Location: Gibraltor
Land hoe! We have arrived in Gibraltar! But let’s rewind a bit, shall we?
My day started off bright and early at 3:30 am in order to be ready for the 4 am watch. This one has no time to mess around. We had to be super duper vigilant because there were heaps of boats all around us, mostly small fishing vessels that were not on our radar. Therefore, I was the first to wear a bow watch, which was such a calming and reflective time. It allowed me to spend time alone in a space that can be chaotic at times, reflecting on my time here and all the life-changing experiences I had. It was truly great. Once I got relieved from bow watch by Runyon, I came back to the cockpit and kept looking around for some more boats! Joey has an eye for these little floating things that don’t catch my eye very fast if I’m being completely honest. Tom was on deck most of our watch because he had to check for boats as we started going through the Gibraltar straight! CRAZY! Being in the cockpit during watch, it is quite inevitable that you have interesting conversations. Today, we talked about tattoos and all sorts of things that I honestly do not remember, but at one point, after I did something goofy apparently, Dan casually said: “If I could be in someone’s brain for 24 hours, it would be yours, Flo”. This inspired me to do something else, so keep reading!
At the end of the watch, Emma, Zoe, and I went on the bow to have our final “girl watch.” We talked about our infinite love for Vela and our feelings all around. I think we all needed that; it was so heartwarming. After coming back to the cockpit, watch team 1 took over, but most of our members decided to stay up to enjoy the moment. However, something inside me told me I needed to nap because I knew I had a big day ahead! So, after a 1-hour nap, I was right back on my feet! I came up on deck, and there were these huge cargo ships all around us. It was so awesome! To my surprise, Runyon was at the helm, even though we switched watch teams. I think he helmed for 4 hours in total, pretty cool! About an hour after I got on deck, we saw some land, and it was Africa! Then, about 30 minutes later, Tom was looking through his binoculars and said: “land!”. Literally two seconds later, Lucie and Nora, who were on bow watch, yelled land! Although, it was actually Runny who spotted it first ( we had a pretty hefty argument about it in the cockpit at dinner. Tom still thinks it’s him, and the girls still think it’s them; we will let everyone have their moment of glory).
All of a sudden, someone yells dolphins! You see, we have been fortunate enough to see dolphins almost every day during this passage, but this time was special. We were riding through these massive waves as a huge pod of these beautiful creatures approached our bow at what seemed like full speed. Then, the boat hits this MASSIVE wave, and water comes onto the deck. Ironically, we sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, and that was the time we got the biggest waves. It was sick! Right after the massive wave, the crew assembled for lunch, which consisted of some delicious risotto prepared by Charley, John-o, and Emma. After that, we got directly into clean-up, which was certainly not an easy job. The salty buckets were going everywhere, we had bowls flying from side to side, but boy was it fun. As soon as the tasks were done, we quickly got ready for the dock. Charley and I had the chance to ride Tia to the dock to catch the lines. Seeing Vela was something pretty special for me. Yes, I had seen her from afar when we went swimming and diving with the whales, but this time, it was special. We sailed across the fricking Atlantic Ocean with her, and for that, I am forever grateful. She will always be in my heart.
After wiping a few tears from my face, Charley and I caught the ropes, and we docked in this beautiful marina. Then, we got some shore time. I don’t know how others felt going back to land after those massive waves, but I felt a little land-sick. Hopefully, everyone is alright after a few hours of being settled in. Next thing we knew, dinner rolled along. It was some improvised chili, but it ended up being really fantastic. For my final squeeze question, I inspired myself by Dan’s quote this morning: “If you could be in someone’s brain on this boat for 24 hours, who would it be?”. Unfortunately, I forgot to say why (don’t tell Tom), so no one really explained their interesting answers.
Now, my peeps are having some shore time, and I can guarantee that at least five people will be working on their final leadership paper in the salon or on deck until 11:59 pm (it’s due at midnight).
I want to take the chance to truly thank everyone who made this experience possible and all the individuals who made this something simply unforgettable. The 50 days I will have spent all of you without a day have been some of my happiest days. I will be taking home with me a small piece of every single one of you. Zoe, Garrett, Runyon, Charley, Nora, Lucie, Anda, Nate, Will, Joey, Johnathan, Emma, Shelby, Andy, Dan, Michelle, Mac, and Tom, thank you for making this experience the most beautiful thing I have ever done. As we promised, this is the coolest thing we will have done, but not the coolest thing we will ever doso much love.
Love Flo