Location: Richard's Bay, South Africa
For the first time since Mauritius, we got a full nights rest, unbothered by late night watches or the rocking as we traversed large waves. However, for most of us, there was an air of stress as we stared down the NavMaster exam. At the beginning of the semester, we were told that around 50% of students passed, and despite our odds being higher due to the small class size, it was still intimidating. Before we could get to that, though, we had a delicious breakfast of overnight oats (there are some haters, but I am not one). During breakfast, we discovered that monkeys had visited at some point in the night and left us the gift of a poo on deck. Philip and Drazka took one for the team and removed it.
With breakfast and cleanup done, it was time to take the exam. We were divided into two test groups, with the group not currently taking it being afforded some shore time. The first test group consisted of Philip, Drazka, Kiley, Ava, Hannah, and Amanda. The second was myself, Bodhi, Charlie, Juliette, Ainsley, and Ali. While most of us used our shore time to get ice cream and stretch our legs, Hannah and Ava instead crashed into a hotel, chilling by the pool and eating desserts.
The NavMaster results will not be available for a few days, and that uncertainty is weighing harder on some than others. However, for the most part, everyone is feeling at least somewhat decent regarding the exam.
After wrapping up the exam, we completed some boat appreciation-related tasks. Those tasks included bilge cleaning and final cleaning of the SCUBA gear. Not long ago, we decided as a crew to use some of our free time to front-load end-of-program jobs, so we have more free time in Cape Town. Hopefully, this sacrifice will pay off.
On a much lighter and more exciting note, today, we are celebrating Hannahs birthday! We went out for dessert and drinks at a local hotspot called Dros after dinner. We sang the birthday song for the 5th time (maybe more), this time with the help of the locals. Eventually, we sauntered back to Argo for a karaoke party. We all sang (or screamed) our hearts out until the drowsiness from a long day set in.
Best,
Travis P., Skipper