Final Day at Sea: Final Seminar Aboard the Explorer

Seminar in the Chart Room

The final reading selection for the Aspen seminar groups was Montaigne’s essay on cannibals. Because of tight scheduling, the two seminars met as a combined group for one last seminar in the Explorer’s Chart Room. While the topic of cannibalism didn’t appeal to several participants, the mid-afternoon cocktail hour hosted by the ship’s captain eased their pain.

http://courses.csusm.edu/hist318ae/Montaigne%20essay.htm

As the participants discussed Montaigne’s essay and their own understanding of cannibalism, there were frequent but minor and jubilant incursions into the conversation from outside on the bow—whales were breaching at 10 o’clock! The unquenchable appetite to watch these magnificent mammals overcame a number of the participants, who quietly slipped away from the discussion and just as quietly returned some time later.

Meanwhile, the stalwarts of the seminar groups persevered with their examination of human behavior in its many strange and horrific illustrations. What were we to think of Montaigne’s assertion that cannibalism hardly exceeds the terrors and murderous rampages inflicted on the “savages” of the New World by the esteemed explorers from the Old? Are there various forms of cannibalism? Might the systematic destruction of the New World’s inhabitants by the Europeans be seen as consuming one’s enemies—metaphorically if not literally? How do we see ourselves some four hundred years later?

The sun moved low on the horizon and the seminar ended. We all retired to the next celebration and our final evening together as fellow explorers.

Before dawn the next morning, we pulled into port in Salvador Bahia. We had taken the Middle Passage. But unlike the millions of enslaved peoples who crossed before us, we were free to step off the ship—to choose how and where and when to continue our exploration, to live every day as we wish.

Sessions 3 and 4 of the Aspen Institute Seminar Aboard Explorer

The third and fourth seminar sessions were lively—even heated—discussions about deeply troubling issues. In the third session, the group read selections from A Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies by Las Casas and On the American Indians by Vitoria. Both readings present details of the near total devastation of the people and lands in the New World within forty years of the Spanish “discovery.” And both are appeals to the court and magistrates for the immediate termination (in the name of the King and Queen of Spain) of the human slaughter and destruction of property and fertile domain.

The discussion ranged over the possible motives that would prompt people, “Christians,” not only to conquer and subjugate but also to commit genocide, particularly among a people described as “most guileless and the most devoid of duplicity, the most obedient and faithful to their native master and to the Christians whom they serve” (Las Casas). The seminar participants considered how when one confronts something entirely new that it sometimes may seem so alien that massive destruction is the fastest way to transform it to something known. From their own extensive experience, people raised issues of genocide in Africa, the Baltics, as well as the holocaust, which led us to consider that these acts are all too present through human history.

As the Explorer sailed through The Middle Passage, this part of the trade triangle between Africa and the New World that transported enslaved humans, the two seminars read excerpts from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and Aristotle’s exposition on natural slavery and Melville’s Benito Cereno. The groups questioned whether the enslavement of others is a necessary element of human nature or rather a deliberate means by which humans capitalize on economic and social conditions at the expense of life.

As the sessions pursued these difficult issues, the participants thought that “slave” was not an entirely accurate rendering of what Aristotle meant or that the definition and reality of enslavement changed significantly through human history. The groups looked at the emergence of slavery as a racial and gender issue rather than one of conquest and subjugation or even “mutual benefit” such as Aristotle proposes between master and “slave,” in which the relationship is a natural outcome and friendship is possible. (Smartly, the moderator eliminated all of Aristotle’s “observations” on women, lest the group commit mutiny.) Some participants postulated that there are natural leaders and natural followers, while others thought that everyone has the capacity to lead.

Pre-dawn St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter_and_Saint_Paul_Archipelago
At about 6:00 this morning, an announcement was made that the ship was approaching St. Peter and St. Paul rocks, a rather curious archipelago (that's an awfully long label for this tiny chain) in the Atlantic Ocean. Just north of the equator, these rocks house a Brazilian research station and a lot of brown boobies. After a few moments spent lingering off "shore," the ship sailed on.

The crossing of the equator was the next excitement this morning around 11:00 AM. Even with the strong surf, it was easy to spot that imaginary red line running east-west right under the boat!

The ship's current coordinates are 00 36.97 S, 30 10.61 W. Two more days at sea before we reach Salvador Bahia, but with luck we will see the Fernando de Noronha later today or tomorrow. Unfortunately there is no time for a stop, but that will be a place worth coming back to!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_de_Noronha

More later on the equatorial ceremonies planned for later this afternoon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony

Here is the sun at 6:41 this morning... gorgeous!

From Fogo, Cape Verde to the Mid-Atlantic Seminars

Ship's coordinates are: 5 47.12 N, 27 55.02 W

The ship’s last port of call in Cape Verde was on the island of Fogo—the second to last in the chain as one travels clockwise from the northernmost islands. Fogo is fascinating and beautiful, with dramatic contrasts between the seasonally verdant hillsides to the ash and lava covered interiors of the calderas. There is no docking potential at the island, except for small boats or ships. So our trip ashore to meet the vans to take us around the island was aboard Zodiacs. The Explorer has a number of Zodiacs, which each accommodate about 13-14 people.

Our 1 ½ hour trip to the caldera took us to the village of Cha das Caldeiras, after landing in São Felipe. Climbing on cobblestone roads around the south eastern side of the island and then up into the interior provided excellent opportunities to glimpse agricultural methods, crops, construction projects (particularly new cobblestone roads and retaining walls), catchwater basins, and goat herders with their flocks. A young Peace Corp member joined us for the ride to the caldera, and he explained economic incentives that encourage farmers to switch to drip irrigation—the cost of purchasing water drops by 60% for those who do install drip systems. Fogo receives about 10” of rainfall a year, at most, so water conservation methods are essential for all aspects of island life.

As the group entered lands designated as national park, the scene changed dramatically. We found ourselves surrounded by volcanic landscape—aa (pronounced “ah ah”) lava (sharp and fractured flows), pahoehoe lava (smoother and more ropey formations), very small granular black rocks (ash), and enormous walls of what remains of the volcano and its cone. There have been numerous eruptions, which means there are many flows from various times before and since recorded history.

Cha das Caldeiras, which is within the park, is itself remarkable in its general isolation from the rest of the island’s inhabitants in its position in the interior of the caldera.



Not far away from the village center and against one of the crater walls, there is a small vineyard where there is access to underground water sources. The wine produced is surprisingly potable and the vineyard owners have opened a tasting room for tourists who come to see the spectacular scenery. This establishment, with its new and attractive architecture, immaculate bathrooms, and landscaped interior garden is a marked contrast to the rest of the village.



After our trip to Fogo, our final activity before heading out to sea was a late afternoon kayaking trip on the deep blue and gently swelling waters off the coast of Brava, the south-westernmost island in the chain.



Now on our second day at sea since departing land, there is less and less to report from outside the ship. Occasionally, sea birds have been spotted, and there was a single group of dolphins yesterday that were quickly outpaced by the ship. One starts to get a glimpse of what life at sea was like for mariners of eras past—a lot of time spent scanning the horizon and keeping vigil for something, perhaps anything, of interest.



Inside this modern and climate controlled vessel, however, life is quite different—with three or four talks a day by naturalists and the two seminar sessions each afternoon. Yesterday’s sessions focused on two readings about Cortes’ meeting with Montezuma, cacique of the Aztec empire. The first reading was from Cortes’ letter or report to the king, and the second was from accounts recorded around 1528 (seven years after the fall of the city) by Aztec priests and “wise men” who escaped the struggle and persecution.



Both of the selections lend themselves to serious investigation, as they describe strange and unexpected situations. Cortes’ account of the Aztec kingdom is almost unbelievable: a place far superior in order, engineering, and wealth to cities such as Seville, Salamanca, and Grenada in Spain. The seminar ruminated on whether this account was augmented for political purposes—perhaps to justify the ensuing decimation of this advanced culture. What would it have meant for the European explorers to allow a superior culture to continue after its “discovery” by a nation that thought itself above and beyond anything known to man?



Or perhaps Cortes’ report was embellished to ensure continued financial support from the court. What was most interesting for the seminars to consider is the parallelism between Cortes’ account of Montezuma’s greeting him as ‘one of them’ and the Aztecs’ account that they had indeed been awaiting the arrival of a people from the east, as foretold by their legends and wise men. What role did the belief in legends play in the undoing of the Aztec empire? And what is the process of assimilating something “new” into our general understanding of the world when we encounter an unknown place or people?

Man vs Mountain

News from an “arid” island: Hard to believe this place is usually dry!

All twenty one of us are back from the hike and slowly drying out. Six miles, a 3,000 foot vertical drop, and almost six hours later, we are back onboard ship and have packed our drenched gear off to the laundry. The drizzle at the trail head became an ever steadier rain over the course of the hike. (Sneakers may need to be tossed—the verdict will be out until we can set them in the sun.) And, the abundant rainfall received today and in the past few days meant there were waterfalls everywhere. Tall waterfalls, big waterfalls, trickles, cascades, waterfalls through and over stone walls, and waterfalls over the trail in a number of places. Fingers and feet remain prune-like, but we are all still speaking to one another and perhaps are all the more friendly after our mutual foray into the discomfort zone. This hike was no walk in the park.

As Santo Antão is a volcanic island, the topography is stunning! Beyond the gentle sloping hills that meet the ocean, there are enormous monoliths of rock emerging out of the bottom of deep, narrow valleys. Cultivated terraces—primarily planted with young corn, beans, and manioc—carve parallel lines into even the steepest hillsides. Here and there, cabbages, bananas, sugar cane, coffee, mango and breadfruit trees add variety to the vista.

In spite of the adverse weather, the trek was amazing—switching back and forth through low-hanging clouds and a world of saturated greenery and glimpsing (while keeping one eye on the footing) spectacular scenery. The path, constructed of hand-laid cobblestones, is used with some regularity by the people whose villages would otherwise be almost completely disconnected. And, as we discovered on our (rather terrifying) ride back, one finds this impressive network of hand-laid roads and paths throughout Santo Antão. They are functional works of art that are best appreciated on foot!

Porto Novo, Santo Antao, Cape Verde Islands

Arrival into Porto Novo, Santo Antão, Cape Verde Islands


The ship is docked here in port under mostly cloudy skies and on calm seas. The town, set on a low bluff immediately ahead of the ship’s bow, was still sleeping when we arrived. Colorful houses intermingle with unpainted cement structures. They feature few architectural details other than occasional slanted terracotta shingled roofs to shade the porches that face the harbor.
The west side of the island, where we are docked, is particularly green (compared to what is typical at this time of year), and there was more rain here last night. The trail for which we’re headed may be washed out in places, so there is great opportunity for adventure! Will report more back after our all-day hike.

Meanwhile, a bit about the two seminar groups yesterday afternoon… They both went smoothly, and the 38 participants seemingly enjoyed the collaborative exploration of Tennyson’s Ulysses. The discussion ranged from the question of why people explore, what it means to explore—physical journeys and mental or intellectual exploration—whether Ulysses was himself an explorer, and what happens when one ceases to explore. Participants wondered about the roles of vulnerability, curiosity, and focus in the lives of explorers, as they worked together to build connections between their own experiences and the ideas in the poem.

En Route to Cape Verde--Second Day at Sea

Coordinates as of 10:37 ET: 19 57.64 N, 23 4.65 W and headed for the Cape Verde Islands. We expect to arrive in the islands this evening.


The seas and winds are favorable, and we’re informed that the ship is making good time. Aside from occasional swells, navigating aboard is relatively easy. Well, unless you’re on the treadmill… that requires a bit more skill even on calm seas.

Only one animal has been spotted today, and that was the Squacco heron. This 40-49 cm long bird, white underneath with tawny wing tops, had found a quiet place to freeload above the ship’s library—at least until some eager camera buffs approached it too quickly. It’s unusual to see this bird at sea, as it’s typically a land creature. Hopefully it has found another secret spot, is resting, and will remain unperturbed until we are closer to land (none yet in sight).

The first official seminar session is only 2.5 hours away, and there are two groups of interested participants. Though there are also selections from Columbus’s and Vespucci’s voyages and Martyr’s account to the King Don Juan of Spain, today’s focus will be on Tennyson’s poem, Ulysses. The discussion will be (at least at the start) about why exploration is ‘as necessary as air’ for characters and people like Ulysses (aka Odysseus) and whether such activity is part of being a leader or part of what makes one a leader.

After the seminar, the participants in each group will complete a questionnaire about leadership, where they will rate the importance/necessity of given characteristics for leadership. Data will be collated tonight and presented to the group in their next session, whatever date that may be.

NOTE: One discovers quickly at sea that dates and days slip away with ease, even for the neurotic. Watches, too, become unnecessary accessories as the time of day can be approximated given the position of the sun and our heading. That is, if one really cares what time is it.

Spotted Dolphin Leaping Ahead of the Ship

First Full Day at Sea

Coordinates 24 16.54 N, 20 16.49 W

Morning talks on sub-oceanic (specifically Atlantic) geologic activity and the Cape Verde Islands were followed by more preparation and coordination of logistics for the seminar sessions, which will start tomorrow.

An introduction to the seminar environment is scheduled for this afternoon, provided that the entire ship isn't on the bow watching Sperm whales (one sighted earlier), Bryde's whales (spotted yesterday afternoon), or various dolphins (Spotted dolphins were seen yesterday playing off the bow.)

Images and Video from Madeira