Location: N 3 degrees 36.554' E 72 degrees 56.576'
Greetings, blog readers!
Today started out very early for the crew of Vela. We all were split into 3 different watch teams to take a 3-hour shift of the night while we transited from Male atoll to Ari atoll. Watch team 1, composed of Emily, Zach, Val, Bee, Cate, Danar, Lucia, and Angie stood watch from 12:00 am – 3:00 am. Watch team 2, made up of Dylan, Trey, Mads, Noah, Sam, Gillian, Seth, and myself, was assigned the 3:00 am – 6:00 am time slot. Lastly, watch team 3, consisting of Mo, Ian, Myra, Carly, Robbie, Max, Henry, and Sierra, stayed awake for the 9:00 pm – 12:00 am time slot. The transit went smoothly. All teams appreciated the word games they played in the cockpit to keep each other awake, the deep conversations about life while on bow watch, and the extra pancakes we all got to snack on during our watches. Sam and Gillian are still fiercely competing to finish the book ‘The Name of the Wind.’ Gillian showed grit as she stayed up from 9:00 pm till her watch began at 3:00 am just to catch up with Sam. However, Sam reported that he has since reopened his lead and is now over 100 pages ahead. The battle continues.
After the sun rose, we tried to spot a whale shark by motoring around the atoll. Elle and Amy bravely sat high up in the mast along the spreaders to get a better vantage to spot the elusive animal. In the meantime, the crew enjoyed a quiet morning of journaling, resting, card games, and talking to each other. I particularly enjoyed my conversation with Seth, Robbie, and Henry about everything from shark species to the meaning of life. These sort of conversations makes me realize what an amazing group of individuals this boat carries. Every last one of the crew has a unique outlook on life and the ideal way to live it. We all have so much to learn from each other.
For lunch, the crew enjoyed a build-your-own sandwich. Everyone was so ecstatic at the sight of sandwich meats, tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced cheese. It has felt like ages since any of us had a sandwich, and we were overjoyed at being able to sink our teeth into our own bready creations.
Once lunch was cleaned up, we had an afternoon class of marine biology. During class, we watched the movie “Plastic Ocean.” It puts the destruction that humanity wrecks on the environment into full view while simultaneously providing detailed facts about humanity’s impact on the planet. Videos of whales dying from the consumption of plastic were followed by pictures of decaying bird carcasses filled with industrial plastic beads. This movie is highly informative and poignant. I have been requested by Angie, Dylan, and others to tell all the blog readers to watch this movie for us. It is free to watch on Netflix and is only an hour and forty minutes long. It is perspective-changing.
To end the day, the crew had some free time before dinner. Some, such as Valentina, Myra, Dylan, and myself, swam and snorkeled around the boat for a half-hour. Others read and watched downloaded TV shows. The entire crew enjoyed the beautiful weather and a chill day. We can’t wait for all of our adventures tomorrow and in the coming days!
Signing off for now!
-Finley-
Photo;
1. Angie, Valentina, Myra, Emily, and Trey
2. Noah and Robbie
3. Angie and Madz
4. Carly, cate, and Ian
5. Carly and Max