Location: Cartagena, Spain
Today was an amazingly chill day, which is exactly what all of us needed after the beginning of our rough passage to Cartagena. This morning was amazing. While on bow watch with Maggie at around 1 AM, I saw my first bioluminescent dolphin! I proceeded to boast about this spotting all night long even though watch teams 2and3 and claimed they were cooler for seeing a whale, and Kris expelled my sighting as “plain rubbish.” Clearly, he’s jealous. We arrived at Cartagena at 11 AM, which was about eight hours earlier than expected. Knowing that everyone was exhausted from seasickness and the watch routine, we decided to let all the other watch teams sleep in. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more loved when I got to break the news to all of the sleepyheads that we’re expecting an 8 AM wake-up. I got more “I love you” and “You’re my favorite person in the world” in 10 minutes than I thought possible. After arriving in Cartagena, we went straight into the much-needed BA. Everyone split off into different groups, and the cleaning began. I got to help hoist Beasley up the mast, which was a ridiculous event, seeing as he is the biggest guy on the boat. After scrubbing, rust-busting, and chamois, Argo was back to her shining and beautiful self. Our MTE class was next; we played the pin rail race!
Splitting up into two groups, Britt, Leah, and Kris were hysterically laughing as we all chased to find the part of the boat that they had just screamed out. My team won (GO EVENS!), which is great not only for our pride but also because we’re exempt from putting money in the Rubbish Jar (basically a donation jar). We had some free time before dinner, promptly used for shore showers, wifi, and snacking. Delicious cheeseburgers were waiting for us back at Argo! Happy as ever, I’m sitting in the chart house, listening to the everlasting chatter and laughter of my fellow crew and staff as they finish up their daily assigned jobs. And while 32 days might not seem like a lot to the outside world, we’re light-years away on Argo. We’re officially a third of the way through this trip, and I already feel like we’re our own family. If I could, I’d write for hours about how amazing this trip has been for all of us and how great everyone looks all tan and smiley (I know that would make the parents happy); I would; however, it’s Marine Biology time, and I’m dying to ask Faloon, all about the bioluminescent dolphin! It really doesn’t get better than this.