Location: Underway to Mauritius
Good day to everyone joining in! While many people have already begun to lose track of days and time, the crew of Vela is officially on day 4 of passage in the Indian Ocean. Spirits are high as we continue chugging along towards Mauritius. We have been making amazing progress and are ahead of schedule, but making good choices now to put ourselves in a better position for the final stretch. At the time of writing this, we are around 1800 nm from our destination, but whos really keeping track anyway? (JK, Our captain, other staff, and office team definitely are.)
Passage is one of the best parts of the Sea|mester experience, but is one that unfortunately doesnt get enough justice in the blogs. While the daily schedule may seem very repetitive to the readers at home (lunch, class, watch, dinner, sleep, etc.), each and every single day brings new challenges and adventures to the team. So, even though the pictures start to look the same, and the blogs start to look the same day in and day out, know that each person onboard is getting the chance to experience new things every hour during these longer passages.
My day started at 11:30 pm yesterday in preparation for the 12-4 watch, which is an amazing watch in so many different ways. Watch Team 1, consisting of Adda, Henry, Scarlette, Alice, Hannah, and Keith, had the chance to discuss many important topics; life after Sea|mester, important things in their lives, when their laundry was going to dry (My clothes have been through the full water cycle-Hannah), how many meatballs could one person eat, Emma continuing to smell like meatballs after showering twice, what they would buy once they got to Mauritius, and why I was on deck without any foul weather gear.
Quick side note on that one, we got some rain at the tail end of our watch, shortly after I had changed due to being too hot. So, while the rest of the team was huddled up nice and cozy in their jackets and pants, I was soaking wet, freezing my tail off in a very breezy night.
Post the 12-4 watch, we had the chance to catch up on some much-needed rest. You learn very quickly on board a Seamester vessel to get as much sleep as possible, especially when on long passages. For most of watch team 1, we were able to sleep in to just before lunch. Emma and I spent some time doing some grading and preparing for some upcoming lectures.
Lunch today was couscous bowls prepared by Zoe, Thaxton, and Wylie, who are very much a fan favorite onboard. We quickly rolled into a very rolly cleanup, with our dishie pit team of Mac, Hannah, Payton, Rai-Ching, Destiny, Sam, and Zeke having a fun time with the multitude of dishes. Post lunch, Perry and Emma had Marine Biology and Leadership to run, so they ducked down to take care of some prep work. Mac and I discussed some tasks to get done on board the boat and some upcoming excursions in Mauritius. Kyler was out on deck tending to his watch when it happened.
In an instant, we heard Perry scream out, WHALE! The team jumped up to see two massive sperm whales passing just off our port side. Unfortunately, no one thought to bring phones or cameras, so no pictures were captured of the majestic moment. Needless to say, we were all pleasantly surprised to see something so rare in the wild, so close to our boattruly an awe-inspiring moment.
Post whale sighting activities included laundry, workouts, PSCT for Maia and Alice with Mac, and general chill moments leading into dinner, which was Tuscan White Bean soup. For the first time in what felt like forever, we saw a proper sunset with a rainbow. From here, Watch Team 1 goes back out for the 8-12, ready to start the cycle all over again.
Thank you, everyone, for tuning in. It has been amazing so far, but crazy to think that we are already halfway through. To my family at home, I love you and miss you all. Chat with you all once we get to Mauritius. Next time you all read from me, we will be working our way down the coast of South Africa. Cheers for now!!