Teacher Aboard Logs

Date:	November 24   1235 hrs
Position:	Atlantic Ocean heading for Cape Hatteras Latitude: 37:40.9 N    Longitude: 76:10.2 W
Conditions:	Winds: 10 knots NW    Barometric Pressure: 1019.0    Skies: clear
Entered By:	Teacher Aboard Lee Vogtman

Gobble Gobble! Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I must say that although I was a bit disappointed that we couldn't be home for this holiday, we did have a festive celebration on board, punctuated by a delicious turkey dinner prepared by Andy. So why weren't we home, you ask. Well.....

As I mentioned in the previous log, we had barreled up to Cape Hatteras and into a mess. The wind and seas were not in our favor, and we had already been forced to head off in the wrong direction once before. The captain gave the order to "heave to," and the storm jib and storm trys'l were set with the wheel tied down hard over. This maneuver is was keep the boat where it was, although it "crabbed" along a bit. As it turned out, the captain's decision was not only a good one, but also it had great timing as well. The Gulf Stream current kept us within a handful of miles of our original position. Watches were changed a bit because it was so cold. Two people were on deck for two hours at a time, which meant that the other watchmembers could sleep or at least stay warm below.

The morning brought a cold sunrise. We could tell that we weren't going anywhere soon.

Our little friend, "Mr. Sparrow," was still with us and kept popping up when we least expected it.

The crew's spirits never changed as we realized that we'd not be home for Thanksgiving. Some members of the crew were even a bit zany as they decided to have their own "Polar Bear Club" on board.

My watch had just come on duty, when two members of "C" watch joined us dressed as though we were in Hawaii! From left to right you see John Shellenberger, Dayle Tognoni, Pamela Coughlin and Christopher Flansburg. (Do you remember what their jobs are on board?)

As the day wore on, the sky resembled that of a clear fall day, but the wind was getting stronger and the seas looked more and more eerie. Everything on deck was checked and rechecked as the conditions worsened. Everything inside "Hippo" was secured as the sea mist swirled and danced above the waves.

The skies continued to look promising, but the wind and seas were not cooperating. This series of three shots shows how things changed over the afternoon. The wind began to whip the waves up into a frenzy. Waves were crashing on our beam (side), and washing over the deck. It was a very long and sleepless night.

The next morning brought an ominous sky, but the seas had calmed a bit. Unfortunately the wind was still up and in the wrong direction. It was Thanksgiving, but we knew we'd be celebrating on board. "Cookie" began his preparations for the meal as the crew did their part to add a touch of home.

Between watches, each person on board made a paper turkey and posted it with the collection. By dinnertime the galley had been properly decorated, and we all sat down to a scrumptious holiday meal. Captain Dan said "Grace," and although I can only speak for myself, I believe everybody was moved by his words. We enjoyed turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fried sweet plantains from Puerto Rico, and cranberry sauce. The final touch was a slice of Andy's wonderful apple pie!

After dinner, the crew split off into their separate areas. Watchmembers went up on deck, while others went to their cabins to sleep. I had been in my cabin working on photographs for a time, when suddenly I heard a most welcome sound - a diesel engine starting up! Someone said we were heading home, and you could feel the excitement in the air. Sure enough, the weather had calmed down enough for us to finally leave, and we began motorsailing northward.

At 1550 I went up on deck to stand watch. We had roughly 80 miles to go to our waypoint, which was the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel. We could see the glow of Norfolk in the distant sky. By 2000 hours, my toes were freezing as the temperature dropped and our watch was relieved. I worked on my logs and photographs until shortly before midnight, then fell asleep. I woke up at 0300 and went up on deck to see what it was like. It was certainly cold, but the sky was clear and the stars shone down, perhaps saying goodbye as I saw my last sky out in the Atlantic from the deck of Pride II. I said my silent farewell, and went below to work for a few hours before falling asleep once again.

By 0730 we had come to the tunnel, and I woke to the announcement. Chris Landers had chosen the latest arrival date and won the pool. At almost the same time, Captain Dan was using a cell phone to contact Marty Bass for a live interview on his "Coffee With..." television talk show program. Things were starting to come together as we neared our final destination.

It's lunchtime now and I smell some of Andy's delicious pizza, so I'll sign off with the hopes of meeting some of you when we sail into Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Sunday. I hope you're there to hear the cannon fire as we salute our friends, supporters, and homeport. Until then, farewell! Your Teacher Aboard,
Lee Vogtman