Location: UW to Carribean
We started off the morning by waking up to “Come Sail Away.” I thought the song was fitting because today was the first day of our Atlantic crossing! We woke up exhausted from our fun last night but excited for the day to come. We finished passage prep while we waited for a spot on the fuel dock. While we were fueling, we ran to the mini market to buy last-minute snacks, and if you’re Riley, that means buying 40 Monster energy drinks. We kissed the ground goodbye and hopped back on the boat. We motored away from Grand Canaria while eating a delicious lunch (shout out to the chefs, Amelia, Zoe, and Eli ).
After lunch, the staff finally announced the long-anticipated new watch teams. I will miss Rachel, Julia, Carolyn, and the rest of watch team one, but I’m excited to spend the next 18 days with watch team 2 (I already have a feeling we’ll be superior). Then we raised the staysails and got started with a marine bio class. In between classes, we watched Dr. Seuss movies, including The Lorax. I think that we all speak for the trees (and the coral reefs). Next, we had leadership led by Cooper and Asa, where we had a great discussion about what makes a strong community.
We had some time to chill before dinner and came up on deck to a beautiful cotton candy sunset with the land getting smaller and smaller behind us. I’m excited for the sun to rise on nothing but the ocean. It’s a strange feeling to know we won’t see land for the foreseeable future. Maya, Anna, and Wilks had a special treat for us during squeeze: Banoffee Pie! We talked about what we’re most excited about for the crossing; Max hopes to see a humpback whale and dolphins at sunset, Julia is stoked for the stars, and the staff is excited about the Vela time warp. I’m excited to see if this “time warp” is as magical as they say it will be. We also played the game pterodactyl, and something absolutely momentous and unexpected happened.
Today, day 59, was the first day of the voyage, and Eli did not mention cars during the squeeze. His appreciation included sign-out night and the dance party afterward, but no S2k or Porche to be heard. I kept getting distracted while writing this, and it took me almost an hour, so peace out to all the homies avidly awaiting the next step of our adventure. Today was a great day, and I’m excited to see what crossing the Atlantic will bring.
Hi Mom, Dad, and Dillon; I miss talking to you guys already. Give the dogs a hug! (and Julia’s family, if you see this, give the pets a hug as well).
Lots of love,
Skylar
(and co-editors Julio and Biggy Rachey: pictured below)