Location: 11 39.29'S 129 37.92'E
I’m surprised how much we did today on only 112 feet of the boat.
Today started out with a nice breakfast of bagels. We then gathered in the cockpit, which has become a surprisingly popular and frequently visited site on Argo. We began our day with breakfast, followed by some more underway duties, which included raising the first sail of the trip, the main staysail. Following that, we began to break into our watch groups and get more familiarized with every day and night checklist of the on-watch team.
Sooner than expected, lunch rolled around, and we had a vegan, gluten-free, and really good (never thought those three adjectives would go in the same sentence) stew. We then all went down the steep ladder to the salon and got prepared for our first official Oceanography class. We started with a brief history of explorers and the basic terminology of the layers of the world. Almost immediately after the class ended, our obnoxious and loud fire alarm went off and rang throughout the boat (just a drill). We quickly scattered to the cockpit with our big orange lifejackets and waited for instruction. Soon after everyone reached the pit, we were separated and sent on different routes to get ready for “evacuation.” While this drill was sudden and unexpected, it helped everyone prepare for a realistic situation and was helpful in the long run.
Following that, we resumed our places, either taking watch or beginning classwork and relaxing. Showers were not far behind, and the cold water is always a wonderful refreshment. Showers ended, and more free time began, but then Nick spotted something on the horizon. Blowing it off at first, I continued to listen to my music, but when taking a second glance, there were multiple tiny, gray dolphins hopping our way. As you can imagine, word spread quickly, and everyone crowded to see the large group of dolphins riding Argo’s bow wave. Only feet away, we got the most incredible and exciting view of these awesome little creatures for almost 15 minutes before they decided to head out on their own adventure. Before they left, we got to hear their high-pitched squeal and watch them fly in and out and under the waves (we later identified them most likely as dwarf Spinner dolphins). Don’t forget to ask about the dolphin footage when your kid gets home because it’s absolutely breathtaking!
Most students headed back downstairs after this to check out footage or continue on marine biology and oceanography work, which was quickly followed by an incredible meal of spaghetti and meat sauce with garlic bread :). We finished dinner and gathered one last time for the evening in the pit, answering the question of the night, ‘If you were a mixture of a couple of Disney characters, who would you be and why?’. Not surprisingly, a significant amount of the girls said Moana, which, by the way, if you haven’t seen it, I highly, HIGHLY recommend it for all ages. The wanderlust and sailing are a cute little representation of what some of us are on here to do; learn to sail and to find out who we are as people.
Now, as the night rolls in, the night watches begin to take their places on the deck, and the rest of us try to catch some zzz’s before another early morning of pure ocean tomorrow. 🙂
On behalf of all of the staff and students on the Argo, give our pets an extra hug for us tonight because I guarantee I’m not the only one missing my furry little baby. <3
XOXO -Ally