River Teeth Revisited

Dear BCSE Participants and Parents,

Several weeks ago,  Michael West, Elisabeth Dee and Jonah Moreland presented their individual experiences on BCSE to the Upper School student body during assembly.  With beautiful articulation and each in their own unique way, they captured moments of the BCSE journey and made them momentarily accessible to their peers.  They chose their most precious river teeth, dug them out of the loamy old growth forest soil, and held them up to the light for all to see. 

Please follow the links below to read their evocative, poetic and stirringly honest tribute to our shared experience.  You will not be disappointed.  I have also included a link to the pre-assembly slideshow, with never-seen-before images by Mr. Harris.

Michael West's Talk

Elisabeth Dee's Talk

Jonah Moreland's Talk 

Pre-Assembly Slideshow

As you know, we are offering the Inside Passage Sailing Adventure in Summer 2011.  It bears mentioning that this trip was inspired by your conversation in Octopus Cove, where you asked a very simple and profound question - why don't we keep going?  Well, this coming summer, we are going to do just that - keep going, for six weeks, along one of the most remote, wild and stunningly beautiful coastlines left in the world.  I hope you will be able to join us on this epic journey that you had the vision and courage to suggest.

Thank you for the memories forged in shared adventure.  Thank you for the inspiration for future adventure.  Thank you for the river teeth.

Commodore Cole

Final Swim Call

Dear BCSE Participants,

It is not clear to me how best to articulate the way you have impacted me over the past two weeks.  Your generosity of spirit, respect for each other, easy laughter, selfless spirit, vulnerability, willingness to share your thoughts openly and unencumbered spirit of adventure and fun have left me deeply moved.  Thank you.

I trust that you have had the chance to rest, reflect and start to share our journey with your loved ones.  Perhaps, like me, your dreams have been filled with a stream of consciousness that includes sun-baked faces backed by steep green mountainsides and emerald waters.  Or perhaps you have found laughter and sentiment in the photographs, journal entries and salt-stained clothing that became our traveling companions.

I spoke with Profe this morning.  She sends her love and finds herself missing your encouragement, conversation and ever-presence.  Likewise, I find myself cracking a huge, ridiculous-looking smile whenever I catch sight of our burgee, don my swimtrunks and flippy-floppies, or hear Kesha (which never happens, of course... ;).

I have put together a gallery of my photographs.  You can view it here:

BCSE 2010 Featured Gallery

You may also be interested in checking-out the following Cruise Track map which includes our daily anchorages, rhumb lines, and many of your photographs.  Check back from time to time as I will continue to update it in the coming week.

BCSE Cruise Track Google Map

As you embrace summer, with all of its craziness, I encourage you to recall the stillness of Blind Bay, the grandeur of Toba Inlet, the haunting loon calls in Octopus Cove, the magic of a bioluminescent breast stroke, and the simplicity of life under sail.  Remember the self-confidence and courage you discovered, whether jumping into cold, deep, dark salt water, living in tight spaces for two weeks, or beating into the wind with a 30 degree heel angle.  Above all else, recall with fondness your new extended family and shed its light on those around you.

With great love and beam winds,

Captain Cole

Solemn Tranquility - Michael West

The following poem is shared with Michael's permission.

Solemn Tranquility

Listen. Listen.  Can you hear
the wind, rushing through those trees there?
Doesn't it just calm your soul?
And beckon you to come on home.
But I cannot, my heart is tied
down to what time's made mine:

To the mountains, to the heat,
forever my joy to repeat.

But if I were to let it go,
and you inside my breast to grow,
I would discover hidden delight,
one that comes at evening's last light.
So I drink in what I can for now
and soak in the sunlight under your boughs.
I think, I ponder, I hope, I pray.
The future, the moment, of yesterday.

What shall happen when that time comes
when I must return to where I've come from?

I shall remember thy sweet breeze
that created serene melody.
And wish for time for my return
Until I come again, to learn.

Michael West

Looking for River Teeth

At a late night Wednesday meeting on a sandy beach in B.C.’s Gulf Islands, we asked everyone for an observation or a vivid memory from the trip thus far. The responses were moving and often rather extended. Following are one scribe’s attempts at meaningful excerpts….

Jenny: First everyone did their own job – now everyone pitches in like a family.

Luke: In such close quarters for such a long time our “friend face” breaks down and we behave toward each other more like a family.

Sam: Sailing for the first time as a team with little supervision, showing Mrs. Powers what we could do.

Hope: Sailing itself – that the focus is a lot on the journey and not just the destination.

Becca: Lots of things – learning to laugh at ourselves – taking control of the boat as a team – being excited about something, as a group.

Lauren: Everyday there’s something new that I learn about myself, or a question I discover that I never knew I had. More than anything I think this is about learning how to work as a group while learning about yourself.

Kristen: Waking up before everyone else because it gets bright so early – the prettiest and calmest part of the day. Knowing that anything could happen that day.

Mr. Cole: Sharing my sense of place with you – the emotions that that brings up. The significance of this place to me and of being able to show it to you.

Michael: Falling in love with the sailing experience – the excitement of it. At the same time learning to slow down and reflect during our down time – having this time away from the rush of the everyday.

Rod: Sitting together at the end of the day and talking about the great events and the bad events. Laughing about all of them and knowing we’ll remember them in a year and still laugh.

Mr. Harris: Witnessing the family feel of the group and getting to feel welcomed into it.

Elisabeth: Learning to trust everyone – being able to put faith in their ability to take care of captaining a boat.

Spencer: Seeing Mr. Cole be so calm in stressful situations.

Adam: Seeing a different side of our teachers – outside of school – and existing as a family.

Grant: The laughter, the singing, and the dancing.

Ms. Pratt (Profe): Seeing my friend Mr. Cole as a teacher for the first time – and getting to know each of you.

Mrs. Powers: Everyone sharing their knowledge with me – and being in this place – the sights and the smells.

Mr. Patteson: The intense curiosity that everyone in this group has – kids and adults – the desire to learn more, to experience more, to soak it all in. Nobody here thinks they are too cool to get excited about moon jellies.

Blog entry #2

On the eve of the end of our first week away, we met to bid a fond

farewell and thanks to Dr. M. and Ms. Fagan. We also paused to
reflect on some of

the memorable experiences that have defined this exciting, challenging, and

wonderful week.

Spencer - Being able to get the boat up to full speed (9 knots!)

without the engine running.

Rod - Being able to row out with the dinghy and take

pictures of the spinnakers flying.

Luke - Collecting giant pieces of wood for the fire,

even though it never happened.

Sam - Learning how to set a good stern line through

many trials and many errors.

Jonah - Paddling along the shore in a kayak and seeing

kingfishers, and being amazed that this was saltwater and not a lake.

Jenny -

Swimming with Lauren on our backs in the freshwater lake, looking up
and seeing a

rainbow and glaciated peaks.

Dr. Malatesta - Seeing students discover how to love

upwind sailing and other difficult things - embracing the hardships.

Kristen - Learning

to love the morning jump into very cold saltwater.

Lauren - Laughing and laughing, at

the hard things and the fun things.

Adam - Losing a shoe overboard and then 3

minutes later falling into the sail locker.

Mr. Cole - Seeing the boats come together at

the end of the sailing day, seeing the energy that the tired students
suddenly have as

they call back and forth, telling each other about the experiences of the day.

Becca -

Getting to know people in a different way, in a different setting.

Hope - Licking a

banana slug!

Grant - Spending time with people I know in an environment that is new

to all of us - the little chats at night and sharing our experiences.

Elisabeth - Rowing

around in the dinghy waiting to anchor, feeling disbelief that the
water was so calm

and this place so beautiful.

Michael - Surfing down 4-5 foot seas on a beam reach and

a following current, and laughing as I thought about Mr. Cole trying
to use the head

downstairs.

Ms. Fagan - Choosing to do things that are hard or scary, and working on

becoming the person I want to be.

Ms. Pratt (Profe) - Seeing everyone grow in their

skills, and feeling supported by everyone on the boat.

Mr. Patteson - Thinking about

the nervous students in last week's class and the increasingly
confident sailors on the

boat today.

Safe, sound and charmed in the Sound

A few days left...

Dear BCSE Participants and Parents,

I trust that you are well and have been enjoying the first few weeks of summer.  I have just returned from a week of sailing on board Misty Blue Yonder (one of our two yachts) in the San Juan Islands, Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.  Among other things, we had the opportunity to test MBYs sailing prowess in strong winds under all points of sail, in flat calm powered strictly by the iron genny (aka diesel engine), and going through the locks into Lake Union and Lake Washington right outside of Seattle.  All in all, it was a fantastic week that built my enthusiasm for our upcoming adventure and bolstered my confidence in the boats we will be sailing.  The photos in this post are from this week in the northwest.  If you are interested, you can find a full album at: Andrew Cole Photography Featured Gallery

As you are well aware, the on-campus portion of BCSE kicks-off next week, with classes starting in room 308 at 0900 on Monday, June 21.  If you have not had a chance, be sure to look over the previous blog entry which outlines the information you will need to know for our first day of class.  Don't stress too much about the Aids to Navigation, as we will have a chance to talk about the different buoys in class on Monday.  You should, however, come with a knowledge of the parts of the boat as presented in your student handbook.

Can you name the parts of Misty Blue Yonder in this photo?

A couple of other items:

1) Please bring a copy of your passport to our meeting on Monday.  If you don't have a way to copy it, we can make a copy at school.

2) We will provide light refreshments but you will need to pack a lunch of your own.

3) Class time is incredibly valuable and will greatly enhance your time on the water.  Please make a point of being on time each day.  (We have a special job for those who struggle with punctuality... :)

Enjoy the remainder of your week and weekend.  I look forward to seeing you on Monday for the start of an incredible adventure!

Mr. Cole

Green "can" buoy to be left to port when returning to port - what does it look like on a chart?

Happy Summer - Trip Prep

Dear BCSE Participants and Parents,

Congratulations on finishing another school year! As you move through final exams and start to transition into summer plans, there are a few BCSE items to keep in mind.

Passport and International Travel Permission Letter
First of all, thank you to those who have submitted your passport number and expiration date and the International Travel Permission letter.  If you have not do so, please do as soon as possible.

On-Campus Classes
Our on-campus classes begin at 0900 on Monday, June 21 and will run from 0900 to 1500 Monday through Thursday and 0900-1100 on Friday. We will meet in room 308.

These classes are a mandatory part of the experience as we will be covering vital information that you will need to know before setting foot on the boats.  It is expected that you will attend each day for the full duration of class.  Please make arrangements accordingly and bring your own lunch and water bottle.   We will provide snacks.

You will be asked to learn a relatively large amount of material in a short time during this week - much like sipping out of a firehose!  Therefore, a little pre-studying on your behalf will go a long way. Please take the time to look over the On Campus Skills Checklist Page which outlines the skill areas in which you will need to become proficient while on campus.

Skills Quiz
You will be quizzed on the following skills from the skills checklist page at the beginning of class on Monday, June 21.

Sailing Skills - Numbers 1, 2 and 3

Navigation Skills - Number 13 a-f.  In addition to identifying them on a chart, you should be able to describe what they look like in real life and how you navigate around them.

The BCSE Student Handbook contains all of the information you need to learn this material.  The Sailing Skills are located in the third section of the handbook, whereas the Navigation Skills are located in the fifth section (color pages entitled, The Buoyage System).  You can also find more information on buoys by visiting - http://www.sailchannelislands.com/training/Lateral_marks.pdf

Student Presentations
Last, but not least - Student Presentations.  Please bring a general outline and list of sources for your presentation to our first on-campus class.  Don't hesitate to contact me with questions about your presentation topic.

I hope you have a wonderful beginning to the month of June.  I look forward to seeing you on Monday, June 21 at 0900 in room 308.

Cheers,

Mr. Cole

Student Presentation Topics

Dear BCSE Participants,

Student presentation topics are assigned as follows:

Adam Aldous and Michael West - Marine Mammals and Birds
Kristin Carroll and Elisabeth Dee - Coastal BC Folklore and First Nations' Mythology
Spencer Cartwright and Jonah Moreland - The Fishing Industry
Samantha Gould and Lauren Kimball - Fish Farms
Rebecca Poelman and Hope Owens - Spotted Owls and Forest Management in the PNW
Rod Semnani and Jenny Nilsen - Ethnobotany and PNW First Nations' culture
Grant Smaellie and Luke MacFarlane - On-course data collection and presentation

These topics were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Please don't hesitate to contact Mr. Cole, Mr. Harris or Dr. Malatesta for suggestions on how best to approach your topic.

In addition, please talk to Mr. Cole about the burgee contest if you are interested in submitting a design. To date, no student has approached me, which means I will be left with creating the design - bad news, as anyone who has witnessed my stellar art skills in a class knows full well. Thank you, Jonah!

Cheers,

Mr. Cole

Logistics

Dear BCSE Parents and Participants,

Some important logistical details for you:

Monday, June 21- Friday, June 25, 0900-1500 - On-campus classes. Students requested to bring their own lunch, we will provide snacks. Curriculum outline to come.

Saturday, June 26, 0615 - Meet at the Salt Lake Airport Southwest ticket counter for check-in. Flight #1486 departs at 0805.

Friday, July 9, 2230 - Students return to Salt Lake Airport on Southwest Flight #143.

In the meantime, I look forward to receiving your passport information, parent consent forms for international travel, and student presentation topic choices.

Cheers,

Mr. Cole

Next steps...

Dear BCSE Participants and Parents,

Thank you so much for joining us at the information meeting last night. You were a highly respectful, enjoyable audience filled with great questions and insights. It is a true pleasure to be working with such fine students and families. I trust that you came away with a lot of helpful information, some (if not all) of your questions answered, and an enthusiasm for this upcoming adventure. Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time with your questions.

I have included below a list of next steps and deadlines by which to accomplish these steps. I have also included these items in the To Do lists at the side of the Blog. I apologize for the redundancy, but cannot emphasize enough the need to get these items accomplished by the dates indicated.

1) BY MAY 1 - Please email me your child's passport number and its expiration date. If the passport is not from the US, please indicate the country of origin. And of course, if you already have this information, please do not wait until May 1 to get it to me.

2) BY MAY 1 - Please have both parents sign the "Parent Permission Form for International Travel of Minors", have the form notarized and return it to me. A copy of the form is available in the sidebar to the right.

3) BY APRIL 16 - Students, if you are interested, submit a design for our custom burgee contest to Mr. Cole. See post below.

4) BY END OF WEEK - Students, please email me your student presentation group and top-three choice of topics. You may access a page of student topic options on the right-hand side of this blog.

5) TODAY - Subscribe to this blog.

Thank you,

Mr. Cole

I can't believe I forgot to mention this at our meeting - Burgees!

Dear BCSE Participants,

As you know, we will be traveling as a fleet of two sailboats.  As such, we are going to fly matching custom burgees from both boats to symbolize our association with each other.  And so, we are running a competition for the design to adorn our burgees.  The chosen design (by your vote) will be made into a burgee for each boat and flown throughout the trip.  The design may also adorn some other form of trip swag - perhaps a shirt or hat! 

So, if you have an artistic bent, see Mr. Cole for more information and the burgee-dimensions.  All burgee designs must be submitted to Mr. Cole by 4:00 pm on Friday, April 16.  We will vote on the designs at that time. 

Cheers,

Mr. Cole

Trip Information Meeting - Tuesday, March 30, 2010

BCSE Participants and parents are invited to attend a mandatory trip information meeting in the Waterford Assembly Hall at 7:00 on Tuesday, March 30.  The meeting will include a slideshow and overview of the course area, overview of trip logistics, discussion of course curriculum objectives, a detailed look at the clothing and equipment list, explanation of course communications, risk management and contingency planning, assignment of student presentations, and a chance to ask your burning questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please contact Andrew Cole with any questions or if you are unable to attend.