Location: 20*39.6'N 044*53.8'W
Hi again!
Today I was woken up at 7:30 am to Jack enthusiastically yelling, “There are 50 dolphins off the bow!” in the foccile. We grabbed our PFDs and sprinted on deck to the newly risen sun lighting up the day. Off the starboard side of the bow was a pod of dolphins playing in the waves. Definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Apparently, they had been there 30 minutes prior, and watch team one watched them jump out of the waves right as the sun was rising. The dolphins were incredible, and it was a perfect way to start the morning.
The people who were awake before 12, including watch team two who were on deck, spent their morning either cooking or studying for the oceanography midterm. This test was cumulative of everything we have learned thus far, so it was a lot of information. For lunch, we had fried rice made by Bubba, Emma, and Akiva. The pineapple was a great touch. After lunch, we had a leadership class led by Arden and Helayna. They presented the last chapter of the book, and we had a group discussion on what this trip has taught us and the insights we are going to take back home.
After leadership, we had the long-awaited midterm exam. Ahh! The general consensus was positive, and most believed it went pretty well. It was nice to get that test behind us and enjoy the day without stress. After the test, we watched a documentary about overfishing and how it can be harmful. It saddened me to learn how much by-catch is created just to be thrown back over. Announcement: Make sure you’re getting fish from sustainable sources! Please and thank you.
After an hour of downtime, the sunset was over the clouds, and it was time for dinner. We watched the full moon reflect over the water as we had some delicious shepherd’s pie. We all enjoyed some much-needed beef. We had a squeeze question of “What is the main bucket list item you have?’ And we got some interesting answers such as skiing around the world, riding a hot air balloon, or trekking the historic silk road.
All in all, it was a great 11th day of passage. We might be going a little stir crazy, but still having a great time. Scared for the day, we run out of ramen.
Bye guys! Talk to you all soon. Miss, you family!
Dani
Photo 1: Emerson and Sam working on their Oceanography experiment
Photo 2: The beautiful Grace, Liz, Arden, Savanna, and Clara
Photo 3: Joe and James hanging on in the galley