Location: Underway to Brazil
Hi everyone!! Right now, the sun is setting on the rest of the crew as they clean dishes and wash the deck, and even though this day has followed the same pattern as many others, it has the distinction of being our final full day at sea. We’ve all fallen into the routine of watches, classes, and meals; one day tends to blur into the next. I think that this routine sometimes obscures the big picture, but tomorrow hopefully, we’ll all take a step back and realize – we crossed a freaking ocean!!!
Watch teams 1 and 2 had some excitement this morning with a few more EFR scenarios. Luckily everyone was saved (eventually), and we now have a crew full of emergency first responders. Watch team 2 rounded out the 8-12 watch with lots of polishing (in Elene’s words – “it’s addictive”) to make sure Argo is shiny and sleek (like a seal) when she pulls into Fernando tomorrow. For lunch, Brina and her sous chefs, Elisabeth and Gabe C, made one of my favorite meals: chicken and rice bowls with pineapple salsa and some of Tim’s fry bread. The first time fry bread was served, it was a creative solution to the death of some yeast, but since then, it’s become quite popular. After lunch was marine biology with Ben, followed by leadership with Amanda, where everyone got to finish giving their TED Talks. After classes, there was free time, even more EFR scenarios (watch team 3), and games of chess happening in the salon. The chefs claimed that they didn’t know what they were doing but still managed to make a great shepherd’s pie for dinner. My squeeze question for the night was: what is something that cheers you up when you’re having a bad day? It might be hard to imagine having a bad day on Argo, but there were some top-tier answers – Nat likes to read theoretical astrophysics textbooks so that she feels confused instead of sad, Freddie listens to his favorite songs (Something in the Orange, and good four u by Olivia Rodrigo), MG will buy herself some flowers and baked goods, Elene watches Legally Blonde in a dark room so that she can come out feeling inspired… just to name a few. After the squeeze, we talked about the logistics of arriving and anchoring in Fernando early tomorrow morning. I know everyone is super excited to explore a new place and make some calls home before we set off again 🙂
Mom and Dad – give Sachi a hug for me, and tell Eleanor I say hi in case she’s not reading along – love you guys!!