Location: The Great Banks of Newfoundland
I was awoken to the sound of our engine’s RPMs plummeting down to idle forward. I jolted out of bed as my mind raced through all the possibilities of what this could be. Had we come too close to a fishing buoy and wrapped the prop? Had we come too close to another vessel? Had we made our way into unexpected shallows?
My mind was eased as I poked my head up on deck to see Henry wrestling with a fishing rod, screaming, “Oh no! This fish is tugging on me!” in his British accent. I chuckled as I watched Henry and the rest of Watch Team One haul in our second decent tuna in two days. If you asked Stella and Lorelai, they would tell you they caught, filleted, and cooked the tuna all on their ownand blindfolded, nonetheless!
I climbed back into bed despite the fact that the sun had risen so high it seemed like mid-morning. It was still only around 0600. This cycle repeated two more times for two more fish before I was up for good. We must be getting close to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the Flemish Cap, where the fishing is legendary!
Lunch consisted of fantastic fresh tuna tacos prepared by Emma. It was a bittersweet final official Head Chef Day after a 2 and 1/2 year run.
The afternoon was packed full of more classes and knot practice. Bryce has turned out to be Vela’s number one bird expert, and it’s been tough to get his nose out of the ship’s bird identification guide. Whales and dolphins are turning into old hat as they make frequent appearances next to the boat in these waters. Today, though, we saw a new species: false killer whales!
Dinner was delicious as we ate Jennifer Aniston’s salad for one final time and then moved right into Squeeze. For the first time ever, there was a majority vote on my cheetah or hippo question.
Both animals are trying to kill you. Would you rather run from a 150-pound cheetah but you get a 150cc dirt bike; or would you rather run from a hippo in a lightly wooded glen?
I was pleased to see most people thinking logically and picking the hippo.
That was all for today. Until next time!
Mac
To my family, the LaBarges, it was so good to see everyone in Boston. I was feeling the love!
To Sam, you’ve been so missed on this passage. I can’t wait to tell you all about it <3