Location: East London, South Africa
Hello anyone. This is the last-time skipper-for-the-day Chucktoid writing day 80’s blog. Today, we had our Thanksgiving!
Before that, though, the day began with pancakes in our PJs. While we finished up our flapjacks, Juliette, Ali, Hannah, and Ava performed a perhaps too welcoming dance number for our new re-boarder, Calum. After cleanup, we gathered in the salon, where it was finally our time to be let in on one of Seamester’s most secretive and special traditions. It is, of course, time that we all must decide exactly how we want to say goodbye to this foundational journey and the other people who were swept into this precious community. Up to the task of following this was Ben and Meg, with their epic collaborative presentation on climate change and the future and our last oceanography quiz.
For lunch, it was smoothie bowls, which led to a divide in the group. Philip, Amanda, Hannah, Travis, and Ava, along with me, worked on our contributions to the great Thanksgiving feast. So many cooks in the kitchen! Outside, Kackie, Ben, and Drazka went for provisions while Bodhi, Kiley, Juliette, Ali, and Ainsley were tasked with a “laz vomit,” which just meant emptying, deep cleaning, organizing, and repacking the laz. When things started to wrap up, many of us went to the marina cafe to enjoy some cold drinks and mentally prepare for the looming festivities.
When things were finally ready to go, it started to pour, and the gophers were forced to rush all our trays of hard work off of the chart house, back through the gopher hatch, and onto a table in the salon. Once everyone’s phones had gotten their food, a line snaked around the mast, galley, and tables, and we started to load up our plates. On the roster tonight:
Head chef Ainsley with sous Chef Juliette and Gabe’s Turkey (chicken) and mashed potatoes!
Cajun Mac by Chef T-rav 4, aka Travis!
Green Beans by Chef Kiley from New York!
Green onion pancakes and cheesecake by chefs Lip and Chucktoid, aka Philip and Charlie
Chocolate covered strawberries by chef Juju aka Juliette
Chocolate chip cookies by the biggest and oldest chef aka Allie
Cornbread pancakes and peanut butter bars by Chef Megatron, aka Meg
Apple crisp by chef Gigantor, aka Ben
Herb roasted nuts and pumpkin spice balls by chef Wind Ba,g aka Amanda
Chocolate mousse by the youngest and prettiest chef aka Ali
Chai cookie by chef Taylor Swift aka Hannah
Churros by chefs Happy and Chappie, aka Ava and Hannah
Honey-roasted carrots by Chef Woman in the Galley aka Drazka
All cooked in our ship’s galley with no oven, and everyone’s food was genuinely relishable
After the meal had run its courses, Tomer stood up and jumped us headfirst into a theatrical performance where me (the bad guy), Drazka (the heroine), Philip (the hero), and everyone else in the audience (the wind and rain) enacted our version of the heroes tail while Tomer narrated. Then, an impressive all-hands below-deck cleanup. To wrap up the night of another perfect day, we played Fishbowl in the salon. Here, we have a baseline of fulfillment and community that today really put into perspective. The love and joy that Argo is full of was extra loud. Christmas music looped and swirled through the watertight sections all day. I would hate to be an orphan looking through one of our portholes.
Tonight’s squeeze question: If you were making a postcard of Argo, what would the picture and caption be?
I sure will miss this. Bring on the waterworks.
Sincerely, Charlie Finn M.