Arrival Day!!!
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Today was my first time on Vela! I arrived in Bali a few days ago with my parents, so I was luckily able to adjust to the time zone and wake up around 6 am to say goodbye to family back on the American East Coast. I ate breakfast with my parents, we finished packing, and our driver came early because he was worried about flooding and traffic. Luckily, our driver expertly navigated traffic, and we were able to make it to the dock 30 minutes early!
Saying goodbye to my parents was hard, especially because we spent a great vacation together here in Bali. However, mixed with my nerves was also a ton of excitement to meet everyone on the boat and get to learn my new home for the next 90 days! Once I got on Vela, I was warmly welcomed by the very kind staff and was one of the first to unpack in my cabin. The staff walked me through the boat so I felt more comfortable, and I learned a lot of new boat lingo! (Including head, galley, salon, starboard, port, stern, bow, etc). I then slowly met everyone as they came on board and got to know them a bit more. While we waited for people arriving on flights today, we talked, explored the boat, and continued unpacking (or mostly procrastinated unpacking).
When everyone who was supposed to get here today got here, we gathered to eat a delicious dinner of pesto pasta and kale salad. As someone who has been eating mostly cooked foods here in Bali, the salad tasted like heaven. When everyone had eaten, Mac (the captain) talked about the job wheel and assigned our roles for the night. The blogger is typically the "skipper," so I helped coordinate the question of the day and how to end "Squeeze," a nightly ritual of giving our appreciation for the day, answering the skipper's question, and also just introducing each other on our first night! Now I'm writing the blog and listening/ watching how everyone else is doing their jobs, and I cannot wait to get started on my first full day tomorrow and to learn how a cohesive sailboat operates.
(Side note: My question of the day was What is one thing everyone is looking forward to on the 90-day voyage? And my answer was getting to know all these new people!)