Location: Underway to the Caribbean
It is hard to imagine what it feels like to cross an ocean with 27 other people, and it is even harder to describe it. When your loved one gets home, the hardest question you can ask will be, “So, how was it?” They may pause and give you a (frustrating, I’m sure) one-word answer, such as “Good” or “Cool!” or they may jump right in and describe some very weird niche joke, phrase, or adventure that they had. Either way, it can never scratch the surface as to all that goes on here on the open ocean, and you will likely have more questions and confusion than before you asked. That is because what we do out here isn’t easy, but that’s the fun part. This group of students are hardworking individuals and a powerhouse of a team. They love it when things get tough. They are passionate, hilarious, supportive, and, overall, dedicated to the good vibes. In short, they are an exceptional group to cross the ocean with. Each and every one of them has a sense of adventure and wonder for the ocean that is only matched with each other.
That sense of adventure and good vibes was on full display today as it was not just any normal passage day. With the Horse latitudes, we have had little wind to sail on, which means a few things: the engine howling 24/7, you can listen to music louder in the cockpit without fear of waking anyone up, it’s harder to hear people at a squeeze, and, in just the right conditions, OCEAN SWIM! This morning, Calum quietly asked our head chef, Del, to have lunch ready at 11:30 am instead of 12 pm. She, being a well organized head chef, had no trouble with the shorter time frame. After lunch was done, Calum revealed the reason for the early lunch; he deemed the conditions just right to turn off the engine, heave to, and jump in! So, after the speedest of clean-ups, the sails were set to stop the boat, and we throttled back; the swim ladder emerged from its resting place for passage, and PFDs were hung up down below. Once ready, the call rang out, “Pool’s open.” Everyone took turns jumping off the caprail or bowsprit, some doing flips or dives, others just excited to get in the water as simply and quickly as possible. Shower stuff was brought up, and Caroline got to do her favorite activity- ocean showers! Everyone had a blast jumping in the big blue and using masks to look down at the over 5000m of water below. After about 30 minutes of swimming, jumping, showering, and sunbathing, the pool closed.
With the ladder back up on deck and PFDs secured, students rolled into marine biology, followed by leadership, where we started ‘White Squall’- a Sea|mester classic. We finished the day with another delicious dinner, and the squeeze question was, “What would be the three key characteristics of your Hogwarts house?” For example, mine are friendship, kindness, and Mandms. Overall, a great day out here on the ocean.
Shout out to my family and Scottie. Love you all so much! Thank you for always supporting me across these many ocean crossings <3