Location: Underway to St. Lucia
Today started off with a lot of excitement that our new feathered friend was still aboard Argo. While on bow watch at 3 AM a few days ago, the bird joined Hilary and me, and we decided to name him Thomas (although some of the crew has re-named him Larry Bird). Thomas has provided a lot of excitement amongst the crew as we get to know him. The bird became a little too friendly last night when he flew in through an open hatch into one of the boys’ cabins. After finally showing our friend back out onto the deck, we learned that if that incident didn’t scare him, this bird probably wouldn’t go anywhere anytime soon. The crew has taken sympathy for him by throwing him little scraps of food and discovering that Thomas prefers turkey over ham and has no interest in noodles, bread, or bamboo shoots. While cleaning the deck, Thomas can be seen walking around the deck and, every once in a while, drinking from the hose. Earlier this morning, a flying fish flew on deck, and we attempted to feed the dead fish to the bird, who only took a slight interest in the fish. I guess rotting fish isn’t quite as good as lunch meat. Who knew!? During lunchtime, we had some really delicious French onion soup, and Thomas flew off the boat for a distance, only to come back to join the crew again. Even when I was helming, the bird was by my side, ready to take on the huge helm (I don’t think he is ready yet, haha). Besides our new pet, we had an interesting class about plate tectonics in oceanography, and then, afterward, we had a test on Marine Radio. For part of the exam, we had to spell out our names in the phonetic alphabet, which is quite a chore when you have a last name like Schuelka (Sierra Charlie Hotel Uniform Echo Lima Kilo Alpha)!
In addition, the test stressed that you never say over and out because over suggests you want a reply, and out means you are signing out for good. After class, we got to jump into the ocean for showers, which was a beautiful shade of blue, and the water was wonderfully warm. We also learned that we are currently over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which can be 15,000 feet deep! The crew was extremely productive today, preparing for tests, writing essays, and working in the dive books to prepare ourselves for our next certification and to allow ample time in the Caribbean to scuba! For dinner tonight, we had chili and cornbread, which is always a killer combo. Just another wonderful day on Argo! OUT!