Location: Peter Island
The morning sun rose to turn the sky an ominous orange, and with it brought deadline day! Shipmates were busying themselves frantically into the early hours of this morning, writing up their OCE group research papers, the culmination of 70 days’ worth of data collection in words and figures. A light morning snack of blueberry muffins was prepared for breakfast before the Student body convened down below in the salon, ready to present their research projects to the rest of the group. The idea of these research projects is to encourage shipmates to put into practice some of the science they have been learning in class and design a group project. Having sat through the three presentations this morning, I felt a certain sense of pride watching your sons and daughters step up to the “podium” and confidently explain their findings and the scientific reasoning behind them, which I can assure you is no small feat. Having chatted with a few of the shipmates in the brief aftermath, I got the impression there was a great sense of accomplishment amongst them, which, fingers crossed, will drive them forward through the upcoming deadlines and finals. The rest of the day was designated personal study time in preparation for the upcoming OCB final this evening. Some chose to take a small break from the books and head to the beach to catch a few epic rays, while others chose to rip across the sound on a windsurfer. A hearty meal of Vegetarian chile awaited the crew this evening at a somewhat subdued mealtime. I get the general feeling that as the program draws to a close, thoughts are increasingly turning towards the last day and how fast it’s creeping up on all of us. The famous RMS Rhone awaits all of us for what promises to be an epic day of diving tomorrow.