experience I will treasure as I fish aboard my well equipped vessel. The classic saying comes to mind here ... "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day... teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime"

We weigh anchor tonight for Cape Town SA . It should take about 7 days

Keep you posted

jd

jd

AFRICA...

I cannot believe it's been nearly 14 years since I left West Africa... I am overjoyed to be returning to share it with Johnnie and the kids. Naturally I wish we were going to see my beloved Guineans, but perhaps our stay in Ghana will be a good intro for everyone! I traveled to Ghana in 1996 with other PC friends. My favorite part of our trip was our travels to Kumasi, which is the cultural center for the Ashanti people. Unfortunately it is too far for us to travel there this time. We will focus more on the southern region near to Takoradi where we will dock. We are going to stay in a coastal town Aswaa the first night. We will hopefully be able to visit a village school while there. Also hoping Johnnie will get to fish! The girls and I are also hoping to visit an orphanage on Saturday. The kids in our children's program have been hard at work making friendship bracelets to bring to the children. We will also visit a "water village" where the houses are built on stilts - something I never came across during my stay in W. Africa.

We have been fortunate enough to have several Ghanaians on board since we left Morocco to give country specific lectures on politics, culture, history, etc. Even the kids have benefited from a talk given by the interport-student Rebecca who is a university student in Accra, and Joe, the interport lecturer who embodies the West African spirit. Yesterday they did a wonderful comparison of Ghanaian and American children pointing out that in reality, they are both really the same despite the color of their skin and their homelands. They talked about Ghanaian dress, food, language, children's games and traditions. Layne and Anna really enjoyed it - even Declan participated! Today the kids will participate in a child-focussed lecture on reducing waste. We're hoping it will rub off on them and their waste of food. Mealtime unfortunately is trying at times. Today however, a major battle was won... it was the first day of antimalarial medications. Fortunately they will only take it for twelve days, but anyone with small children understands the daunting task of convincing a little one that they HAVE to take a small, very bitter pill OR ELSE...! We had a few strategies that actually worked: Anna by some act of God actually won her mental battle and convinced herself that she COULD indeed swallow a pill - even the two pills that she is required to take! Needless to say, she is very proud of herself! Layne, naturally just took it like a champ and didn't complain. She did actually admit that it "tasted real bad" which must mean that it's really bad! Declan, on the other hand, was overjoyed to play a game, "how many Smarties + one antimalarial pill can you eat at once?!" Whatever it takes.... that's my motto!

Well, I will definitely try to post another blog very soon. I am having a really hard time keeping up with the daily postings of Captain Ron! I finally got around to writing a very, long detailed blog last night and as I was about to publish it, I lost the internet connection --- agggh! So this is about the best I can do right now. Can't wait to tell you all about our travels in Ghana. Hope you are all well and that you keep following our travels... Traci

From Las Palmas ro Takoradi , Ghana

Hi All,

One day away from Ghana. We have seen some beautiful sunsets and a sunrise or two on this leg of the voyage. The ladies/students w/ Traci are Alex (left) University of Texas and Heather University of San Diego. Both are sweet , great w/ the kids excellent students and did I mention easy on the eye's :) (Traci has got to write a blog or two soon) She wrote a novel last night then lost it do to the spotty Internet.

I was in touch w/ my old friend Billy Pisani who I recalled lived in Ghana somewhere 18 yrs ago. He told me it was Takoradi! He was working for Stone and Webster an engineering firm building a desalinisation plant. We will see how he did .

We have some nice plans in Ghana, possible orphanage, water village, and Eco lodge where I will be able to wet a line!! I've seen flying fish, dolphins, whales (one actually) and some busting small tuna. So its safe to say I am in need of the solitude of me and my fishing rod.

We are currently Travelling 170 degrees

Latitude 5' 01 N

Longitude 11' 42' W

the water depth is 10171 ft and we are only 42 NM off the coast of Africa.

The sea temp is 81'

wind - 24 knots

sea swell 7 ft.

sea 8 feet south

Hope you are all well

jd

Random shots

Hi All,

didn't have time to really post something , Dec and Layne are sick. This will be a long day... beautiful , calm and sunny yesterday turns to stormy , rainy and rough today.

jd

DeBunkering in Las Palmas

Hi All,

I guess 1st off I should explain debunkering. It means getting a fill up . Since you don't just pull a 590' craft up to the pump they bring it to you. The term bunkering is mostly a maritime one meaning fuel or energy holding . the term debunkering simply mean the bunkering ship is off loading it's cargo. In our case the MV-Explorer holds 1190 metric tons of diesel , we took on 650 metric tons.

It was pretty wild to wake up a few miles off shore of Las Palmas. I was up before the sun so I just saw building lights and headlights from autos in what seemed like the sea.

Yesterday was a very good day and eventful . Any day the mini clan of three behave, do their work and are kind to each other make for a good day in my eye's. The days on ship are broken down into A days and B days because at sea there are always classes. Accordingly we have certain students tutoring on A days and another group on B days. Anna has finally started to get comfortable w/ the students that spend time w/ her on school work. Layne has as well in a kindergarten kind of way. Traci and I keep Layne w/ us more often so she get's the real creative play along w/ the ABC's and quantum physics. :)

In the afternoon Traci was asked to lecture in a class about her nursing experience and her matenity / health related work in the Peace Corp. The professor took me aside and said how impressed he was w/ her presentation. Many students became interested and they make build a panel including Traci just to answer questions and such.

I on the other hand gave a "lecture " to the kids, some staff and parents during "Enrichment Hour" . I made a drawing of a ship on huge piece of paper and wrote down and pointed out all the parts of a boat/ship I could think of. I also did the same w/ naming the different shapes of clouds and what they can mean related to weather. Then a little about the stars and how to find basic direction from them. I threw in fishing and broke out some of the tackle I brought along, shark hooks and wire leaders, huge squid for Tuna and the like. I also talked and gave survival stories which besides the nautical terms peaked their attention ... the story of a 25 yr old merchant mariner in 1942 named Poon Lim who survived 133 days at sea ALONE after the ship he was on was torpedoed between CapeTown and the South American coast.

Anyway today is another day at sea, it will take us about 4 more days to arrive in Ghana, looking forward to the pre-port discussion and speaker on that.

Latitude 28' .07N

Longitude 015' . 24W

Course - 182' almost due south

we have travelled 528 NM since Casablanca.

We are following sea as the wind is out of the NW at 13 knots smooth sailing.

Take care

Best

JD

T

Lines in and back to sea -waving goodbye to Casablanca

Hi all,
Its 2100 hrs or 9:00pm we just set out on the next leg of our voyage. Casablanca to Ghana it will take 7 days. Back to school for the kids and the student body.
Traci has had to work a bit of OT in Morocco. The food and water does funny things to the untrained stomach. Rockin' diarrhea as the kids and I call it. :)
We were able to chill out yesterday on the ship we all needed it. Young Declan the most . He was so hot and his tummy went haywire , he hurled all over our bed but like a kid rebounded and was smiling again in minutes.
We are looking forward to our next destination , almost Traci's old home turf. She met a Ghanaian man today while we were have coffee in an outdoor cafe in the old city (Medina) of Casablanca. We only talked to him for 10 minutes or so and he decided to take off his cool beaded necklace and put right on Anna neck. Just out of pure generosity. It was special.
Oh one last story, we were packed a few days ago to leave a place called Azamore - we were delayed and the girls unpacked there stuffed animals and special comfort blankets (taggies) to play w/ . We grabbed the bags when it was time to leave... at bed time that night no er ore , pickles or taggies.. the waterworks began in earnest! We got in touch w/ the nice man who owned the riad we stayed in. He drove an hour and a 1/2 back to the ship to deliver the precious cargo!! all is well in the world again. We hope a lesson in resonsibility has been learned. We know they are young but everyone has to carry some weight and help along the way . The forethought T and I put into every excursion is multiplied so we are expecting them to be able to handle certian things on their own.Life on a voyage in close quarters has some real moments.
Hope all is well w/ everyone
Current ship position:
Latitude - 33'35.9N
Longitude - 008' 2.4W

course 256'

I'm giving a talk to the kids in the dependent children program (home schooled kids) about ships , clouds and stars tomorrow.

Capt Ron signing off

Fez Marocco

Hi All,

Note to self , perpare yourself for an onslaught on the senses.The absolute crush of people hussling about in their maze of a world know as the medina (old city) where some of the streets are not as wide as my shoulders. Everywhere people are selling , selling selling. Some of the major items are ; leather, tile , rugs and all manner of food that tends to be a bit out of the ordinary . The sights of all of animals being displayed for consumption in the sun and heat w/ the inevitable flies, all parts of the goats, chickens, rabbits, camals, probably horse and of course cow.
Layne has earned the title of offical food taster for her Highness Miss Anna . It has been a bit rough on the tummies of young and old.
Did I mention it is about 100 degrees in the shade and its the end of Ramidan so people are out in droves, think pre Christmas for us back home.
Another sense that is a bit dicey is touch... basically if you touch something wash your hands right away says nurse Trixy. I'm going to agree w/ her on that one.
If our kids weren't in western wear by the end of the day they would look just like the street urchants of the Medinas. They touch everything!!!
The sights are brilliant. The artisan tile work and wood work has been done w/ such care and dedication it brings you to a differnt time hundreds of years ago. The doors that open to these new worlds are also built w/ great care and are spectacluar. Traci and I have taken many pictures of the doors to make a collage when we return.
Travelling w/ the three little one does create it's own experiance no matter where you go. Our attention has to be on them first, food , sun protection(Africa) secondly, we are able to check out our surroundings.
One great thing about travel is the ideas you get for your own surroundings at home. Think fabric , kitchen , bath etc. lots of cleaver things.

Enough for now . Travels to and from Fez we long .

best jd

Casablanca and Morocco

Hi , We set sail from Cadiz Espana last night at 8:00 . We will arrive in Casablanca Morrocco around 0100. We had a very nice time in Spain. it was a great amount of time (5 days) we spent our second to last day in Sevilla and the yesterday on a beach in Santa Maria we took a small boat to. Not many tourists at all. We watched a fotbal practice on our walk to the beach. They had a drill I'd never seen before. It looked like a good workout and allot of fun. Basically they spilt the team into two sides on of the sides 8 guys held hands in a row. The object was to then stay together and capture the other guys who's goal was to run past to temporary freedom and catch their wind. When a guy was caught he was added to the chain. It just looked like a great drill to me.
We are putting together plans for Morrocco now. We will be heading for an overnight to Fez (Harrision Ford says the most romantic city ) NYT say's is the religious and cultual capital of Morrocco.
We will post again soon, thanks for all the comments we love to get them. Feel free to ask any questions or give us ideas. This is truly a voyage of a lifetime.

JD

Latitude - 34' 18.7N
Longitude - 007' 20.3W

course 198'

Not far to go. Our next long sea trip will be Ghana to Capetown

Waiting for the train to Seville

Consumption

Last spring this ship took on sustainability and conservation as a goal. The ship now tracks a variety of energy related items. It is astounding when you are on a self contained vessel how much gets used and produced each and everyday. I do try to practice recycling but honestly not allot else. We as a people are beyond that.
I was talking to a professor "Rocky" about the wind farm for Nantucket sound. He said he thinks we need to go to the basics before putting windfarms in asteticlly prime areas. What he meant was that if people would buy energy efficent refridgerators , seal drafty spots around windows, buy longlife energy efficent lightbulbs and other simple things like that our need for the windfarms in Nantucket sound ' and areas like it would be less.
The US is way behind the rest of the world w/ regard to sustainable energy, wind, solar. We are making strides . The majority of the windfarms could be put in middle America in the farmland - steady wind. The farmers can grow around the turbines and reap the benefits of leasing land that would occupy the windmill.
All energy produced goes to the GRID for the most part. So if you have a windfarm in Kansas you might share the energy on Cape Cod and visa versa .
I just thought the train of thought was interesting.
One thing looked at closely on the EXplorer is water consumption:
On average we use about 59 gallons per person per day or 56,797 total gallons of water used per day on the ship . The EXPLORER can produce its own water (desalinisation) using reverse osmosos. This is expensive to do as it takes energy to produce and thus fuel. The ship has 4 engines all over 11,000 horsepower. 45,000 HORSEPOWER total. Of the fuel we use only 60% goes to propultion the rest to other tasks , like water generation.
We take short showers use little water for brushing shaving etc.

It kind of opens ons eyes. More on this later, think of the trash created by 1000+ people.

best from Cadiz
JD

"20 years from now..."

Ahh ... Espana , muy bien

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So thow off the bowlines sail away from the safe harbor catch the tradewinds in your sails. EXPLORE DREAM DISCOVER. " Mark Twain