Location: Underway to Richard's Bay
Hello again, everyone. It is the resident fish guy back as skipper once again. I hope all you readers back home are doing as great as we are right now. Today is day 67! Time truly has flown here on Vela, and we are looking at only one (ish) more day of our second-longest passage. It has been an amazing passage so far, and today especially we have been motoring will ideal conditions. Most of today, the sea has been tranquil and glassy, with the easiest helming of the semester.
The day started off great for us on watch team 3 with a beautiful starry night. We had great conversations, but especially when Destiny described every watch team member (Zeke, Hannah, Vera, Rai-Ching, Sam, and me) in her unique way. At one point, we saw what could be military planes flying around the sky. But it didnt look like any planes any of us had seen before. After the great watch, we had an amazing lunch cooked by Riley and the chef team (Scarlette and Vera). It was a pasta soup that Riley insisted depended on the ratio between basil and oregano. After lunch, the students all gathered for Oceanography and Leadership, while Mac, Sam, Emma, and I had some fun chats and hung out up on deck. After some of the previously stated ideal sea conditions, the whole crew gathered for our chicken-and-veggie roast dinner. We had dinner and talked about what two animals could be combined to make a cooler animal, among other serious and very intellectual topics.
It is after dinner at the time of writing, and morale is high, vibes are great, and the crew is split between dancing on deck and hanging out, conversing below! We cant ask for anything more; everyone is healthy, happy, and ready for what South Africa has to offer.
Thanks for reading,
Perry