Location: UW to Mauritius
Today, our speed may have reached a new low, but morale remains high. Mauritius is nearly in sight, and the energy aboard Argo reflects that. We are eager to make landfall, but even so, we patiently roll over the waves, keeping our eyes on the distant horizon. The wind has been gradually shifting and dropping out since yesterday. In response, we performed another non-traditional maneuver for this vessel: wing on wing. This was started by watch team 3&1 (Ainsley, Amanda D, Charlie, myself, Philip, Amanda M, Juliette, Ava) during a hand over, and finished by team 1 before lunch. Every watch has seen some action in the last 24 hours, with team 2 (Kiley, Ali, Bodhi, Hannah) running operations on the 12-4 am shift last night. Despite our best efforts and running with the wind, we were hardly making 2.5 knots until this evening, when we finally got a sustained 3.5 knots. On its face, this experience of uncertainty and waiting might seem frustrating, but in reality, it isnt reductive at all. We are simply getting another taste of what sailing can be like. Many of us agree that losing the prop was a blessing in disguise, seeing that we are learning much more about sail handling than we otherwise would. Life still moves fast here even when we arent. Bodhi and his sous chefs prepared bolognese and bchamel with pasta for lunch, which didnt last long against a hungry crew. We then moved on to clean up, followed by oceanography and NavMaster class. Today was a review session for Navmaster and our last class before the practice exam. It is both exciting and a bit anxiety-inducing. However, I am confident that we will surpass the 50% success rate. Once we wrapped up the afternoon courses, we were presented with a delicious smorgasbord that fell somewhere between Indian and Mexican food (late-game provisions get interesting). Tonight, the typical watches go on, but this time, staying keen for the light of civilization on the horizon. According to the binnacle, we are 24 hours out from Port Louis, but that thing is ever-changing. We remain hopeful though, wishing for more wind in the right direction so that we may have Mauritius by morning. -Travis P, Skipper P.S. The worst of it is nearly over. Ill be home sooner than you think. I love you. Shoutouts: Amanda M. says, Hi fam! and Please send Clayton pics. Ill have WiFi soon. Philip sends his regards to the people at Outback. Juliette said, Its Sabrinas birthday!