Location: Underway to Fernando de Noronha
Today marks the first full rotation of the job wheel; the cycle of initiation is complete! Every one of us has now fully experienced what it takes to be a crew member aboard Argo. I remember how overwhelmed we all were that first week in Cape Town, getting bombarded with strange terminology like ‘Samson Post’ and ‘Downhaul.’ In hindsight, it is truly mind-boggling to realize how second-nature life onboard has become. The routine of passage life is nothing short of paradise. The fresh, salty wind that fills our lungs, hours of meditation on bow watch staring out at the infinite horizon, and witnessing the development of openness and trust among the Argo team have been an incredible journey that has only just begun.
The sunlight was especially appreciated today, thanks to Kimi, who taught us the mechanisms of how our star powers ocean ecology in the oceanography class. We also participated in a modified version of the Myers-Briggs personality test today in SLD. We answered questions about every fellow shipmate regarding introversion/extroversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. The results will be analyzed in an Excel spreadsheet, and we will compare how we rated ourselves vs. how others rated us. This type of intrapersonal reflection is an everyday phenomenon onboard, although it takes on many forms.
As the last skipper, I had everyone reflect upon what they feel grateful for today. Naturally, many loving thoughts and feelings were sent back to our families and friends back home. None of us would be on this adventure without the unconditional love and support of our families, so I ask everyone reading this blog right now to feel the energy of our gratitude within your hearts. As I stare out the chart house window at a school of flying fish diving into enormous swells reflecting the golden hues of sunset, I become speechless.