Location: Komodo, Indonesia
My day started at 8:00 am, being woken up for the 8-12 watch. This came as a bit of a surprise, as when I went to bed last night I expected us to have arrived before now, but a middle of the night course change meant we still had a few hours left before arrival. My watch team (watch team 2!) used this extra time to get a head start on cleaning the boat ahead of arriving in Bali, and the time flew by as a result. We even spotted a pod of dolphins in the middle of our cleaning. The final hour before arrival at our anchorage saw us swerving to avoid fishing buoys and boats, but we made it in the end, just in time for lunch, which was pancakes. After lunch, with everybody now awake, the boat cleaning began in earnest. I was part of the team which removed the rust from and polished all of the stainless steel on Argos deck. I had never before noticed how much stainless steel there was, but with a hardworking team it soon (soon being relative) sparkled nearly as much as the calm seas surrounding us. Immediately prior to cleaning, those students taking marine biology had their final test, on marine mammals, birds, and reptiles, as well as human impacts. After everyone had finished their cleaning jobs, we all jumped in the ocean to cool off and shower. Sadly (or, in my opinion not so sadly), these are our last ocean showers of the trip. A delicious dinner followed, after which my fellow navigators and I plotted our route to Bali. this being a student-led passage of course. Finally, most of the boat got an early bed time in preparation for our 5:15 AM wakeup to go snorkel with whale sharks tomorrow. I cant wait!
To Mom, Dad, Gavin, Emily, Grandma and Papa, GL + D, Grannie Annie: I miss all of you so much! Im excited to see you soon in Denver, Boston, or on the Cape!