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Web Log The Captain and the Admiral—what a great team! Our high adventure week far exceeded my expectations. On the first day, Captain Thomas told us he would match our every ounce of energy by the pound, and he delivered. Admiral Linda was a master coordinator. She insured that we were always ready to move swiftly to the next adventure. The food was excellent; the fresh conch we acquired on one of our adventures was top notch! I am not sure which was the best: conching to find them, the Captain Thomas conch cleaning lesson with sex determination competency included, or eating the fresh conch fritters hot off the galley stove. Steak night was fantastic and included a fresh butter baked mutton snapper caught on Ciganka the same day. We snorkeled and combed the beach every day on various types of wreaths and beaches both inhabited and uninhabited. The sailing was also great. Numerous times the theme music of "Pirates of the Caribbean" rang in my ears, especially when standing up in the bow sprit while powering through the water under sail. More than all of the above, the trip exposed our troop to two amazing individuals who have such a passion for life. They shared this passion as well as the amazing world of the Abacos by sail with us. The story of how Cianka came to be is an amazing testament to the power of dreams, passion, and hard work culminated by Thomas and Linda's work and life together. Thank you Thomas and Linda for sharing Cianka and the amazing Abacos with us! Michael Dieker Lee's Summit, Missouri. Posted by: Michael Dieker at 7:29:01 PM Posted by: Alan Sherman at 5:47:48 PM Posted by: Nick Ruding at 7:50:47 PM Hey Guys! Yes our trip home was fine. A few weather delays but we made it back to NJ around 10:30. Long day. You know, thru our life times we meet so many people and experience so many things. This last week for myself and I know I speak for my son Chris and the rest of Troop 82 is a week that we will never forget. The sailing, fishing, cooking and team work were life lessons we will carry with us for a long time. The dedication you two have to the scouts is exceptional. Keep on “Doin watchya Doin!” Thanks again. Frank Calabrese Posted by: Frank "Gotta Make the Coffee" Calabrese at 1:18:13 PM I LOVED this trip. Anyone would have loved it, ANYONE!!!!!!! My troop and I 'accidentally' broke the boom and we had to carry it on land at the end of the week; talk about a workout! That thing is SOOOOOOO heavy!!!!! We also hosted a campfireless campfire for our beloved Captain and Admiral, at the End of which I said a poem that was inspired by our final sunset on Ciganka. I was asked by the Admiral to post it on the blog. (I really don't think anyone reads them anyway!!!) So, this is for you Admiral: Ciganka A poem by Barrett Ziegler As the sun rises on Ciganka, The wild jipsy girl, The crew is roused awake and fed As her sails slowly unfurl The deck is soon cleared of bothersome bedding And as the sun reaches its point; The crew starts its labourous sweating And they rouse rust from their joints For this wandering jipsy, a pure nomad by name, May rest one night in one place And never return again Her crew must keep her moving; Her sails demand the wind, Her Captian demands the waters, And her Admiral demands the sand The fish pursue her spacious hull, And she pursues the tides For they are the only ones that block the horizon, Which witholds the sands of time. Tommorrow is a mystery; What's in it? No one knows! But, Ciganka cases it nonetheless With fish skimming her hulls It's better when I say it (to be modest) Simply because of my pronunciations and timing. Like, "sand' (in line 15) rymes with "wind" when said correctly and will still sound like 'sand'. And the final part (Tomorrow.....hulls) is a much softer verse and requiers and decent pause after the rest of the poem. I've attached a sunset in Marsh Harbor that is as close as I could find to what I expierienced. (I didn't photograph the sunset; It would've disrupted my thoughts) Posted by: Barrett Z. (from troop 82) at 7:26:43 PM Posted by: Jo Zigs at 5:07:10 PM Wow! We just returned from a week on Ciganka with Captain Thomas and Admiral Linda. We had such a great time that everyone is talking about doing it again. The health and safety of the crew is their first concern. Beyond that, the next priority is have fun and get more out of the adventure than you put in. The Ciganka does all that and more. Assignments are made and instruction is provided to make sure you're doing most of the work (although it never totally feels that way). Everyone participates and teamwork is the only way to get through the week while having the greatest time imaginable. Hidden reefs with lots of sailing and snorkeling made sure everyone was exhausted at each day's end. The comfort of the bunks also made sure everyone got a good night's rest for the next day. Our sincerest thanks to Captain Thomas and Admiral Linda for a truly memorable experience! Posted by: Charlie Larzalere, Troop 422, Woodinville, WA at 12:34:34 PM Posted by: Captain Jim, Crew 4031 Springfield, VA at 4:55:34 PM Troop 17 on 2 big ships sailing the deep blue sea we will go to the island after lunch to play some beach frisby while our skin burns we'll take our turns singing our clean scouts songs better clean the head or you wont get fed "thats what capton said" its hot as hell but all is well cause we got fifty conck shell Posted by: Luke Sweeney at 2:15:44 PM Just wanted to share..we sailed with Ciganka in June 2004 (our photos are on this site) Our Venture Crew had a FABULOUS time - so much so that in a couple of weeks, July 2007, we are returning to Admiral Linda and Captain Thomas. This is a NOT TO MISS adventure and WELL worth the trip. An experience of a lifetime. Make your plans for an adventure in the Abacos Islands Bahamas - It is AWESOME! Have any questions? E-mail us - our contact info is on this site. Posted by: Deb Davis, Assoc Advisor, Venture Crew 2353, Weldon Spring, MO at 6:54:19 AM Posted by: STEVE HEDGPETH - VENTURING CREW 2257 at 2:18:49 PM Posted by: Pete Effertz Troop 89 Janesville MN at 9:08:45 AM Posted by: hanna at 9:23:21 PM FANTASTIC VOYAGE!!! The trip is a must do for any group that wants a high adventure sailing trip. You don't need to know apples about sailing to enjoy it. Our group of 9 scouts and 5 adults learned what was needed to sail the ship in 1 day. The experience, patience and leadership of Captain Thomas and Admiral Linda are priceless. We did something different every day and there was never a dull moment. If you really want to experience the Bahamas, this is the only way to go!!! Thanks Captain Thomas and Admiral linda for a wonderful trip. Posted by: Brian Andre, Troop 310, Mandeville, Louisiana at 8:49:56 AM Posted by: Kenny Booth at 9:20:14 AM Posted by: Jason Ilowite at 8:17:33 PM Posted by: Sean Wilbur-Venture Crew 264 at 6:02:49 PM Posted by: Jerry Heder at 7:08:26 PM Posted by: James Gallery at 1:02:42 PM Posted by: Jim Gallery Troop 1089 Houston, Texas at 5:00:13 PM Hey Captain and Admiral the summer is ending well here in Maryland. My summer has been great since getting home but i wish i was still there in the Bahamas. So I will give you the rundown on what i've done since getting back. A week after getting back i went to a church camp in West Virginia and had an awesome time working on peoples houses. I have also been to the beach and just got back from a weekend at the Little League Baseball Worldseries. So just checking in because school starts in a week for us. So just saying hello and hope your having a great time and wish i could be down there. Posted by: Zack Hopkins of Troop 264 at 11:01:09 AM Posted by: Jack Chen, Eagle Scout of Troop 380, Plano, Texas at 6:18:20 PM Posted by: Alex Evans of troop 264 at 8:55:28 PM I'm pretty sure I can speak for all of the troop 380 members that went to sea base with Cigaka when I say that we had an awesome time. Sorkeling, Sailing, bodysufing ,the works. It was an amazing week. To anyone thats interested, you should definitely go. You won't regret it. Posted by: Michael (Member of scout Troop 380) at 7:22:44 PM A week aboard Ciganka – an incredible “High Adventure” in the Bahamas that we will never forget! During the trip we learned to sail on the beautiful waters throughout the Abaco islands. Snorkeling in the calm, clear water was one of the favorite experiences that included photographing the plentiful fish at a shipwreck and around some breathtaking coral reefs. We explored the wilds of one of the islands and were able to experience the local culture of a few settlements on the islands. We also enjoyed walking on the beautiful white beaches, searching for shells, wading with the stingrays and nurse sharks, cooking, eating and sleeping aboard the ship and watching the awesome sunsets. Captain Thomas and Admiral Linda have put together an impressive combination of sailing, island adventure and awesome accommodations. Their passion for sailing, knowledge of the islands and teaching abilities were inspiring and their enthusiasm added another dimension to the learning experience. From a design and accommodation standpoint the ship is an engineering marvel. The captain and admiral designed and built the ship themselves with every detail paid to efficiency and comfort. If you can’t tell….Troop 380 (scouts and adults) had a fantastic time. We highly recommend chartering an adventure on Ciganka! Posted by: Don Murray, Troop 380, Arlington Texas at 10:54:42 PM We had a great time with Captain Thomas and Admiral Linda. I particularly enjoyed learning the history of sailing vessels and of words. This trip was not like we were told it would be; it was much better!!! The beaches are more beautiful than any I have ever seen in the States, and the water is much cleaner. The reefs are teeming with spectacular fish of colors I wouldn't have thought possible in nature. The food was wonderful, better than Northern Tier's. If we had asked for a better trip we couldn't have gotten it. This was great! Wow! And, Admiral, the advertisement looks great. ~~Chris, from Troop 241 (expect us back in 2010) Posted by: Chris at 7:45:28 PM I was looking through the photo gallery and I noticed you have a flush toliet (aka the head). Im happy for you, but the pumping was more fun I'd have to say. Especialy because most of my guys had to have 5 or 6 other guys yell directions through the port hole. I wish you all many warm windy days in the beautiful Bahamas. Posted by: John Pre Troop 505 Kenosha, Wisconsin at 5:02:37 PM This is how happy we were to leave. I had an amazing time. Captain Thomas and Admiral, you guys rock! Posted by: Colleen - Venture Crew 14 at 5:20:24 PM Posted by: John Pre Troop 505 Kenosha, Wisconsin at 11:09:25 PM Posted by: Ray Blacklidge at 12:26:00 PM For those of you that have sailed with us, I thought you might like to see Ciganka out of the water. We hauled her out at Bock Marine in Beaufort, NC in September 2005. Posted by: "Admiral" Linda at 7:20:27 AM Post New Blog |
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