Location: Taha'a, Society Islands
Last night was our first overnight passage. We were split up into three watch teams of four students and two staff members, each assigned to a four-hour shift between 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM. Although our shifts were in the middle of the night, you would never guess so from the lively conversations, riddle-telling, hard work, and positive attitudes of the students and staff. Many of us are still trying to figure out one of Steph’s riddles. Maybe some of you at home can give it a shot. “Two penguins are rowing across a parking lot. One penguin says to the other, ‘where’s the oar’ (spellings may vary to fit the riddle), and the other penguin responds, ‘Sure does.'” Any ideas? This one has most of us stumped.
When we arrived in Taha’a around noon today, everyone was amazed by the jungle-like appearance of the island, saying how it seemed fitting for Tarzan and a group of monkeys to come swinging through the trees. We arrived a little later than expected, postponing our trip to the pearl farm for a couple of days, but this gave us time to prepare the boat for anchoring, conduct a little boat maintenance like putting on sail covers and doing a soapy deck wash, and indulge in some lengthy sea showers and naps after a long night of sailing. We got to go swimming, wash some laundry on deck, and enjoy each other’s company now that everyone’s stomachs had settled and we had gotten a little rest. A few students even helped sweat Tim up the rig.
Our squeeze question tonight was, “What do you miss most from home?” Now that we have been on Argo for a little over a week, despite getting settled and making great new friends, some of us are missing some amenities and people from home. Some people said they missed spending time with their family or friends, others missed their showers, and one person even said she missed watching Dr. Phil in the afternoons. Even though we miss things from home, we are all having a great time here on Argo, and we learn so many new things every day.
Tomorrow we start the day early with the first two dives of our advanced open water certifications. It will be the first time we will get to dive as a large group, and everyone is looking forward to it.
Pictured: sous chef Ruby protecting her eyes while cutting onions for dinner; strong man Garrison helping get dive tanks out for diving tomorrow; Shelby, Frank, Sam, and others getting things clean and tidy on deck; Evan, Cat, and Kari staying hydrated; Evan, Maddie, Kari, Garrison, and Cat hanging out on deck; Evan, Cat, and Lucy sharing a bonding moment