Location: Dominica
Today was our last full day anchored off the coast of Dominica. We were blessed with three delicious meals by the combined efforts of Aidan and Meg. This morning we focused on our academics: an intro to the history of marine biology, and our first exam (quiz, but you know) for seamanshipwe all passed!! We are on our way to becoming sailors, and experts on the ocean we crave to know deeply and intimately.
Immediately after lunch, we were kept on our toes, thrown into three drills back-to-back. I wish I could say it was smooth sailing, but I must admit we moved a little slowly. Give us some time, though. This was our first one. However, everyone knew their part when it came to certain watch team duties, so we are leaning fast. Some highlights include us accidentally spraying the fire hose everywhere, trying so hard to put the Gumby suits on, and our moth going overboard. Yes, a moth. We were in the middle of a Man Overboard drill when we found a huge, dead moth on the deck. Someone tossed it into the water, and we more than lowkey spent more energy on the moth overboard than our actual practice man overboard (a big buoy). At the end of the day though, the big buoy lived to get CPR, and unfortunately, the moth parted ways with us and Argo, going to its next destination, wherever that might be.
After we got Argo looking ship-shape again, we were all locked in for passage prep, making sure that we would be ready to set sail the next day. Everyone was eager to get to work, to learn the ropes (literally and figuratively). They all came back to me readily, looking hungrily for a new task to complete. It was really cool seeing how motivated everyone was to take action, and to collaborate, to all willingly be cogs in this machinery of something much bigger than we are. I wish I could say I did much to help, but all I did was hold a pen anda clipboard and tell people what still needed to be done.
In fact, we were so locked in for passage prep that we had everything finished before 3:30 pm. What to do with our time now? Well, I, for one, changed into my swimsuit immediately (the one day I didnt automatically put it on in the morning!) and jumped into the water. I wasnt the only one with this idea. We must have had at least half the crew in the water at one time, swimming, watching each other backflip into the water, ocean showering, laughing. Together in the water, we were connected, together in this environment that we all originated from long ago.
Unfortunately, the water fun came to an end when there were signs of jellyfish being in our midst. All of us knew like rats on a sinking ship that it was time to leave. However, one guy in particular (Junior SkylEr) did not get the memo. Of course, we alerted him about the jellyfish, and he made his way to safety immediately. But halfway up, he changed his tune and decided to stop believing in jellyfish. He declared that he would stay in the water until he got stung, or until dinner, whichever happened first. He proceeded to claim that jellyfish arent real. Lo and behold, dinner rolled around, and he got out of the water, not unstung. So, turns out I was right (as I always am), and jellyfish do, in fact, exist.
Together we had an amazing dinner (I miss the cornbread already) and got to watch the sun set majestically from the deck. I wanted to capture the moment, but I didnt even try to get my phone. I knew that the camera couldnt ever do the beauty of the sunset any justice. So I will memorialize the sunset here. The sun was just above the horizon, a warm golden glow. The water was a rich, deep blue reflecting the golden rays of the sun, the ripples glistening in a beautiful harmony of blue and gold like lapis lazuli. The sky near the sun was red, a nice pastel red, then a soft orange and yellow up above. The clouds about halfway up the sky provided a seamless transition into a breathtaking blue and purple that I could only wish I could replicate in paint, a beautiful, ephemeral hue just out of my grasp. Although I will mourn this beautiful dance of colors since the moment it ended, I will smile knowing that it lives in my memories, and it lives in the memories of our crew as well, because we all stopped for a moment and marveled at the sunset together side by side.
We had a lot of laughter at dinner. We all felt so connected, and the group hug really reinforced that feeling. The bond was palpable, just as tangible as the breeze, the sky, the sea.
Also, as Skyler figured out, jellyfish are, in fact, real.
Rachel showed us around the galley. Were all still learning. The most important thing, though, is that we are learning together.
PS: Just heard a huge shriek of victory from the salon as Jonas and Will successfully pulled out a fidd from Nicks failed splice. They are very happy with their King Arthurian challenge that no one actually expected to be completed. Turns out Excalibur really does come in all forms.
Some stars are beginning to shine through. Right overhead is Jupiter. The atmosphere is light and happy.
A wonderful, full, complete day with our 31-person crew, on our wonderful ship Argo.