Location: Underway to Azores
Our 15th day started off with a 12 am to 4 am watch for Watch Team Three filled with over a dozen shooting stars, some DMCs (“Deep Meaningful Conversations,” as Matt would call them), and our routine jam sessions with songs provided by yours truly. A specific highlight of the night was when Watch Team One relieved us early for THE FIRST TIME EVER – go, Dan! However, a couple of us were caught red-handed by Griffin around 4:14 am gossiping in the galley with spoonfuls of Nutella in our mouths…
After a restful 6 hours of sleep, Daisy and Matt started cooking chili and rice for the whole crew. Lunch was interrupted with another couple of visits from a pod of dolphins and a couple of people standing up so fast that rice and beans were spewed across the cockpit. Today is Saturday, and as we have been reminded every day since Tuesday… “Saturday is our crew competency exam – BE prepared!” Thankfully (and surprisingly), everyone passed the exam with flying colors!
This afternoon was exceptionally special – Watch Team One took the helm from 2-6 pm, yet almost everyone was on deck hanging out with each other or taking in the beauty that surrounds us. While a couple of us were in the cockpit listening to James Taylor, Norah Jones, and Sheryl Crow, many were on deck playing cards or reading books. A rigorous game of 20 questions was played between Matt and myself, which was joined by Catherine and Oliver. For dinner, we had BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes, which reminded quite a few of us at home! It was incredibly delicious, and looking around the cockpit, you could see everyone’s hands covered in BBQ sauce, and each person raced to finish in order to be the first in line to get seconds. My question for everyone tonight was who each person would bring with them if they were stranded on a desert island… the responses were interesting, to say the least.
As the sunset tonight, I looked around, taking in my surroundings, and I truly felt the enormity of what we as a crew have accomplished together so far. Tonight will mark 2000 miles that we have traveled together, and while two weeks may not seem like a long time to us, it has seemed like we have known each other forever. Living and interacting with the same 28 people 24/7 on a 100 ft boat in the middle of an ocean sure has a way of bringing people closer together. For those of you reading this blog post, I assure you that we are a happy and healthy crew – every day is full of hysterical laughter, seriously. – Devon
P.S. Dad – I know you know what I’m referring to… our last conversation – you were right, hahaha.