Location: Underway to Brazil
What a day it was today. While Ellie and I were on watch this morning doing bucket laundry, Amanda got sent up the foremast to fix one of the lights. Soon after, the fire alarm went off suddenly. I was impressed by everyone’s ability to go from dead asleep to standing in the cockpit wearing the proper PFD. Everyone was fine. There was just an overheating in the engine room. No biggie, but it did mean we had to turn the engine off for a bit to let it chillax. With no engine, no wind, and amazing weather, Freddie decided it was a perfect opportunity to take a middle-of-the-Atlantic swim. Everyone was so excited to swim that they forgot that they were woken up so abruptly. After Tim and Elder Gabe got the swim ladder working, we cannonballed into the water as fast as we could.
There is no way for me to describe what it’s like swimming in the middle of the ocean, days from land. Diving underwater reveals the most glorious blue that continues as far as the eye can see. The bottom of the ocean was 5500 meters away, and I’d never experienced anything like that. After our swim, we had a bit of homework (or sleep) time. Lunch was incredible — we had naan bread homemade by Max and Nat and hummus and other toppings made by head chef Katie and the galley crew. Leadership class after lunch was super exciting for all of us because we got to talk for 10 minutes about any topic we wanted. I talked about canoe camping, of course. In the study time between classes, a lot of people caught up on homework. Brina and I share a can of fruit every afternoon, and today we branched out and had pears, which were pretty good if anyone was wondering (they were not as good as the peaches, though, admittedly). Finally, we had dinner, and as a vegetarian, I got dinosaur nuggets, which were supreme. Everyone else had barbecue chicken that they report was very good. Now, I’m going to go collect my laundry before it rains tonight. Thanks for reading this novel of a trip log. Also, we are approximately four days out from Brazil.
An interview with Elizabeth (Ellie):
How was your day today?: My day was excellent. I have been looking forward to an ocean swim since we left Cape Town. I’m so excited to get to check that off my bucket list. Also, Katie shared her freezer-cooled sparkling lemonade with me, and I loved every sip of it. I think the best part of today was seeing Audrey emerge from the salon after being woken up by the fire alarm, still in her PJs.
What was your Ted Talk about in Leadership class?: I talked about the Medici family and their rise to power, also Bonticelli’s painting, Primavera. (We tried our best spelling, sorry)
What has been your favorite meal on the ship so far?: Honestly, dinner today. It was a nice chicken with green beans, cooked peppers, and rice. Also, Tim’s gluten-free bread he made last week…I’m still thinking about it.
Anything else to add?: Hey fam. having a phenomenal time. I miss you so much. Happy early birthday to Amy!
P.S. Hello to my friends and family. I love and miss you all! <3 And yes, I’m drinking a lot of water.