At Sea off the Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia
Today we’ve been making roughly 15 knots per hour as we travel on a heading due west, sailing past the Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and on towards our next destination, Liberia.
This morning we sighted long lines of sargassum weed, likely swept from the edges of the North Atlantic by the North Equatorial Counter Current pushing water into the eastward flowing Guinea Current through which we are now moving. Scanning ahead, Richard’s diligence on the bridge and bow resulted in some bird sightings, including Cory’s shearwater, pomarine skua and black terns. Flying fish made their fantastic flights across the surface of the sea, and a group of Clymene dolphins made a brief appearance as well.
Inside the ship we had a full day of programs. Doc started us off with his views on “Tribal Life in Ghana,” a look at how the traditional life has changed as people leave their familial villages and move towards larger towns.
Shawn gave us an inspiring talk about two remarkable people who have made amazing lives since their enormously challenged beginnings in West Africa. His stories wove together these portraits, and brought many in the room to tears. He told of the incredible accomplishments of Leymah Gbowee, who rallied the women of Liberia to protest to stop the civil war that was destroying their country. For this, she was a recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Equally moving was his story of befriending Mustapha Wai of Sierra Leone on Mustapha’s first day in the United States. Mustapha worked his way through college, continuing on to get his MBA, to finish at the top of his class, and is now an executive at NASA. He is considering returning to Sierra Leone to help with its recovery.
After lunch there were Photo Breakout sessions on Organizing and Optimizing Images followed by another very interesting round table discussion on life, living, and impressions on West Africa. Harvey wrapped up our day of presentations with his review of “Africa and World Trade from Before the Christian Era of 1800,” discussing the vastness and reach of the slave trade business.
