A Not So American Fourth of July
Location: Near the Equator...
Helloooo everyone, and happy Fourth of July from whatever time zone we are currently in! Though I'm not sure how many hours ahead we are from my home state of California, I do know that as our fourth celebration is winding down, theirs have just begun. But don't worry! Just because we're ahead of the holiday, doesn't mean we haven't celebrated in our own Argo way.
This morning, I woke up extra early for watch team 3's 8 am-12 pm watch shift. Yesterday, our student watch team leader (Everett) named me team leader of the day, so I needed to make sure I was alert and ready in the cockpit at 7:45 am for our morning briefing. I was made aware of a few passing squalls, increased wind, and our slow speed as we motor head-on into some newly found waves.
Our 8-12 today was jam-packed. It consisted of lots of boat chores (in preparation for approaching rough weather…), a watch-team-only EFR scenario, and Everett's helm-sona (he is newly dubbed Nightmare on Helm Street)! As I'm sure previous skippers have mentioned, we are also in the middle of a heated game of boat assassin, and our watch was a bit of a blood bath. Right off the bat, Skye killed Isaac with a Type 1 PFD in the charthouse, soon followed by Catherine killing Jack in the Galley with the rescue swimmer equipment. Both of the items were placed in unusual places, but disguised by the fact that we are moving lots of things around while prepping for rough seas. As it turns out, the 8-12 chore list makes the perfect disguise for murder plans.
At 11:30, I ran through the bunks of Argo playing "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" to wake everyone up, though many people were already awake, eating cereal, showering, or getting some last-minute studying in for our last round of Navmaster exams (AHHHH…but myself included). Quickly after wake-ups, the crew gathered in the cockpit to eat a themed lunch! Addie and Rihanna prepared chili dogs with a side of fresh watermelon. If I closed my eyes, it felt like I was at a barbecue back at home.
Immediately after lunch came the moment I had been dreading since the first day of passage. It was here. My worst nightmare: the day I had to take my Navmaster exam. Without going too much into it, math is extremely difficult for me and a few others on this boat, and we have spent tireless days and nights working to understand how to navigate. It has not been easy, but I am so proud of all of us for the work that we have put in, and so grateful to the entire crew for coming together to teach each other how it works. Specific shoutout to Skye, Susie, and Charlotte for the countless hours we have spent together going over the same problems…(see a picture of Skye and me at 12:30 am last night, prepping for the big day).
While the last third of the boat completed Navmaster, everyone else was upstairs working on putting the sails back up. When I finally came on deck after completing my test, Captain Shane told us it was time for a "lock-in session" on sail handling before, again, we sail into some rough weather. We practiced raising the full main, reefing the main, lowering it completely, and raising it back up again. It's crucial to be prepared, as we never know what we'll need to do on a moment's notice at sea!
While all of this was going on, I also took on Charlie's job of breadmaker so he could help out on deck. I joined Skye in the kitchen to help make personal-sized pizza dough for tonight's personal-pizza dinner! Though we had lots of fun, I can't begin to explain how hot and humid the galley was today. It was basically sauna level, as the chefs and I had to keep peeking our heads out of the companionway to get a moment of relief.
Come dinner time, there was a lot of chatter as we found out what people got on their Navmaster exams (shocking news, Mom…I passed!) And mostly lots of joy over the change of pace of personal pizza and the beautiful sunset we got to watch during the squeeze. My question today was, "Who is the first person you're going to call when the passage is over, and what are you going to tell them?" I wanted everyone to take a moment and think about how long we have been out here, and how much we've all accomplished on this journey. It's impossible to really know what day it is, but I think it's safe to say we're almost to Palau. Wild. I can't wait to have a glass of ice water.
After dinner, we had a fun treat of Fourth of July popsicles. Now I'm off to give my last briefing as watch team leader, and enjoy my first night off without the stress of Navmaster.
Lots of love from Argo,
Sophie