DIARI DELLO STUDENTE DI FISICA CANADESE JORDAN JURAS OSPITE A BORDO DI ADRIATICA

Trieste

We arrived in Trieste yesterday morning. We sailed from the tip of Slovenia for a very enjoyable 2 hours, with the morning sun climbing in the sky. The seas were still choppy, but very calm with respect to the journey we made the night before from Chioggia across the Adriatic. During that crossing, winds managed gusts up past 25 kts and the boat reached speeds of 9 kts. It was very difficult to sleep because of the angle with which the sailed, but it was not an issue because time on the deck was worth the sleep deprivation.

After arriving in Trieste, we ate a nice lunch on board and then napped because not much sleep was had during then night by all. After napping, we explored the town and later ate dinner just off the main square of Trieste.

The city is very nice and a lot of the achitecture seems large and official, with lots of columns and straight lines. At night I must add, the larger buildings, especially those in the main square, are completely lit up and they look amazing!

Tomorrow we start with Fisica in Barca and I am looking foreward to taking the students out on the water once more.

Jordan

It is Thursday the 4th of June and I leave for Geneva tomorrow. Fisica in Barca took its last tour today and the winds blew a very strong farewell. 20 kts were met and the boat with full sails reached speeds of 7 kts as we cruised up the coastline of beautiful Trieste exploring the physics of sailing wih the students.

I have had a really really good time aboard the Adriatica. I won't be forgetting the people that I've met or the places that I've been and of course the enthusiastic students! I sailed with the crew for about 25 days and slowly but surely I learned the basic technique of sailing. The workings of the jib and "randa" (the Main) and how and when to manipulate each. Not to mention the Physics behind a working sailboat! It is a very intimate learning place. But the learning is not restricted to only Physics. Aboard the Adriatica, one can essentially cover 5 domains of science and physics. Meteorology, Astrology (especially with the cosmic ray detector on board), Oceanography, Biology and of course the physical science of the boat. And it does not stop there, the history lessons that spill out of the Adriatic sea and also the rest of the Mediterranean are profound. The evidence is still absolutely vivid and can be experienced in each town and with each culture we cross. This boat is an incredible learning place.

It has been an honour being part of Fisica in Barca. I hope that the European program in the fall will experience similar enthusiasm and success. The students we met seemed to get a lot out of the experience, something that will stay with them for a long time.

I thank the crew of the Adriatica, Federico, Fillipo and Damiano and Gianni for welcoming me to take part in program and of course Paola Catapano for everything she's done to help.

I will miss the sea

Ciao

Jordan