Imagine you decided to take part in the Clipperton expedition and were selected as a crewmember. You've been travelling in a sailboat for 3 weeks with another 10 people. You have seen nothing but the ocean for more than 2 weeks.
Think about how you might be feeling. Work shifts change every 4 hours, and everyone is tired after a stormy night, but there is also much excitement in the air, as you're quickly approaching your destination.
Think about why this mission is important for you. Why did you board the boat, what are your intentions and what do you hope to obtain by the end of the journey?
Write a paragraph to describe how you and the boat's crew feel as you approach the island.
Click on the comment link below to add your paragraph.
Clipperton Island
ReplyDeleteI decided to board the sail boat because I thought it could be a new and amazing experience.
When the boat was going to part, I felt a little bit nervous but excited.
I thought about all the people who I was going to be talking with and more than that, I thought about the feeling of being alone for so many days. Just God, the ocean and me. " What a experience"
The first day went by exactly as expected: Talking to people, enjoying the ocean and listening the silence, having time to meet myself and getting familiarized whith the ship, but after 10 days surrounded just by water , I started to get bored and to ask myself; " When are we going to get there ? "
I tried to be calm, and after eleven difficult days one of us shouted;"look! The Island.
I felt released and when I saw the Island; I said;Oh my God! all this time to get to this small Island.
But well my porpouse was accomplished.
This trip was exciting, amazing and I did something new.
Steffi MartÃnez
ReplyDeleteSomeone shouts “land” and everybody got crazy…
Twenty days on a sail boat sharing a small space, one dream, one wish, and despite the fact a tired job will be waiting for us on the island, we only want to put down our foot.
I decided to take part on this expedition because I read the book “La isla de las Pasiones” and the whole history got deep inside of my heart, but when I looked for more information about this Island I discovered that this place had not been properly care as had to, and I feel disappointed and frustrated.
That was the main reason why I am here; we are going to start a renovation plan for this place in order to conserve this Island as natural as possible. I don’t care if the owner now is French or if the Island disappears in a hundred year, at least my contribution will be made.
Someone shouts “land” and everybody got crazy. Twenty days on a sail boat sharing one space, one dream, one wish, but what is more we are protecting our history.
Hello Esther and Steffi, thank you for your contributions.
ReplyDeleteEsther, a boat "departs", not "parts". You listen to things, the verb to listen to is always followed by "to". The verb to hear is never followed by "to".
"Surrounded by nothing but water" is a more natural construction.
You probably mean "relief" rather than "release".
Steffi, "despite the fact that a tiring job will be waiting for us, we only want to set foot on dry land", or "all we want at this point is to set foot on dry land."
"... the whole story touched me deeply...", "... I discovered that this place has not been taken care of properly..."
"This is the main reason why I'm here" - we need tense concordance throughout our text.
"Somebody shouts land and everyone goes crazy".
Protecting our history or our environment...?
That's great, well done.
What about the others?
I was tired, and exhausted, we were on board 3 weaks ago and the food was a few, and the people only want to see their houses and her family. The ambiente around them was cold, bleak and hopeless. Everyday the people was waiting some land, people were expecting communicate with someone who we could help, or see a boat that will save us, but it was all a simple illusion that never reach, and the hope was dying everyday between us.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly somebody saw land very close and shout loud: Land! we are save!, and someone next him replied: It`s a joke?, there is nothing!...
I was sick and annoying, but i knew that there it was a possibility to made a house and fishing and other possibilities to survive.
I started to grab my unique 10 things that I had on the boat and started to swim to the island, and the others too and others stayed on the boat...
When everybody arrived on the island, even the boat, we started talking about to organize the task of everyone. The first day, i had been building a little house with others, and enjoyed, obviously it was difficult to not see nothing around but i felt peaceful and appreciated every thing that i saw o hearded, and i was positive, and thankful, when i felt all this, suddenly i woke up and took a look at my around, i was in my room.
Our journey had begun. A twenty-one-day-sailing expedition would lead us to an unknow treasure sometimes mentioned in History, sometimes heard on ancient leyends... None of them had never been the same story though they had always matched in one thing: in the very heart of a ring-like island there´s an entrance to an ancient city covered by the sea.
ReplyDeleteThat was our goal: to get in the middle of the Pacific Ocean... in group compounded by ten teammates.
The group was so excited at the beggining... We all were congratulated when our sailboat spread its sails. Now, ten days after, then people in such a limited space have been enough to turn that excitement into anxiety and we still had eleven days left...
In the summer of 2002, my friend Hector invited me to take a trip on a small beautiful boat around the Caribbean Sea. At the beginning of the trip was wonderful, funny and we visited many beaches. The activity that I really enjoyed was scuba diving , in the deep sea , it was amazing to see sea life nearly, but after 10 days it became bored and when we started to feel upset, we read some classical books, sang our favorite songs and played domino.
ReplyDeleteOn the 15th day, the clouds had changed their white colour to grey colour; and then, a heavy storm began. The heavy rain and lightning was for 4 days and the sea moved the small boat so strong that we felt that it could be broken; as a result of the storm, we lost the route.
When we started to feel anxious and desperate because we were lost and the food was scarcely , the next day was sunny and there were no clouds and my friend got out to the cover of the boat and he saw an island…He said “Land”!!
After 20 days in the sea, we arrived at Clipperton Island 10,000 miles away from our original destiny. We were so happy, perhaps we could not see anybody else, we decided to go, and maybe we can eat something like coconut and try to find the way to go home.
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ReplyDeleteOK, thanks very much everyone.
ReplyDeleteWe'll speak about your texts in class today.
See you then.
Twenty one days have gone by. The feeling that something really bad could happen any moment can't leave my mind. No one speaks, no one laughs. It's just us and the vast ocean ahead. Nowhere to go to, no place to ease the mind. Suddenly, I hear a loud scream: Land! Everyone is stunned, but not me. The tiny piece of land just seems like an extension of this little boat. Apparently, hell is not over yet.
ReplyDeleteWhat are these people thinking of? There are no trees, no space, no food. It's a curse, definitely a curse. Maybe each one of us has done something bad in life to deserve this. But the question is, why are they still happy about the sight? Have they seen something I have not? Or maybe they've gone mad, that's it, they've gone mad. Because I am definitely not.
Hello again everyone,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your new contributions. Karen, I hope the feedback we all gave you in class was helpful. Perhaps you'd like to write the improved version?
Guillermo, we didn't have time in class, but here's my feedback on your story. Good overall but watch out for:
- history without a capital h
- ____ ancient legends
- matched (does not mean) coincided
- to go to, not to get in the middle of the Pacific..
- in a group made up of 10 teammates.
Citlalli, here are the areas you could make some improvements to:
- At the beginning ____ was wonderful - remember that all sentences in English need a subject, even if it's an empty subject (as is the case here).
- 'nearly' is not the same as 'so close'
- it became bored / it became boring - what's the difference?
- white colour to grey (not 'colour' again)
- continued for 4 days (not 'was' for 4 days)
- not 'moved the boat so strong', but 'so much'
- the food was scarce, not scarcely - why?
- got out to the cover of the boat
- 20 days ______ sea
- original destination, not destiny
Javier, what an interesting account, thank you. I like the last sentence of the first paragraph. To improve:
- instead of 'can't' leave my mind, 'won't' leave my mind would be better
- the word 'mind' is repeated twice in the first 3 lines
- what are these people thinking about?
That's great, everyone, thanks a lot and see you later this evening.