Location: Literally nowhere... i mean so much ocean
Today we had watch… and yesterday… and the day before that… and the day before that. Actually… the past ten days!!! Now, let’s cover what a watch is and the importance of a watch! Watch is a shortened and slang form of Night Watch! clever! We have two groups of 4 and 1 group of 5. We have 4-hour shifts where we helm (sailing word I already knew). We are burdened with the responsibility of not crashing a multi-million dollar boat. Buncha 20 somethings acting like Somali pirates!!!! My team… I kinda run things around here. I’m 20th in command… we have 20 people total. We had the 4 am-8 am shift. Watching the sunrise was indescribably beautiful! It was almost like when I saw it yesterday… and the day before… and the day before…Charley has the photos if you want them. On a serious note, every sunset and sunrise are different. Yesterday, the sunset had every color (color with a U!) of the rainbow. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Every night, we eat dinner on the back of the boat in the cockpit. We all laugh and tell stories about our personal experiences from the day. It’s always crazy to me how no matter where someone is on the boat, someone is a maximum of 10 feet away, but somehow, we all have our own rendition of the day and our perspectives. We exchange stories as the sky turns from blue to shades of orange and light blues, and every now and then, a green will sneak in. On board Vela, we have a job wheel. This job wheel has things like a dryer (dish dryer), saltie (dishwasher), and Head Chef (you got that one). One of these jobs is BREADMAKER!! Today, our wonderful bread maker was Anda. The past few times the breadmaker has made dinner rolls, we’ve noticed a certain unwelcome density factor that has made its way into the bread. Our beautiful provisionist and leadership teacher, Emma, decided to take a little look-see. We were using dead yeast (GASP). There’s nothing wrong with it. It just doesn’t rise and makes a very dense block of bread. It kinda has every characteristic of a brick besides the color and taste. Still tasty. We made hotdogs for July 4th!! America’s birthday! And my skipper day! Choose which you observe. The bread was quite dense and created a type of canoe for the dog. Even with this, we didn’t let it stop the good times. All laughing and making jokes about the canoe. Thanks for trying, Anda. love ya, buddy. Night Watch is long, but it is one of the things I cherish most when I look back on this trip, whether it be the day after, the week after, or (dare I say) 50 years!! Contrary to popular belief, there is no light pollution in the middle of the ocean. You can look up at the sky and see every star ever. I feel so blessed and fortunate that I can sit with my best friends under the stars and even the Milky Way. Yes, you can see the Milky Way while listening to your favorite song and talking to your favorite people. Night Watch is when your friends become lifelong friends. There’s a certain charm about sitting with four people you met two weeks ago that makes you want to tell them about every one of your trials and tribulations. We listen to John Mayer’s “Greatest Hits” and talk about everything from “that one time you were bullied in the 3rd grade” to “what makes you, you.” As an observer, I get to see a new friendship form every day. We have to slow down! We have too many friendships and not enough people. I say to myself, “There’s no way I can learn more about this person and get closer to them.” The next day passes, and I’m proven wrong again. This is a pretty common cycle for me with every person on this boat. I mean everyone. If you’re wondering, “I wonder if he’s talking about my ______.” Yes.. yes, I am. We’re best friends, and all visit each other during the year. Sooooo get ready for that. I’m sure I have more to say and forget to add something, but it’s about 10 pm, and I have to watch from 12 until 4 am. Just know we’re all having fun; this is the coolest thing we’ve ever done. Thank you?! Nate Segall (Skipper): Hi, Mom, Dad, Jack, and Noah. I hope you’re all good and healthy. Miss you guys a lot and can’t wait until I have service so I can call you and see ya faces. Is Riley still toothless, or did they invent dog dentures in my last two weeks at sea? If they have been invented, let them know that I have the trademark. If they threaten to sue… settle. PS. from Arabella, Hello Mom and Dad, miss you so much! Please wish Uncle David a happy birthday for me, and also Simone and Carolina on the 11th and 12th! Love you all. PPS. Runyon – “Hello, Mom and Dad! Happy 4th. Hope y’all are well in AB/Michigan. Love you!” PPPS. Nate- Hi Family, I’m back! I just wanted to let you know that not a second goes by when I regret my decision to sign up for this. I’m having so much fun and making memories and friends that will be with me forever. Also, Hi, Grandma and Grandpa. Love you guys. PPPPS. Nate, again, if no one wrote you a little blurb, just know that I love you.