Location: Underway. to Mallorca
I was the last skipper on Argo as we were approaching landfall in the Azores. What feels like a lifetime ago has been replaced by a new crew, new itinerary, and new adventures. As Argos’ final crew of the summer has settled in and gotten their sea legs, we have once again entered a passage routine. Waking up early, making tea and ramen, ready to step onto the deck and witness the majesty of the cosmos fill the night sky with a million stars, and sending the new crew down for a boat check under the watchful guidance of Brig, Ella, Logan, and Avery, our fearless transat crew. Being able to teach a student how to helm a 130-ton vessel is a true privilege I get to undertake every day as a watch leader, and this new group has taken to it very well. Argo is chugging her way along the Iberian coastline, passing dolphins, mountains, and a seemingly never-ending supply of cargo ships making their way through the Strait of Gibraltar.
My day started at 7:45. I was suddenly awoken by Nicole, who was actively leaving the charthouse to get the brief for the watch. Like many people who come on a seamester expedition, I have been known to sleep-talk. This morning, when I was originally woken up at 7:30, I managed to sleep-talk my way to convincing Meg that I was, in fact, awake. Come 7:45, I was scrambling for the head, throwing a shirt on, and jumping into the cockpit. The thrill of a missed wake-up will instantly take you from zero to 100 faster than a particle of uranium blasting around a boron control rod. Anyway, Watch team 3’s watch was the 8-12. We came on deck, and there was thick fog enveloping Argo; luckily, this was just a bit of radiation fog, and it quickly burned off as the sun’s rays warmed us up. Watch team 3 is comprised of Piper, Logan, Megan, Charlize, Sebastian, Axel, Carlie, Rina, Harrison, Nicole, and me. We listened to some tunes and even got the treat of a bit of service to play some music we hadn’t downloaded yet. Honestly, this morning’s watch was very uneventful. I had a few boats come near us, had a waypoint change, but overall it was a solid 4 hours hanging out, watching the world go by, and there’s no better way to spend your morning.
At 1200, the rest of Argo’s inhabitants came on deck and feasted on some delicious build-your-own sandwiches, carefully laid out by our chefs Zac, Brig, and Axel. There really is nothing quite like Spanish chorizo, prosciutto, and fuet on a piece of bread. Cleanup was easy; everyone is pitching in to keep Argo looking beautiful. After lunch was the students’ first day of class. Onboard this trip, the students will have the opportunity to take the International Crew Certificate and VHF Certificate exams, given out by the IYT. Shane taught the first day of the International crew today, and this helped solidify the students’ knowledge of boat life and how to be a functional crew member. Naturally, during my time off, I watched a cheeky movie and passed out. But at 1600, we had a man overboard drill. Fred, our tender fender, found himself in the fickle blue waters of the Med, and it was up to the crew to save him. All the watch teams quickly jumped into action, dropping sails, launching the rescue dinghy, and getting medical supplies ready in the charthouse.
Fred luckily did not become another statisti,c and all was well in the world.
After the excitement of saving a life at sea, dinner came on deck at 1800. We had chicken burgers and mashed potatoes. Now, to all the chefs out there, let me pose a question. If you happened to be out of butter and had to use a dairy-free milk alternative, would mashed potatoes be your first choice of potato cookage. Frankly, it would not be mine. However, we were served skin-on mashed potatoes whose creaming
ingredients were vegetable oil and soy milk (Zac didn’t want to make French fries). Truly dark times we find ourselves in onboard Argo. I’m just joking, they were actually great, and the burgers were wonderfully prepared. Post cleanup, we have students on watch, in the salon playing cards, and getting some Z’s. As always, I look forward to tomorrow.
Shoutout to Megan for her 17th birthday, and her first birthday away from her family. Sorry, she couldn’t be home today, but you have to admit, turning 17 in the middle of the sea isn’t a bad day.