Location: Fiji
Today marks the beginning of our three week passage to Palau from the initial port of where our trip started, Port Denarau, in Fiji. After a little over two weeks of learning the basics of sailing and scuba diving, everyone seemed to be in a jovial mood with both anticipation and uncertainty about the challenges that lie ahead. After a hearty, quick breakfast of oats with assorted fruits and toppings, we continued provisioning Argo by storing all of the scuba gear and sail covers as well as finishing putting away the remaining food rations that the staff purchased for us the day before, among a multitude of other jobs and checklist items. Once underway, we returned back to somewhat of a normal routine by having classes in both Marine Biology and Seamanship. For the latter, our instructor, Gabe, taught us the “knot of the day,” which was the clove hitch. Gabe elaborated on the versatility of this knot in that it was both effective in holding heavy diving gear and that it was extremely easy to undo in one swift motion by pulling on one end of the knot. After class, as watch team one was being relieved from their watch around 6 pm, everyone took a moment to embrace the beauty of Fiji with the beautiful picturesque sunset. With the glassy, towering waves in the distance, it is in these moments that regardless of how difficult or easy our day has been, everyone seems to come together to admire just how fortunate we are to be here. Lastly, for dinner, Head Chef Addy prepared a tasty vegetable salad and quinoa with a chocolate brownie dessert. Despite being at a smooth sailing state, I still managed to somehow drop my meal on the serving line as the boat rocked back and forth. Grieving the foolishness of my mistake during the meal, I decided that my mishap would be a good segway into the “squeeze question of the day” in having everyone briefly summarize their most embarrassing moment in 30 seconds or less. Highlights from the stories told include beet-red vomit, pee-wetting stories, oblivious relationship social cues, and mispronouncing and misconstruing foreign language words with expletives in English. I thought it was a good question, and I like to think that we all got a kick out of hearing all of our most vulnerable moments. All in all, today marks a pivotal moment in our journey so far at sea, and I am excited for what is to come in the next few weeks.