Location: Underway to Fiji
Over the past few days, we have reached some exciting milestones to add to our logbooks. Yesterday, Tim spotted a frigate bird which you only typically get within 500 miles of land. This sighting definitely made it feel like we are actually getting somewhere. I have mentioned more than once to our Watch Team that after a week of passage, I start to feel like passage life is my new life… sort of like being a crew member of the Flying Dutchman (except none of us have octopus faces and Argo is a much more pleasant place to be). Another accomplishment for this crew is the fact that we entered the EEZ of French Polynesia last night, and we are most likely halfway to our destination of Fiji. In the past, I have found that the second half of the passage seems to fly by, and I think everyone on board is starting to feel that as well.
Being on a passage, especially one of this magnitude, really makes you feel a sense of awe and respect for just how big the Pacific ocean is. This may seem like an obvious statement, but it really isn’t until you’re truly in the middle of it, haven’t seen land or a boat for weeks, the only visitors are flying fish and fairy terns, and the only topic of conversation you can seem to come up with on watch has to do with which animals would win in a fight, that you really start to think, ‘Woah, this ocean is mega.’ Although passage life may sometimes sound monotonous and routine in the blogs, it is an incredible way to get from one place to another. The routine keeps us safe and healthy, the scale of what we are doing keeps us humble, and Argo teaches us a lot about each other and ourselves. I’m incredibly excited to be in this part of the world, and I’m even happier to be sharing this experience with this crew. Fiji has a lot of energy coming its way.
P.S. Happy Birthday, Charlie. Have fun freediving!
Current position:
1023.16’S
13654.80’W
Pictured:
Thea, Lewis, and Frankie
Izzy and Renee
Marina and Elie