Journals from the week ending September 20, 1996
The Darwin Center
by Nicholas Paradis
9/16/96, aboard Concordia...On September 11, we visited the Darwin Station on Santa Cruz. The station has two major responsibilities: it works to preserve the flora and fauna of the island and tries to increase the populations of some endangered species of the Galapagos.
The guides at the Darwin Center explained how and why they protect the different species on the island. The best example is the giant tortoise. It is an endemic species, meaning it can only live on the Galapagos Islands, but is endangered. For many years pirates and sailors took them on their ships to use as a source for fresh meat. It is estimated that more than 700,000 tortoises were killed this way. Also, the tortoise population has dwindled because young tortoises are often killed by the cats, dogs and rats that were introduced to the island by man. The huge goat population on the islands eats all of the vegetation which is the same food that the tortoise eats. For these reasons, the tortoises are endangered.
Officials have started a captured breeding program for tortoises to protect the babies until they are able to survive by themselves. They are also working on moving some of the goats off the islands. Hopefully, these and other efforts of the officials at the Darwin Center will work and future generations will be able to enjoy the wildlife of the Galapagos too.
Safety Issues aboard Concordia
by Jon Dillon
9/16/96, aboard Concordia...Safety procedures onboard the Concordia are probably the most important things we have to know. There are many things that can happen while at sea, so it is important to know and learn all the procedures in case of an emergency.
Before leaving San Diego, everyone was assigned a life raft number and an immersion suit locker location where we go to get a suit. An immersion suit is a full body wet suit that is very buoyant and warm. I have heard some amazing stories of people who have survived for many days in these suits. After getting our suits, we all meet at our assigned self-inflatable life rafts and get ready to launch them. This procedure is the abandon ship drill. Probably one of the most important drills onboard.
The second most difficult and important drill is the man overboard drill. For this drill, there are many duties that have to be done to save the person. One duty is launching the life boat ( a zodiac). This task takes at least seven people to complete. A few people must go aloft (climb up the masts) or be on deck throwing anything that floats in the water and keeping their eye on the person in the water by pointing and yelling "man overboard!" The Captain is on the bridge maneuvering the ship and turning it around to make it easier to rescue the person. When we practice we use a bottle as the man overboard.
One more safety rule that is stressed onboard Concordia is to always have your harness on. We never know when we’ll be needed to go aloft. To go aloft, there are cables we must clip on while climbing way up the mast. When you look at the height of the mast you can understand why we must wear our harnesses.
Teaching Aboard Concordia
by Glen Campbell
9/16/96, Faculty Journal, aboard Concordia...Teaching mathematics on a tall ship is a great way to observe students learning outside the traditional four walls of the classroom. Our most recent port was Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands, where one US dollar is worth 3200 Ecuadorian sucres. It was great to see the students doing mental calculations to find the US dollar value of various items and services. "What do you mean 1000 sucres for a cab ride across town? Oh wait that's only 32 cents, I'll take it." The students are also getting a taste of budgeting money.
As a teacher onboard Concordia, you have to be flexible and allow for unexpected last minute changes, such as letting class out early to watch dolphins swimming with our ship or allowing students to carry out sail maneuvers. This environment is also a great way to get to know your student s and offer extra help. Every night I have the opportunity to give extra math help in the classroom. It is a fantastic feeling to be able to help a student understand a difficult topic they have been having trouble with. I also have the benefit of traveling around the world and participating in some amazing activities. The day before we left the Galapagos I had the opportunity to swim with sea lions and white tipped sharks. We also saw blue footed boobies, large pelicans, marine and land iguanas and a manta ray. This was all done before lunch.
Ocean Challenge / e-mail: ocean@oceanchallenge.com / Class Afloat '96-'97
(c) Copyright 1996, Ocean Challenge