Location: Atlantic Ocean
Hello, this is Nick again, and this is a day in the life of a Sail Training Vessel Captain
Last night was very quiet, unlike the night before, when we were gybing and sail handling every few hours. I was only woken up once for a weather update. Currently we are headed South, we are going this way to get into the trade winds that blow from East to West. The trades will carry us across much faster than the Horse latitudes, which is why we are spending time going South rather than heading straight towards our destination. The next four days are going to be pretty flat. So I think we will do an ocean swim and some emergency drills tomorrow. Today I did some ship’s finances accounting and parts ordering, and the students had Oceanography and Seamanship class. For lunch, we had grilled bacon sandwiches, and for dinner, a pasta chicken thing. That’s about it. Today’s one of those days where there’s not much happening, just the rumble of the engine and the regular rhythm of watch team changes.
Editor note: As you may have put together from previous blogs, gaining a helmsona is a pretty big deal. What is a helmsona I can hear you asking? Well, when you steer for the full 4 hours of your watch teams, watch you earn your helmsona! Upon completing this achievement, the helmer gets to choose a name, which is their helmsona. Mine is Helmlica Keys. Get it? Well, Ben was put on the helm this morning for the 8-12 watch, and he mentioned he was aiming to go for his helmsona. Things didn’t quite go as planned, but instead something perhaps more spectacular was achieved. Introducing….. the Ben-Sona. Earning your Ben-Sona includes steering for exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes. After which, I decided to get hungry and abandon the helm for some Pringles. The next step is to destroy the can of Pringles, work out (minimum of 20 pushups), and then return to the helm for the last hour of watch. BUT, all this must be done without throwing up ANY of the Pringles. Upon completion, you will receive the title of Ben-Sona. Needless to say, this new challenge has captivated the masses, and everyone is waiting till they can get their hands on a can so they can try it themselves. Anyone else up for a challenge?