Location: Palma, Mallorca
Good morning (or afternoon, or nighttime is not a concept on Argo) to our dear readers. Today was an eventful day, per usual, even though our schedule wasnt entirely diverse. I started my day with an enjoyable early watch at 6 a.m., which allowed me the chance to have a quiet morning watching the sky grow brighter. Tasked with the responsibility of waking everybody up, I made my way downstairs at precisely 6:58 a.m., and prepared my alarm clock: Doot Doot (6 7) by Skrilla. Safe to say, a joke has never died so quickly, and this morning it was buried 6 feet under. After 3 days of diving, our time was up at Andratx- and we began our move to Soller. Following the packing of our dive gear that was strewn about the boat, we gathered to enjoy Ignacios first meal of the day- protein brownies made with dates, sweet potatoes, and beans. They tasted suspiciously like chocolate, and the whole crew was pleasantly surprised. The weather had different plans for us today. As we turned the corner from the bay of Andratx on our way to Soller, the wind picked up to about 40 knots. Us students were in the saloon, suddenly feeling lurching waves, and being told to stay put and shut the watertight doors while we turn around. None of us questioned it any further. We had more important things to point our attention to: our EFR day! Our EFR lesson, standing for Emergency First Response, was a 2 1/2 hour collection of videos explaining how to handle and deal with emergency situations. We learned what to do in a situation when a person is unconscious/unresponsive, showing signs of a stroke, has a horrible physical injury, and lots more. The videos, as helpful as they were, were nothing compared to the simulations that were going to occur later that night.
After our first EFR lesson, we went up to the deck and had a follow-up on our turning around update. We did indeed do a 180, and our course had changed- we were now headed to Palma! The entire crew was very happy. We enjoyed lentil curry, a meal that has become a staple on Argo (always welcomed). We then returned to our duties and had our EFR knowledge review. Rachel and Meg busted out the CPR mannequins, and we all got to work. The song Baby Shark was on a speaker being paraded around, some people were singing Stayin Alive, and some were singing Pink Pony Club. Whatever the song choice, everyone had the correct BPM down. Next, seamanship was calling and we answered. Emily and I struggled through many new, unknown terms, & after a notebook page or two being filled up (and our brains), we were released back into our cozy 6-stack.
The day ended with 30 minutes of ocean showers, about 20 minutes of free time, and perhaps the best meal cooked on this boat so far (sorry to all the other head chefs). We were served up a STEAMING pot of chicken with plum curry and rice, and almost every single student gave an appreciation to Nacho for how delicious it was. When the time came for our squeeze question, I asked: Whats a challenge you are overcoming on this trip? The answers were personal and appreciated, and even though it was a small moment, it made me feel closer to every single student and staff member on the boatShoutout to Emily.
Sincerely,
Chloe C.
P.S. To my mom, dad, Sylvie, and Mia- I miss you so much. I cant wait to see you and give you the fattest hug. Love you!!!