Location: Underway to Sorong
Today was our first day completely on the water and under sail…to say it was exciting would be a major understatement. With nothing except water for miles around us, everyone was pretty excited to be really making way on Argo. Watch team one ran watch last night from 20:00 to 00:00, and it was a great time. Rotating between bow watch, helming, and boat checks kept us awake, even in the late hours of the night. Preston’s great energy and even greater tunes were pretty helpful as well. After watch team one was done, watch team 2 took the helm from midnight to 04:00. After watch team two came watch team three from 04:00 to 08:00, who experienced quite an amazing sunrise. The watch teams continued to do their jobs throughout the day, rotating at the required times. The water was pretty calm, to say the least. Mostly sun with a few beautiful cirrus clouds really made for the perfect first full day on the water. Not much rolling or waves (yet!). If not on watch in the morning, there are plenty of other options to do. Many people hung out on the deck, played games in the salon, took naps in preparation for their next late watch, or did homework.
At noon, everyone came together for a fantastic lunch. Buddha bowls were exactly what we needed in order to keep our energy going. Lunchtime was also the first time some people had seen each other that day, and it was great to catch up on what other watch teams had been up to. After lunch came cleanup, which was then followed by classes. Today’s classes were marine biology and seamanship. Today in Marine Bio, seaweed and marine flowering plants was a hot conversation topic. Seamanship was a lesson on Pacific Islander navigation. Everyone also went over their VHF exams. Once those two classes finished, the first underway deck showers occurred. With a saltwater hose and a freshwater hose set up, people were clean in an instant and feeling great.
After showers came a bit of free time to study or hang out until dinner was ready, dinner consisted of tofu, rice, vegetables, and amazing dinner rolls made here on Argo. It was a fantastic way to end the day, and it was so great to have everyone sitting together in the cockpit and spending time with each other before watch rotations would really set in for the night. After a quick cleanup, watch team two is ready to take the helm at 20:00. Right now, at 19:20, we are currently 60 miles away from the closest landmass. How insane is that! Tomorrow is another full day on the water, and I can’t wait for it to start 🙂
Current position:
04* 24 ‘ N
133* 24 ‘ E
Pictured:
1. Carolyn watching the sunset while Justin is at the helm, lighting up the entire boat with that smile
2. Grace and Emma getting some fresh air at midships
3. Chloe enjoying her delicious dinner, so much so that she couldn’t smile with her mouth open