Location: Underway to Christmas Island
Now that we are on passage to Christmas Island, time feels like it exists in an entirely different manner. It feels like a typical 24-hour day no longer exists since we wake up and go to sleep at random times. I also lost my watch to the dishy pit going overboard, so time actually does not exist. I am quite sad, though, because I was just starting to get a good watch tan. Last night, I had the 8-12 night watch with Will, Allie, Amanda M, Juliette, and Bohdi. For the first hour, Ava kept me company, and we watched the bioluminescence in the water. It is so cool that these random neon glow-in-the-dark things just happen to exist. When the waves crashed, you could see them more clearly, and it almost felt like we were in Avatar. For the next 3 hours of watch, we played hot seat, which had us laughing and getting to know each other better. Allie brought a huge bowl of popcorn; at first, we were all thinking that there was no way we’d finish it. But 10 minutes later, the bowl was wiped clean as we were all shoving fists of popcorn in our mouths. After watch, I tried to sleep, but it was the first time the waves were significant enough to have us sliding all around our beds. So the sleep wasn’t the best. Then I was woken up by Ava laughing, which, of course, made me laugh. So we were just sitting in the foc’sle laughing for a solid 5 minutes. I had watch from 8 am to noon, so we all made our own breakfast. I had an orange, a granola bar, salt and vinegar chips, and a vitamin C tab we bought from Grand Lucky supermarket in Bali. What a balanced breakfast. After lunch, we had oceanography with a biscuit boy and a seamanship quiz. Before the quiz, Ben, Ava, and I had a mango break. Funnily enough, eating a slippery mango on a rocking boat is quite a difficult task. Mango dripped all over ourselves, and one flew out of Ava’s hand and fell down the companionway. It was quite the sight, watching the slimy mango mound fall in slow motion towards the people studying in the salon. Luckily, it didn’t hit anyone. During our mango break, we also decided that our play “Come with My You’ll Want to” is actually going to be a film. Ava and I are the directors, screenwriters, and producers, and Bodhi has been promoted to director of photography and film. Our characters also have names now, and a 3 stage audition process is coming soon. So stay tuned to see Xavier, Jolene, Evias, Leechia, and Athempople in a theatre near you. After class, I had some free time, so I took a much-needed nap and did some journaling on deck. We are finally out of sight from land, so everywhere we look is the ocean. It’s honestly a really interesting feeling to be so out of touch with everything else. It’s also very mesmerizing to just stare at the waves for hours. My journaling was cut short by an early dinner. Where my favorite chef and bread maker, Ben, prepared ratatouille and focaccia for us. The focaccia was sent from heaven itself. We all had a good time at dinner talking about the audition process and who should play what role. There might be a division between Kackie and Allie for the role of Jolene, if it comes down to it they will brawl in the cockpit to see who gets the spot. Ben has already been given the role of a main apple tree. Mh squeeze question was, “What is one song that sends you back to one specific memory” to end squeeze, we all had to make the sound we suspect that Clayson makes. For those who do not know, Clayson is the creature that lives with us. He has gotten into the milk, chewed wires (I think?), and has survived the most heavy-duty mouse trap I’ve ever seen. He also ate the chicken we used to bait him, so we actually have just been bulking him up with protein. I am slightly scared of Clayson, so I won’t lie, but I can not wait for the day when we finally discover him. Anyway, our first full day of passage was a pretty good one. We have officially sailed 1000 nautical miles, and I’m excited to sail many more. I love and miss you, mom and dad. Mom, have fun in Greece and make sure you figure out the United app 0 p.s I think I want to go to Boulder. P.P.S. Ava says that Ben’s university is called the University of Exeter, in England, and that she loves and misses Mom, Dad, Theo, Simon, Remy, and Luna. P.P.P.S. Ben says he misses his sheep and that he loves being a farm boy. P.P.P.P.S Will says he misses his mom’s biscuits