Location: Underway to Sumbawa
Greetings and salutations, beloved blog devotees! ‘Tis I, your devoted blogger-in-chief, Nora, writing with a heavy heart on my final day as skipper. It feels as though just yesterday, I was blessed with a double whammy skipper trip on the job wheel on those first two days of the trip, and now we are sadly down to single digits with one another on this boat. Wow, made myself sweat through my tear ducts a wee there. Today was a special day to be skipperI did not get to wake up my pals with the hit single “Linger” by the Cranberries because I woke most of them up before the crack of dawn (approximately 0430 in navigational master terms), so we could enjoy a sunrise hike in Komodo National Park (up a frickin’ mountain, my dear comrade Sydney ventured to add). Lichen, Babs, Ethan, Justin, Marge, and Dray stayed behind as our leadership team for our student-led passage, Emma decided to get a few extra hours of Zzzs onboard, and Tom, Smash, Drew, and Heather helped prep for our big day. The hike was absolutely breathtaking and the perfect way to start the daywe sat and enjoyed the stunning view, took some cheeky photos together, and Romeo and I got to flex our ranger skills in the face of some Real Life Komodo Dragons! We descended from the top of the world to be ferried back to our dear Vela, where a delicious breakfast of overnight oats awaited the troops. Before we ate, our trusty first mate clipboard Margaret ran us through her passage prep checklist (on a clipboard, of course) so we could get ready to get this show on the road! We took a quick brekkie break, ran through watch team roles for emergency scenarios, and finished prepping for passage, getting off the mooring at approximately 0940 hours.
The coolest watch team ever, watch team 3, was lucky to be first in the rotation, hoisting sails under Margaret’s expert direction while Captain Dray manned the helm. I feel now as though it is vital to mention that all of our student leaders were dressed as their staff counterparts, while staff swapped outfits with the youthstruly a sight to behold. As we got underway, watch team 1 take their nav master exams, finishing just in time for a scrumptious lunch of chicken cheese steak stuffed bell peppers, prepped by Justin, Squid, and Lilli. Watch team 2 then go down below for their exam while others of us studied, napped, or vigilantly watched on deck. Watch team 3 finish off the exam circuit strong right in time for dinner, which was deconstructed kebabs. My squeeze question was whether people considered themselves to be more similar to Frog or Toad, the titular characters from the hit children’s book series “Frog and Toad.” Much to my surprise and dismay, many of my compatriots on board had never read or even heard of Frog and Toad, but the answers were amusing nonethelesslots and lots of frogs on board (myself included). Now I’m prepping for a slightly sleep deprived 8-12 watch with my pals on watch team 3. I can’t believe that we have less than ten days on Vela togetherit has been a privilege and honor to serve occasionally as skipper, informing you in the outside world about the happenings on board. It’s also been a joy to get to know all of your loved ones as my crewmates and close friendsthese are connections I would not give up for the world and cannot imagine my life without. Also, to my family back home, if you are texting me at all, please do not think I am ignoring you, I’ve been without service for several days, and I sincerely apologize. With that being said, all of us send our deepest love back home and are excited to reunite with friends and family on land! Tearfully, I must bid you all adieu one last time. XOXO, Gossip Girl (Nora, but you already knew that)