Half Full or Half Empty?
Location: U.W. To Mauritius
After Charlie’s post-dinner party, the crew began their night watch shifts with big smiles and foul weather gear. Although the sea state remained calm, throughout the night, patchy squarl made it an occasionally wet time until sunrise. Watch team 3 (Drazka, Ainsley, Travis, Charlie, Allie, and Will) be treated to a beautiful sunrise through the low-lying cloud and the beginning of what was to be a hot, muggy day! Today has been the smoothest sea state we have seen, with winds dropping to as low as 2.5 knots and producing nearly lake-like conditions. With our trusty Caterpillar engine propelling us towards Mauritius, pumping out warm air, and without a cloud in the sky and the cooling breeze we have been used to, the salon heated up fast. The deck was definitely the place to be in between classes. The chess board got some good use on deck today, with mine and Kackie’s ongoing battle carrying on and Hannah and Ali embarking on a 40-minute epic! It looks like the calm weather will stick around for the next day or so before we cross our fingers for a straight sail into Mauritius by the end of the weekend. The oven remains sensitive. A small splash here and there seems to send it in a spiral and spit out error messages unfixable 1000 NM from civilization. Although we remain optimistic, we have had to improvise with stove-top cooked bread rolls for dinner this evening. Let’s see if, by tomorrow, Ava has more luck with her bagels! After a marine biology session with Meg, Allie gave a leadership class, which gave some designated time for the crew to reflect on their time onboard so far and think about the half-full aspect of this trip and the half-empty part to come. Throughout life, it is very easy to get fixated on the future, what is to come, and how things can be continually improved. Taking a step back and reflecting on the past can be very rewarding. Before stepping foot on Argo, many students would have never dove before, lived in such close proximity to others, or learned about coccolithophores and marine ecology, let alone sailed over 3500NM, so spending some time on the topic can be hugely uplifting for many. Even for staff, the halfway mark is a great time to reflect on what we have learned from working with each unique and individual student, and it always puts a smile on our faces. It turned out to be a very busy day for Ava and Bodhi, who had to take their second PSCT exam in preparation for their yacht master courses once this program was over! We all gathered in the cockpit for dinner and our daily squeeze questions while the sun set over the calm Indian Ocean. Until next time, Ben :) P.S. It looks like we are driving to Mauritius by Sunday, so stand by for some more updates, my lovely family and Evie!