Road Scholar Intergenerational Day 5 of 6 Day Voyage – Headed down Puget Sound toward Seattle from Everett

Q & A with the Grandchildren – 6 boys ages 10-13

Describe what you’ve liked the most on this trip so far:

"Climbing aloft.  You’re up there above everything – you can see everything afar – and it’s windy up there!  It’s an awesome experience."

"I’ve never been really, really high up before, except on roller coasters."

"I liked when we went on a hike – it’s just an island to itself.  And you needed a boat to get out there.  I’ve only been to islands you can drive to before."

"I think it’s really fun setting the sails – you’ve got everyone working together doing something that affects everyone else.  It’s kind of rewarding putting up something that weighs several thousand pounds!"

Each night we have evening program.  What has been your favorite part?

"I really like the whole program – the different “reports” – and everyone comes together to play games and sing.  There were old songs that I didn’t know but my grandmother did – and it helped us win!"

"I loved the murder mystery game! That was so funny in the end."

"It’s fun to see my grandmother here on the boat; she’s really different here than at home."

This final question was posed by one of the boys to the other boys…How do you think this experience has changed you?

"It’s taught me a lot about food waste and how you can eat healthy foods."

"I’ve learned to love different kinds of tea."

"You have to work hard to do something and in the end, it’s really rewarding."

"If no one did the dishes, you’d just have dirty dishes."

"Every little thing you do affects the environment – every little thing contributes to a big thing, which affects all other things."

"It’s definitely given me more experience in sailing.  I learned about new and different boats, the San Juan Islands, and history."

Road Scholar Day 3 of 6 day voyage – Headed down the east side of Whidbey Island

Submitted by Ann Collins, Catherine’s mother

Yesterday was a bit rainy but not enough to stop anybody from enjoying above decks.  Most of the folks aboard went to discover Hope Island, spotting eagles and other wildlife.  A hike across the island was a welcome stretch of the legs with the delightful surprise of a rope swing over the bay upon arrival at the island – all ages took a turn!

I’m finding that I’m just enjoying the whole atmosphere, with time to think about all that life has given me with my daughter and my grandson Ben with me on the trip.  It feels like life has come full circle from the time I was a youngster, especially as I watch Ben learning what it takes to be comfortable at sea.  I grew up cruising the Maine coast in the 1940s and early 50s on a wooden yawl named the Fortune.  It has been years since I’ve spent time on a wooden boat, and it brings back all the memories of things my mother and father taught me about living on a boat. I hope I can share some of these things with Ben, as he is absorbing the shipboard culture alongside the enthusiastic Adventuress crew.

Today, we had the opportunity to climb way up into the rigging, and Ben loved it so much that he didn’t want to come down.  I trusted that despite my own fears about climbing, that I’d be able to return him in one piece to his parents at the end of trip.  Ben, on the other hand, was elated to have reached the top!

Glimpses from a Road Scholar Intergenerational Voyage, Part I

By the Crew of the Schooner Adventuress

At the beginning of our trip, we divided into three watches, which is an old maritime tradition. During the day, one watch is on deck sailing the vessel, while the other two watches choose between education stations and/or down time (the sun and sailing can take it out of you!). In the evening, after Adventuress has found a cozy anchorage, rotations continue! One watch cooks dinner & does dishes, one watch takes on the natural history report--which is about what they saw that day, and the remaining watch prepares for the "Resource Report."

The Resource Watch goes throughout the ship finding:

• How much fuel we used
• How much water we drank
• Estimating the amount of compost made from cooking
• Estimating food waste made from uneaten morsels
• Estimating trash produced that day

The resource report has been presented in various ways. Sometimes it comes as a skit, sometimes a discussion, sometimes a game. This time however, the Bodacious BarbaRays Watch (B Watch) presented a Resource "Opereta," which included the following rap!

Yo
This is Big Papa Sailor and
I'm on a boat
yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm on a boat
and it can float
We be rockin' and rockin'
making distance and distance
So let me give you a little somethin' somethin'
We went 10 nautical miles
Wow it's all down in our nautical files
Yeah
I know the number's pretty big
Yeah
I said big just like our nautical rig
Wait, before we run out of time
Let me give you one more rhyme
Yeah
Man, our boat don't cower
We got 2.4 nautical miles per hour
So do me a favor and keep it dope
Cuz get ready, get set,
I'm on a boat!