Watch Team 1, Signing Off
Location: Gilbraltar
What's up, everyone? It's Sam again. Today marked the end of our 3-day passage to Gibraltar and, along with it, the end of our watch teams. Watch team 1 had the 8-12 and had an amazing time soaking in the last of our time together. Our first shift 8-12 pm was fueled by delicious cookies baked by Mali, Corinne, and Stella. We got to see the moon slowly turn a rusty orange as the dust from the Sahara wafted high into the sky. Vela's hull broke smoothly through some bioluminescence, which coated the crests of our wake in a stunning white glow. After a well-deserved rest, we awoke to our 8-12 am watch. We saw the glassy waters of a supremely calm Med as well as countless pods of dolphins coming to pay us a visit. As the rest of the boat arose, we all began to put the boat to bed while the Rock of Gibraltar loomed on the horizon. During our work, we were happily interrupted by a wonderful lunch of Alfredo pasta cooked up by Kaitlyn, Natalia, and Makayla. When we arrived in Gibraltar to bunker (a fancy boat term for refueling) we were met with a European guy filling up his boat, which when we asked when he would be done, responded quote "My mother waited 9 months for me, you can wait a couple minutes". After waiting our couple of minutes, we started to bunker as well as beginning our second complete BA. We spent a couple of hours cleaning our bunks, scrubbing the deck, and generally giving back to the beautiful boat that has and will carry us to once-in-a-lifetime experiences. With Vela refueled and sparkling clean, we departed again for a short hop over to the dock where we will be staying for a couple of days. We docked Vela for the second time today, and it's always such a fun time seeing everyone work together to toss lines to shore, run around with fenders, and offer helping hands wherever necessary. After docking, I went on a trash run with Lexi, Kenzie, Owen, and Mac. With the trash dumped, we all returned and had some time to relax as our chefs cooked up another delicious meal. Personally, I played castles with Yuval and Zane, and beat them twice (not bragging, of course). For dinner, we had unbelievable chowder bread bowls as well as the Mahi we caught yesterday (serious shoutout to the chefs today). Now, under the light of the sunset being eclipsed by enormous oil tankers, we finish up the day with cleanup. Today was another amazing day, and Im sure we're all going to miss our watch teams. I definitely will, but with every end comes a new opportunity for great times. To Mom, Dad, Annabel, Bailey, Kody, Shadow, and Pearl, I miss and love you all 😁.
Until next time, Sam