Location: Underway to Richards Bay
Another day, another 24 hours of passage. Although every day on Vela is filled with 24 hours of activities, laughs, challenges, and memories, today’s 24 hours were special in their own way. The day truly started at 4 AM, the beginning of the 24-hour challenges of Daniel and Wes. Daniel’s goal: helming for 24 hours. Wes: 24 hours of boat checks.
Hour and BC 1-4: The challenges began. Watch Team 3 watched the beginning of Daniel’s helming and Wes’s boat checks. Daniel was strong on the helm with the support of the cat ears as they made a comeback and Wes’s passion for ensuring the boat stayed safe and 40/40’d kept him going strong. Watch Team 3 ease out the sails before they head back to bed.
Hour and BC 4-8: Watch Team 1 played tag with the wind, easing and center-lining the sails and raising and lowering the jib (Zoe’s favorite sail). We learned that the main goal of watch for the day was ensuring Wes was awake and boat checking at boat check o’clock, and Daniel was happy on the helm.
Hour and BC 8-10: For lunch, we had broccoli mac and cheese and watermelon, cucumber, and feta salad, thanks to Kasey and her chef team of Jake and Margaret. After lunch, we cleaned up, had oceanography, and learned more about biological oceanography.
Hour and BC 10-14: We finished up more of our oceanography lectures to get ready for our quiz in two days. At 4:00 PM, Daniel got to honk the horn to celebrate the 12th hour. The second Navmaster group reviewed their practice exams and got some practice before our final exams in Richard’s Bay. Everyone got to practice some of the problems that they missed (or got 180 degrees off course on). On the helm, a pair of slippers got brought out for Daniel to make standing easier, thanks to one of Allie’s past students. Up on deck, Siena walked some laps around the cockpit, and Ayden started reading a new book with a cool cover.
Hour and BC 14-16: For dinner, we had poke bowls and continued to cheer on Daniel and Wes in their 24-hour-long goals. Our squeeze question for the day was what would you do on the boat for 24 hours straight? Answers included baking, sitting on watch, inspecting every shiny object on board, going aloft, and laying on the bow sprit. After dinner, we cleaned up, and everyone headed to their nightly activities. Wes learned how to wring out his clothes to get them to dry faster, and Kasey “fell” into the shower.
Hour and BC 16-20: Watch Team 2 took over and had a good watch conversing in the cockpit. Wes perfected his boat check timing.
Hour and BC 20-24: Daniel DJ’d the last four hours of the day, and Watch Team 3 enjoyed the main sheet carpet at the stern. Before the 24th hour, we hit another waypoint and listened to Come Sail Away by Styx three times in a row. Plans were also made as to logistics for how to celebrate the 24 hour mark. We ended the day with a donut courtesy of endurance athlete Daniel at 4 AM, with both watch teams 1 and 3 there to celebrate both Daniel’s and Wes’s accomplishments.
Onto the next 24 hours and everything it brings!