Location: Underway to Cape Town
Day 81
Cape Town, Here We Come!
Hey guys! Exciting day today! We leave for our very last passage of the semester in an hour! But first, lets jump back to this morning when I was woken up by Henry tapping me on the shoulder and saying I had to watch in 30 minutes, and started the day quite discombobulated (vocab provided by Zeke) after that. But after quickly realizing we were obviously still docked and I did not have a watch in 30 minutes, I rolled out of my bunk and awakened the rest of the boat with a super great, motivational, upbeat song that I dont remember right now. We made our way up on deck to a breakfast of yogurt, granola, and fruit, courtesy of Kieth. After that, we went right into clean up and then passage prep. Passage prep went smoothly and quickly, run by our amazing Chief Mate Fin.
After everyone finished their passage prep jobs, we left the boat for some morning shore time. Hannah, Payton, Maia, Fin, Henry, and I made our way to an adorable coffee shop with amazingly comfy couches. I got a super good, worth-mentioning chai latte, and we grabbed some coffees to bring back to the chefs on Vela. When everyone got back from shore time, our amazing chefs (Keith, Scarlette, Zeke) had whipped up some taco bowls for lunch. Our lunch came accompanied by a very heated debate on whether Addas shirt is green or black. Personally, when I first saw it in the store before she bought it, I thought it was green and never considered it was black. However, Im looking over at her across the room right now, and it definitely looks black oops (see photo to make your own decision).
After lunch and clean up, we got even more shore time!!! Some others and I went to walk down to a swimming area, but Hannah and I got sidetracked at an antique store for an hour and a half. It was really old and creepy, and the ladies who owned it were totally witches, but it was one of the most whimsical places Ive ever been in. Post-antique store, we met up with the rest of the group at the swimming area. It was ocean water, but in a little channel made of rock, so it was protected from sharks and things. We went and jumped in, and it was maybe the coldest water Ive ever swam in. It wasnt something you could hang out and swim around in, but jumping, flipping, and climbing out was so fun and refreshing! There were tons of locals around, and people started making friends. The people of Mossel Bay really are the sweetest, and it was so cool to chat with other people our age. After warming up from the icy water, some people headed out into town. Hannah, Keith, Payton, and I went to sit on the rocks in the sun and watch the waves. It was so nice to be able to watch the ocean and take time with each other and appreciate that we had crossed the ocean we were looking out across! It was also good time to let the thought of our time together coming quickly to an end. So sad, but I find that it allows me to appreciate the time I have left even more to the fullest.
I had to go back to the boat for PSC class, so Thaxton and I took off back towards the boat. I got ice cream for the walk home, and Thaxton tried some Kudu from a food truck (which is a type of African antelope)! When we got back to the boat, we took some time to relax, do laundry, study, and then have dinner, and the final portion of passage prep began. Everyone else made their way back to the boat, where we were all so excited to leave on our student-led passage. Chief Mate Fin instructed us on the last few things of passage prep, and then we gathered in the cockpit to leave. It was such a special moment, knowing this would be our last passage. Vera then gave an incredible speech, I think the best speech Ive really ever heard. Her words were so beautiful and brought many of us to tears. After her speech, we began to cast off the dock. With Fin running the deck, and Vera and Mac at the helm, we quickly and smoothly pulled out of Mossel Bay, and began our student-led, and very last, passage to Cape Town!