Location: Darwin, Australia
After four weeks away from civilization, we have reached Darwin just in time for our first Argo birthday celebration. Today began with watch team 2 (the best watch team!) mustering and singing Happy Birthday to one of our team leaders, Jack, right as the clock hit noon. Shenanigans began in the wee hours of the morning with a celebratory “decorating” (toilet papering) of Jack’s bunk by a few of our jokesters. The rest of us woke up to the skyline of Darwin in the distance and Sam hard at work in the galley. Darwin was strict on their quarantine rules for fresh produce, so we had to eat anything and everything that was perishable. In other words, we ate well but had pretty random meals. As we rolled into the docks, all 30 of us lined the port side of Argo with fenders in hand, and our birthday boy lept onto the ladder up to the dock. The tides are very extreme (10-20 feet) here, so getting on and off the boat is quite the task. But most of us risked the jump to the ladder in hopes of finding two things: coffee and the internet, both of which Darwin gladly provided us. After weeks of talk of the things we wanted to do or buy once we finally got back to civilization, our visions of this mysterious town were fulfilled. Back at the boat, we gathered for dinner, laughs, and apple crumbles for Jack. Then the laughs continued in Basic Seamanship class when Sam made our smallest, Isabella, and our tallest, Alec, race to put on “Gumby suits” (immersion suits). Everyone placed their bets, and then the race began. Alec took the prize for bragging rights, but fun was had by all. As each day passes aboard S/Y Argo, I just can’t believe how lucky we all are to share this wonderful experience with one another. PS Day 28+ My number being #28 aboard Argo = my Golden Skipper day.