Location: Da Ocean
Another day comes and goes here on Vela. They all seem to be meshing into one big mush of time. Today was a special one as we had our final exam in Marine Biology and final lecture in our Oceanography class further signifying the end of our time here getting closer and closer, we try not to think about it but its something we just cant ignore. I woke up at 11:00 this morning to get a little extra studying with Chloe before our exam, which was after lunch. Meanwhile, Theo, our head chef, was putting the finishing touches on our lunch (Mean Bean Salad served with a side of Naan) with his galley crew, Grace N and Smash. Everyone got their fill and went on to clean up, and I did just a little bit more studying, as one of the perks of being the skipper is not having a cleanup job. After the cleanup was done, Ben came into the salon wearing his signature lobster exam shirt, ushering us to put our study materials away and get ready for the exam. Everyone seemed to fly through the exam, and we got to have a little fun on the last question where we had to create a new species with the knowledge we have of the material, Watson seemed super proud of his monster penguin which had every adaptation possible. After that was done, it was time for the Oceanography lecture, which was informative as usual but ended on a sad note as we remembered there would be no more. While watching team 1 (Chloe, Eduardo, Watson, Talia, Boston, Brendan, Grace C., and Ruby) go to perform their duties on deck, everyone else had a few moments to themselves. This was the case for everyone except, of course, our galley team, which, for the second time on passage, was making steaks for dinner, quickly becoming a new favorite on the boat. It was devoured without a piece remaining. For squeeze tonight, we did our appreciations, and then I asked everyone what they were most excited about in the Caribbean, which I thought was fitting as we grew ever so close, almost to the point where I think I can taste it. Before we went to clean Captain Tom briefed us on the precautions to take against skin infections since it will be hard to escape the heat and humidity in the Caribbean islands, Tom once again looking out for our best interests. As I write the blog, Tom asks me how I am enjoying the passage, and getting to talk to him about it, especially after so much time has passed, helped me put into perspective how amazing this experience is, getting a chance to put into words the valuable aspects of the trip. The rest of watch team 3 (Theo, James, Mac, Max, Eliza, Grace N., Cat, Smash, and Ben) and I prepare for our 8-12 watch tonight, ready for another day of passage to come. Miss you ma and dad cant wait to catch up when back on land, tell the boys I say hi. Peace.