Location: Underway to Richard's Bay
Today, Watch Team 3 helmed into the morning sunrise on the 4-8 watch. Walking on deck, you would have spotted me and Marg doing our stretches on the stern. So far into the passage, as a crew, we have all gone through about 100 packets of ramen. It has started to get really chilly, icy breeze, and the air is crisp with Christmas. Everyone has gotten out their full fouly fits, layered with hoodies and sweats, and we’ve started passing around blankets at night. The morning was slow. The salon was packed with busy bees, all studying up for the Marine Bio Test we had this afternoon. We learned about the polar seas’ differences in primary production in the Arctic vs. the Antarctic. We memorized lots of cool marine species and organized food webs down to phytoplanktons. For lunch, we had a delicious pizza, chefed by Lina, Jackson, and Daniel. After Marine Bio, Watch Team 3 ran up to raise some sails between classes. Wes, Marg, Jackson, Sienna, Daniel, and I ran around the deck all big guns style, hoisting up ropes and easing lines. My favorite is the flying jib we put upright on the bow. I got to stand on the nets while sailing which is usually prohibited and also quite nervy. I had a full Titanic moment up there. After coiling everything up, we scurried down to Oceanography class, where we researched the fishing industry and Marine Pollutants. Classes ran late today and dinner was just nearly after. This is when it all began. We arrived at Schnitzeland. All of a sudden, they were all German. Greeting each other by ha and ya, we all ate Snitzel in the cockpit. The vibes were so jolly. Everyone seems to be quite giddy lately and fitting into their new watch teams. We’re soaking it all up as we near the last Month here at Sea.