Location: Samut Prakan, Thailand
Each drop of sweat means the better Argo looks. The hot and humid April days of Thailand bring moisture instantly to one’s face. These past two days, Rory and I have been in the anchor locker, detailing pumps, grinding rust, and priming the bare steel. Each morning, we crawl into the locker with a big can of WD40 in one hand and a wire brush in the other. For hours, we sit in the depths of the bow, curled up close and personal with the anchor chain, removing every speck of rust. In the late afternoon, we emerge drenched in sweat and covered in dust and dirt. Rory and I are not the only two who receive stares from onlookers during our daily train ride commute back home after work. Every one of the Argo crew shares in the shipyard fashion statement as they are grinding in the bilges, giving the heads a well-deserved clean, or hunting down the rust in the engine room. Despite the fact that these clothes should never be worn again in public, they are souvenirs of our dedication to Argo.