Location: Underway to Nuka Hiva
Ahoy from the high seas! We are officially 9 days into passage. Today started bright and early with an 8-12 watch with Ben, Brooke, Maya L, Harry, Jake, and James. We vibed and had a pretty great watch, listened to music, and just overall jonesed; we even made a helm crown for Harry.
Maya L, Sam, and Henry cooked up some Moroccan chickpea curry with rice for lunch, and after cleanup, it was time for class. First up was Oceanography, where the lecture had a lot of overlap with Marine Biology class. It was pretty cool to see how both are connected after that was leadership, where we learned about SMART goals and got to toss the Lurb (spiky red ball) in a bucket, trying to meet our goal of making half the shots we took (we did not meet the goal, but it was still fun).
I took a nap after class, and then it was time for dinner. The chefs made a great lentil soup with rice, Brooke made bread, which it was agreed upon that these were the best rolls so far, well see about that though when Im bread maker tomorrow >:)
Weve changed time zones now, so my watch team had a special 3-hour dog watch, which was also a pretty fun watch. I helmed while listening to music for a good amount of time, stacked clothespins on my head, and then Mac turned off the engine, and we got to hang out in the calm sea state.
As far as the long passage goes, I feel like we are all getting into a routine. Our watches cycle, and our hours awake are pretty weird, so I like to nap when I can. Its been a challenge trying to balance class work, sleep, and watch all at the same time but the more we get into passage the better Ive figured out what works for me I figured out how to hang my sheet over my bed to make it into a cave and its AWESOME! There are ups and downs with every day, but one thing I appreciate is that everyone here is in the same boat (literally), so we all understand what it is like and are there for each other. My favorite things about the passage are the night watches, where you can see the stars and the Milky Way galaxy so clearly. Of course, I also love when the sails are out, but since were in a lull, weve been motoring.
Its been pretty nice to disconnect and have no internet, even though I miss talking to my friends and family a lot. Im curious what will have happened in the world when I get a connection again, since we still have over a week left of passage! And yes, the rumors are true, I did shave my head! I think Neptune appreciated my sacrifice since the sea state has been pretty chill.
For everyone back home, just know Ive been thinking of you, and dont worry about me, Im doing all right out here.
Until then, see you when I reach land!