Location: Underway to Indonesia
Yes, that was a “Titanic” reference, and yes, I have said “ICEBERG AHEAD” one too many times in the span of the last day. Hi to everyone reading this back at home! You are all missed very much. Today, our days started off on a bit of a different note. We all (most) awoke to the beautifully harmonious sound of Josie and Garrett banging a metal spoon on bowls at 11:30 am rather than our usual 7:00 am wake-up. Some of us were already awake, as our internal clocks are used to being up early now.
Last night was our initial rotation of watch teams while underway, where groups of about 6 or 7 keep an eye out for incoming weather conditions, other ships, and check every hour on our lovely boat’s conditions. I’m on watch team 3 and must admit that the day one seasickness got the best of me, as I was slumped over from 12 am to 4 am. Either that, or from the delicious Nutella frosted birthday cake Josie and Garrett made for my 21st birthday yesterday!
The stars early this morning were absolutely stunning (from what I recall), and we got to see the Milky Way galaxy shine across the nighttime sky in a beautiful cloudy streak with thousands of tiny stars freckling around it.
Daniel, Sam, Anda, Josh (80 day), Kat, Reese, Lawrence, Zoe, and I spent the first watch rotation telling all of our crazy stories and listening to Josh’s worldly adventures, especially highlighting his experience in West Africa. You truly never know what he will pull out of his pocket, whether it’s a can of pinto beans or a wild story.
Seeing the stars as beautiful as they were felt like being back at home in rural upstate NY, where stargazing is always incredible, and one of my favorite pastimes. It’s quite cool how quickly a new place can feel like a home.
Waking up at 10 am this morning was hands down one of the best birthday gifts, especially because I got a gnarly sunburn and my body was in need of rest. Finding me in the sun for the rest of this trip will be unlikely, hahah.
For lunch, our chefs Jackson (40-day), Captain Mac, and Garrett made a delectable vodka rigatoni/egg noodle (hold the vodka). Following lunch, Team 3 was back on duty until 2 pm, where we rotated who was steering the helm to maintain our course to Indonesia. Being Captain of the boat for a bit is a really unique and indescribable feeling.
To set the scene for your imagination, picture “Return of the Mack” playing off the speaker while the wind from the salty ocean blows in your face as the boat glides effortlessly over each wave with a beautiful light blue sky with the fluffiest cumulus clouds overhead. We are headed 205 degrees SW, and as I write this, our coordinates are N 4 degrees 11 minutes, E 132 degrees 28 minutes.
During our watch, the rest of the crew took their marine biology exams, which they were all so happily looking forward to. Lots of studying has been going on, definitely not eating Tim Tams or sitting under the nearest mini fan in the galley.
On our way out of the Palauian channel the other day, we saw a whale surface and slap its tail on the surface of the sea, but we saw something slightly more exciting: a huge log adrift in the middle of the Pacific. Could’ve sworn I saw Wilson on the log.
As we all gathered for leadership class, Anda, Mac, and Daniel set up the fishing rod in the hopes of catching a “big one.” Hopefully, a nice 100 lb tuna is on the menu soon!
With provisions being all sorted in their delegated bilges, everyone happily ate their fresh apples and planned their well-thought-out “sacrifices” for when we cross the equator for the second time on this 80-day adventure.
During leadership class, we were graciously interrupted by a pod of spinner dolphins. They got their name, according to Ben, because they can do all sorts of awesome tricks, including spinning! They were flying over and through the dark blue waves, checking out Vela and also giving us some entertainment. Everyone sprinted to the bow in a cumbersome manner to watch them swim by. It was a very Jack Dawson moment with the wind blowing at our faces at the bow of the ship.
After we finished admiring the dolphins, we continued our leadership class in the cockpit, where we all sat around and listened to Ben teach us about the “SMEAC” method (Situation, Mission, Equipment, Action, Communication). He also taught us about SOPs/EOPs within companies, and how being a leader is applicable in real-world scenarios. It’s not every day you get to run out of class to go watch dolphins swim by your home on the water. So technically, one could say we are homeschooled?
Then a few of us took afternoon siestas and awoke to the delicious smell of oven-roasted chicken with potatoes and broccoli. Before dinner, Luna and Arden took turns at the helm while the rest of us talked about the likelihood of pirates taking over the ship with 27 people on board.
We ended the day with a lovely round of squeeze, and the question I posed to everyone was, “If you could go back to any time in history, when would you go back to and why?”
That is all for today! Big hugs to my family and friends back at home reading this; you are very much missed on the other side of the world. See you soon!