Location: Underway to Kumai
Most of us awoke this morning at barely civilized hours for night watches and were greeted by an altogether unfamiliar sound aboard our vessel. While we have become accustomed to the low growl of the engine on windless days, to the clang and clatter of harnesses being pulled across the jack lines in the dead of night, and to even the joyful whistle of the wind as it dances through our rigging, one noise that’s been decidedly absent is the pitter-patter of raindrops as they fall upon our deck and hatches. In this part of the world, where the temperatures vary only slightly between seasons, the year is divided in two. In Australia, we learned that they call May to October “the dry” and November to April “the wet.” So here we are, on the cusp of “the wet,” and already the decks are freshly rinsed. The crew has been excited at the change, for with little wind, the scorching of the sun becomes somewhat monotonous as we motor along the south coast of Borneo. But today was welcomed with a steady downfall, slowing to a drizzle by morning, and the day remained overcast for the most part. We enjoyed chicken noodle soup for lunch, then had a pair of classes before ringing in the new season with a bit of southern hemisphere spring cleaning down below. The watches will continue through the night; tomorrow, we will greet the dawn with an arrival at the Kumai River.