Location: Pacific Ocean
Day 2 of our return to Panama City was a challenging one. Shortly after 0800, we tacked the boat to pick up some more wind. Not only did this increase our speed by a few knots (we went over 6 for a large portion of the day), it caused us to heel a substantial amount. I did a boat check that led to an hour of salon cleanup upon stumbling across an open jar of tahini and a bag of uncooked spaghetti on the floor that had slid out of the wall cubbies. After picking up the various jars on the floor, we had to do some reorganizing of the wall cubbies, which resulted in more stuff falling and a bottle of ground black pepper spilling all over the salon benches. After Ted, Alexis, and I got through that, and other chaos got sorted out up on deck, Watch Team 2 finished the deserted island 8-12 watch (we call it that because the sun bakes us, and we feel like it gives off deserted island vibes). Lunch was a Hawaiian-style meal of eggs, rice, sausage, and fruit salad (prepared by Sammy).
After lunch, there was a study hall period so people could prepare for oceanography quizzes. Then, everyone took the quiz and went straight into an exam review. After that, it was free time until dinner (except for those on watch). Dinner was spaghetti and meat sauce, which tasted very “earthy” for reasons not even the chefs know. People have been antsy to get back to Panama City, especially after heeling all day. It makes simple tasks like going to the bathroom, standing, and even laying in bed difficult. The heeling made a lot of people feel seasick, and today was a record high for vomiters. The positive side was that we actually felt like we were moving now. The past couple of days and nights have been very slow-going (at night, we got about 1-3 knots). It’s been a tiring, frustrating time, but we keep reminding ourselves that these will be stories to tell later (and that there will be ice cream in Panama City). It has also been a great opportunity to get better at sail handling, and people have learned more about sailing in the past couple of days than during the entire time leading up to this point. We know we’ll get back eventually and are eager to get the propellor situation resolved so we can get back on track.