Here is our first communication from Annie's trip. The link to keep up with these blogs is: http://extras.seamester.com/updates/ I'm not sure if they're posting them there yet, but keep checking. Her boat is the Ocean Star.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seamester/tags/scs09 shows all the pictures.

Sea|mester vessel Ocean Star Updates
Mad Awesome Adventure Day

Posted: 15 Jan 2009 08:06 PM CST

Author: Trey
Location: Mountain Point, British Virgin Islands
Our day started off with a quick breakfast of cereal and moved into our first marine bio class. We then were allowed to go on our turtle tagging adventure. We began by strapping ropes to the dinghies, putting on our snorkel gear and holding on for dear life. As we zoomed around Mt. Point we saw a lot of marine life but it didn't seem like we would see any turtles. After a full circle we began to head back. Cold and disappointed we lazily drifted behind the dinghy. As we approached Ocean Star we saw the other group was sporadic and excited. They saw a large green turtle (uncommon in the region). As we began our pursuit two more turtles came into view. Knowing that we had to choose we chose the larger of the three. After about fifteen minutes the turtle stopped moving at the bottom in at least sixty feet of water and stayed there. After waiting for a bit we decided to drop the small dinghy anchor to encourage the turtle to move. It worked and she began to crawl toward the shallows. At about forty feet, Reese dove and grabbed her. Unfortunately she beat him against a rock and she bolted out of range. After this pre-lunch adventure we ate lunch and the crew broke up into the two groups (open water and advanced). We ended the day with spectacular dinner of Shephard's Pie and a colorful fish slide show complete with blennies galore.
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Flickr Photos from Today --- Flickr Photos from this Voyage


The Beginning

Posted: 15 Jan 2009 08:05 PM CST

Author: Dan
Location: Mountain Point, British Virgin Islands
This morning started early for the new crew of Ocean Star. Jumping into the cool clear Caribbean water for the swim test was enough to get our eyes open and to work up an appetite. After a few laps and some treading water we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of french toast and made our way upstairs at Pusser's to have a program meeting. After covering various business and making agreements to one another about the way we would live during our time aboard, we proceeded back to the boat to get ready to move off the dock. Once underway for Mountain Point we had an introduction for our new divers and handed out a review for the old hands. In the afternoon we arrived at Mountain Point, learned to drop the anchor, and showered in the sea for the first time. We feasted on a tortellini dinner and continued learning about the ship in the evening as we rotated through the different areas, learning names, systems, uses, and protocols for many things on board. The crew bunked down, tired from a busy day and excited at the prospect of exploring the islands around us, diving to the bottom of the sea, and sailing the tradewinds.
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Flickr Photos from Today --- Flickr Photos from this Voyage


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