Location: Underway
Today began with an 8 am wake up for Watch Team 2, who took the helm and sailed (well, motored) through the morning hours on calm seas with little wind. We performed a fuel transfer and added oil to the engine, routine activities while motoring across long distances. Crew members then took part in a little underway boat appreciation and rust-busted the salty portions of the boat. We performed somewhat of a balancing act as we removed the jib sails while underway in order to clean the portions of the bowsprit that couldn’t be reached otherwise. Since wind and wave activity was at a minimum, we were able to then turn off the engine and take open ocean showers in water deeper than 17,000ft of water! It was pretty cool to take a dip in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no land in sight; everyone did get a little wary of sharks, though, and we got back on deck quickly to dry off and continue our voyage to the British Virgin Islands. Crewmates then could be seen studying the different sea birds, marine reptiles, and cartilaginous fishes of the oceans to prepare for a Marine Biology exam that followed. Leadership class was next, then some downtime for the crew members who proceeded to write papers, nap, or sit watch. Lucky for us, our bow watchers spotted some marine life on the horizon, and before we knew it, the entire crew was on deck, admiring a pod of Pigmy Sperm Whales! A mother and calf whale swam pretty close to Argo before finally diving down and showing us their flukes. It was an incredible sight to behold, and crew members were pretty jazzed by the sight of these great creatures. Dinner and watches went on as usual, and the sunset over the ocean ending another wonderful day on Argo.