Location: V&A Pier, Capetown SA
Hello, all supporters of Argo! I’m Kara, and I was today’s skipper. Today was a busy yet super fun day. We had an early start to the day at 6:45 am. I was able to get everyone up on time, something I was a bit nervous about. We had eggs, bacon, and potatoes for breakfast and enjoyed a little break from the sun this morning. We then had a 45-minute trek down to kayak at a beach. It was fun to walk and talk. The kayak adventure was awesome, and we saw dolphins! They got so close to our kayaks and put on a little show for us, doing flips and dives! Cecily and I were a kayaking machine duo.
After that, we headed back to our new “home” to chow down lunch and burritos. I enjoy mealtime as you are always sitting next to someone new. After lunch, we did our jobs assigned to us by the glorious job wheel. I was also headmaster today, which sounds cool if you don’t know what a head is, but the heads are the toilets. So, my job was to clean the bathrooms along with Olympus. We got it done! Everyone is doing well in learning their jobs. Every day, every minute, I am learning something new. Super cool. After lunch, we did an introduction to Marine Bio with Ben. I am excited about this class as it looks like we will learn and discuss some unique topics. We headed out for our first practical of Marine Bio and spent an hour walking around the marina, spotting cool marine life. Issac, Zac, Talia, and I spotted many, many seals! Next, we got ready for a tour of the NSRI (National Sea and Rescue Institute) and saw their awesome and really fast rescue boats.
Fun fact – the crew is made up entirely of volunteers. It was cool to hear about how they are organized. After a look around, we head back to Argo for dinner. A yummy chicken curry. Again, it was nice to chat. The question of the day that I posed was, “What hobbies do you have (other than sailing)?” It was nice learning a little bit more about everyone. We finished up the day with an intro to Seamanship with Kackie. Sometimes, like today, she will teach us a knot at the beginning of class. Today, it was the bow-line knot. Mine and a few other’s first-ever sail knot! The night is ending with showers, card games, and reading. I am excited for day 3!
My personal message to my family: I love you all and am doing well! It has been a bit overwhelming, but I am learning my way around. I miss you all a lot. Dad- thanks for making sure I have all my gear, and Mom- thanks for keeping tabs on my inbox. You guys are the best!