Marie-Lou Poisson and Stephanie Desmuelles
November 23, 1995 aboard Concordia

Sights of the Sea

Leaving Jidda, our heads were filled with colorful and fantastic memories. We thought the best part of our trip was over, but we were wrong. Off the shore of Saudi Arabia, we had the opportunity to see the most beautiful coral reef. The closer we got to the reef crest (the peak of the coral reef), the more there was to see. Giant clams, sea urchins and fish make their homes in the coral reef. We were surprised to also see trash there. Plastic bags floating around, metal containers laying at the bottom of the sea, and fishing lines caught in the coral rock all took something away from the beauty of the coral reef. But worst of all were the damages in the reef made by inexperienced divers. Man has definitely left his mark on this coral reef.

While traveling down the east coast of Africa, we also had the opportunity to see a small tornado on port side. We had to avoid the tornado because it could damage the ship. From the Concordia, the tornado looked like a giant cylinder reaching up to the clouds and sucking them through its center.

During the night watches, as we traveled further south we saw a night sky that looked different from the night skies we see at home. The north polar star has disappeared and has been replaced by the southern cross. We have noticed in those late hours on watch constellations we have never seen before and lots of shooting stars. (Make a wish!!)

Now we must end this journal and return to our school work. For marine biology class, we have to take water samples of the sea to study various water properties: salinity, temperature, turgidity, and density. These lessons will prepare us for a project we have on the Red Sea. Good-bye for now!!

Gerald Westby
11/19/95 aboard Concordia

Thoughts on Saudi Arabia

For the students of Class Afloat, Saudi Arabia was one of the most exciting experiences of our journey so far. As a precaution, we had been forewarned of the 'strange and unusual' customs that we would experience in this closely guarded country. The main problem many students had was that men and women are not allowed to socialize unless they are directly related or married. However, when we found out that tourists are usually not allowed inside Saudi Arabia, and that we were recipients of a very unique experience, excitement began to mount. After our arrival, we were ushered through customs and taken by bus to our hotel. And what a hotel it was.

For the next few days, we spent most of our time on supervised land programs with organized shopping trips to various 'souks' fit in between. This was to prevent any problems between us and the Saudi Arabians, since we were still unfamiliar with their customs. This method worked rather well for the men, since there is really no dress code for us and we are basically free to do what we please. For the women, however, life was not so easy. Abayahs (black, full bodied robes) were standard issue for the women and were to be worn at all times outsideof the hotel. Doing our best to embrace the Saudi Arabian culture, the men and women of Class Afloat were not as segregated as we thought we were going to be and the locals were more or less tolerant of our 'western mistakes.'


Anne Woomer Marine Biology Teacher
11/26/95 aboard Concordia

What a day today has been!! Late this morning, we caught a 3-foot barracuda. The professional crew almost always has a fishing line set off the stern, but until today we hadn’t caught any fish. Many of the students thought we’d be having barracuda for dinner that night. They did not know that eating barracuda can make you very sick. The flesh of several species of tropical coral reef fish including barracudas often contain a toxin which is poisonous to people. The poison is called ciguatoxin and the disease that results is called ciguatera. These fish accumulate this toxin in their bodies by eating naturally toxic dinoflagellates (phytoplankton) or by eating other fish who have the toxin. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine if a fish has the ciguatoxin until someone who ate the fish becomes sick. After we explained all this to the students, our Second Mate and Dr. Wojtek, dissected it for us at the stern. It was an excellent activity for marine biology class!

After we finished the dissection, we threw the fish carcass overboard, and almost immediately, another fish was on the line. This time it was a dolphinfish (not a dolphin), also called mahi mahi. Dolphinfish are almost always found in pairs (they mate for life). We saw the second dophinfish swimming nearby. As a crew member was pulling the line in, a big shark appeared as well. Unfortunately, the dolphinfish fell off the hook, but we were all able to get a good look at its brilliant colors before it swam away with its mate.

A little bit later, the stern was full of activity again as we pulled a beautiful yellow- fin tuna onboard. This fish will make a safe and tasty meal for tonight. There are still a few hours of daylight left. Maybe we'll catch something else.

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