Location: Underway to Bermuda
Calum woke up this morning. So did I. So did the rest of the boat. And somewhere in South Africa, Keane was awake as well.
The day started out with a lovely breakfast, thanks to our head chef Mackenzie. We then had a bit of time to prepare ourselves for passage while Tom went to customs. This time was filled with using the shore heads one last time, phoning friends and family, and enjoying our last moments on the dock in Bonaire. Soon after Tom got back to the boat, we were off the dock and enthusiastic about what our long passage may hold. After another delicious meal of jambalaya for lunch, we excitedly got the sails up, and we were on our way! Unfortunately, our excitement may have died down a little as we realized what going from being still on a dock in Bonaire to rocking on a boat in choppy waters does to you…
Following lunch, we all went down to the salon to begin the Marine Bio class with Adelaide. Class began with 19 students, but just a few slides into Adelaide’s PowerPoint, The Great Yak Attack of 2021 ensued. One by one, we started dropping like flies, grabbing our PFD’s and hurrying up the companionway to get some fresh air and, unfortunately for many of us, to feed the fishes some of the jambalayas we had earlier. As Adelaide concluded her lecture, 7 students remained in the salon, myself included, who all quickly headed up on deck as well. After I emerged from the companionway and traversed through the bodies sprawled across the deck, I made my way to the cockpit to find Smash as the helm, dancing to her music with only one upright watch team member, Valentina the real MVP.
Let me take a brief moment here to give a shoutout to Val and Leoni. While everyone was not feeling well, Val and Leoni were getting people water, jackets, Ritz crackers, and whatever else they needed. They also did boat checks, and Val even braved going into the salon to help clean up someone else’s lost lunch…talk about a tough stomach! They’re both so strong and amazing women (maybe it’s because they’re German?), and we wouldn’t have made it through the day without them!
As the Great Yak Attack of 2021 continued well into the night, Leoni made us all a nice dinner of rice, beans, Ritz crackers, and bread. Jordan, who viciously lost his lunch just a few hours earlier, greatly enjoyed the bread at dinner…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile so big. An executive decision was made to skip squeeze after dinner, and the night was filled with watches and seasickness. At least this time, when you leaned over the edge on the low side to lose yet another meal, you saw bioluminescence! I went to bed tonight feeling okay and thinking I was safe from the seasickness, but little did I know that I would also end up on the low side in just a few hours…but that’s a story for another day.
Thankfully, people are starting to recover, and we’re looking forward to a fun passage! Seasickness is real, but we are all staying positive and making some great memories!
To Katie’s dad: Katie wants you to know that she actually got seasick…and trust me, she was definitely seasick.
To Skye: I’m adopting Sonnet as my twin sister now.
To Keane: I hope you had a better day than most of us here on Vela…but we all still know that being at sea is better than being on land.
I miss you, Mom, Dad, and Sam! Can’t wait to share all these stories with you when I get home. Love you lots!
-Maddie
Photo 1: Seasickness is real
Photo 2: Greg fearlessly leading a sail raise
Photo 3: Max, Dre, Sonnet, and Smash excited to get underway