Location: Underway to the Galapagos
My morning started at 3:30 am, when I was awoken for my watch of 4-8. Much to my delight, some stars were visible, and the half moon was shining bright. We got to watch the sun rise, too. Depending on who you ask, both Charlie and Ruby won the Forb (first full orb) guess. Regardless, it was beautiful. Overall, the watch was a vibe. I got to helm for about an hour and a half. I really do like the feeling of me at the helm, guiding us through the dawn. I do enjoy our current watch team and our antics. Something is just right about our combination of people, and something just clicks.
Shout out to Avery, who started his marathon at 4 am. Mad respect to the guy who dedicated 8+ hours to walking 26 miles on our 112-foot ship. You deserve some sort of reward, Avery. Drink some water.
Honorary mention to our ephemeral watch team, three members, Gator, who Shane stole from us, who ended up in Will’s bed in the salon somehow.
Just before 8 am, I pass over the wheel to Mars of Watch Team 1, and we get to turn in for the night (morning), and the cycle continues, and it goes on, and on, and on, and on.
Will was responsible for the delicious food today, and Gavi was responsible for our lack of vegetables (sorry for throwing you under the bus, Gavi). Since Skipper doesn’t do much after meals, I took my self-appointed position of leftovers eater very seriously.
Today’s classes were marine biology and seamanship. We had our second marine bio exam, and considering how hard everyone was studying in the 18 hours before the test, I believe we were pretty locked in. I felt pretty locked in. The extra credit instruction was to draw your favorite cephalopod on the back of the exam. I drew a nautilus, obviously.
Pretty brutal to have a navmaster class after an exam. And yet, like the nigh non-existent air conditioning, we persevered. I find all the Navmaster stuff very interesting. I love working with the charts (when I know what I’m looking for, that is), and I love the calculations we make. I like to think we are all on our way to becoming master navigators. (Jonas and I definitely are. We were so locked in today.)
I have a lot to be appreciative of during our 2-6 watch that lowkey became a 4-6 dog watch. For one, watch team 3 was a vibe yet againa very snacky vibe. AND Nacho cut open coconuts! I will never tire of eating a fresh coconut. I miss our coconuts already.
Shoutout to SkylEr for micronapping at the helm, I believe the range of emotions experienced from the surrounding folk was amusement to exasperation to a hint of terror (I do not regret throwing SkylEr under the bus).
Birds. So many birds. We haven’t had the best track record with birds the last couple of days, but they were at least cool to look at.
Now for the main event: whales off the port bow! First, we thought they were dolphins, then we thought they were too big to be dolphins, so people theorized they were whales. Some theorized they were orcas. Of course, we got staff Meg immediately. She was about to take a nap, but at the mere mention of the potential of seeing whales, she shot up like a speeding rocket. Whales were decidedly more exciting than her potential nap.
We were right about them being whales, but wrong about what kind. Turns out they were pilot whales. For perhaps twenty minutes, they graced us with their presence, ranging from fairly far to fairly close. We all cheered when they breached. It was very special, all of us lined up at the lifelines, watching these whales together. We don’t always think about it, but whales still have hand bones in their fins. We are more alike than we think.
For descriptions of the sunset at this time, see the sunset update section below.
My squeeze question tonight was: “If David Attenborough invited you to feature on one of his nature documentaries, what is your area of expertise that caused David Attenborough to reach out and feature you?” My answer was the Greenland shark and marine iguanas. Hopefully, someday Sir David Attenborough will let me feature on his show. I can only hope.
I encourage our readers at home (or hundreds of miles away from home for all I know) to ponder this question, and see what you yourselves come up with.
Today is Day 43, March 10, a random day on passage. Let me briefly talk about why the day before and the day after are significant, and why I will lament not being skipper of the day for them.
Yesterday was Day 42. What is significant about 42? Well, according to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a book that Gavi sadly has not read, 42 is the meaning of life.
Tomorrow is not just any random day of passage. I can’t quite write about what will go down, but if you track us, I bet you could figure it out. I’m already jealous of Jonas.
And yet, amongst this complaining, I am happy that I am writing the blog for March 10th. Why, you may ask? WELL. Season two of One Piece (live action) dropped today, and even though I unfortunately could not binge it all today, because of both time constraints and service constraints (no service is fun until I can’t stream my funny little pirate show), I can still feel the One Piece spirit as we continue to sail.
But here is the REAL kicker. Our wonderful captain, Nick, just so happened to be the captain of Ocean Star when Iaki Godoy was a student of Sea|mester. My captain. Knew Iaki Godoy. Personally, and. They were on Ocean Star. Before we moved to our beloved Argo, WE WERE STATIONED ON OCEAN STAR. I WAS TEMPORARILY ON THE SAME SHIP IAKI GODOY SAILED ON. Excuse my capitalization, I just got really excited talking about this funny little pirate show that has consumed me. Can’t believe that a) Nick has not watched One Piece (live action) even though his former student is the main character, and b) that Nick is not using his captain’s privileges of being the only one on this ship with access to Starlink to stream/watch/download One Piece (live action) season 2. Sigh. Well, I will be able to watch it once we reach the Galpagos, so it doesn’t matter too much in the end. He should still watch it, though.
For every One Piece fan reading at home: please don’t abstain from watching season two on my behalf. I implore all you lucky people with the luxury of watching One Piece (live action) season 2 to watch it as soon as possibleespecially my One Piece bestie back home. Don’t feel guilty. Please watch this season as soon as possible, do it for me. As the Zoro to your Luffy, worry not, I will return to you someday. I promise not to get too lost. Love you unconditionally <3
Now time for the sunset log that I’m sure everyone has been excited to read.
As I begin to write this blog, the sun has begun its descent beyond the horizon, and the sky is transitioning from wonderful blue to branching out in brilliant pinks and calm purples, highlighted by the clouds. I see the chiaroscuro in the sky, and I understand why so many Renaissance folk dedicated their art to it. I will never tire of seeing the sunset.
Over the course of writing this blog, the sky has turned orange, and purple rules the sky. I understand why the ancient Romans called purple a royal color. I was raised without a religion, but I see reason in worshipping those gorgeous purple hues. The thing is, these huesI think it is impossible to replicate them perfectly. I think it would drive one mad to try to replicate that shade. But maybe that’s not what achievement is all about, and maybe the real justice is just taking a moment to appreciate the things that we mere mortals cannot recreate, that our technology can’t recreate. to stop worrying about ourselves for a moment and look UP and WONDER and DREAM.
Update: Holi cannoli. I was peacefully writing here, getting lost in the sauce (the colors of the sky (I love the colors of the sky)) when staff Meg yelled down into the charthouse, “Skylar!! Come see the insane sunset!!” I could see the sunset through the porthole, but I knew that any barrier between me and the sky would never show me the sky’s true colors. Haphazardly putting on my PFD, I rush up the stairs, and my jaw drops as I see the colors in full volume. Where the sun once was, there is now a dark hue of orange spreading across the lower sky, golden at its core. Dark purple clouds complement the golden orange, with tints of pink as their shading. The last bits of blue sky are now only high up. I wanted to cheer, to cry, to sing. I wanted to dance. I wanted to give the sunset praises; however, I couldn’t. Tragically, instead of doing any of those things, I had to come back downstairs to write the blog. I hope the sunset could hear the odes and feel the dances that were in my heart. And maybe next time, I will release my inhibitions and not stay silent.
As I wrap up this blog, it is completely dark out. I can’t quite tell from the charthouse if the moon or the stars or the clouds are out, but I know that no matter what, all of them will be above me, overseeing me as I continue this journey.
Thank you to everyone who made it this far.
Best Fishes (there are many benefits to being a marine biologist),
~Skylar W. (forever the better Skylar)