Location: Koh Chang, Thailand
Our day started in the calm waters of our anchorage with a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, and beans, lovingly prepared by Forrest and Richard. There was a new, or should I say fresh, face in the cockpit, in the form of Caroline Catlin, who had made the long journey back from the states to join her crew for the last week of the program. Having made a quick recovery from her earlier foot injury, it seems the calling of Argo was simply too much to resist. After breakfast and the greasy dish session that always accompanies any meal with bacon, it was time to start the MTE exam finals. Those quick and keen enough to sign up for the morning round were done by lunch and replaced the second group diving off the rail all afternoon. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the downtime before our culinary masters prepared a pad Thai that even the locals would have been envious of. As we wolfed down our delicious dinner, the sunset between the jungle-clad hills, setting the sky on fire and silhouetting the palm trees on the sheltered tropical beach off our bow. Tomorrow is always the adventure that continues, with elephant trekking into the dense, humid jungles of Koh Chang, the start of Thailand’s longest stretch of rainforest. Although we will not be expecting to forge any new trails into the wilderness, the memories will be forged forever. So ends this day.