Programs Blog

Looking Back to Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Log: 982.9

Position: 40° 59.658’S x 177° 717 ‘E

Sea Conditions: WSW 4ft waves, building swell

Weather Conditions: 15 knot winds and building WNW, Sunny with clouds

Hello from South of Castle Point! We finally got a break from the blazing sun on the Robert C. Seamans and the sky transformed from a blue sheet to a comfortable light gray blanket above us. We spent a few days preparing to “alacritously” embrace some predicted intense weather. We heard poetic PSAs, installed puppy lines/jacklines across the deck (running lines to clip in to), and brushed up on our line handling to get ready for a healthy dose of wind and rain in the coming days. 

            However, the looming squalls did not dampen our daily classes. During Tuesday’s navigation report, we were lovingly interrupted by a huge pod of common dolphins! Chris first spotted one jumping through the waves on the starboard beam and many more soon appeared. Their small charcoal gray fins glided through the white caps in little groups as the pod energetically sped towards our ship.  We were amazed to see these charismatic megafauna glide through the waves and catch a flash of their white bellies as they jumped and dove into the surf. A few of the creatures were particularly enthralled with the crowd and showed off by emerging in synchronized pairs and leaping out of the water in quick, successive jumps. Each time we thought they had grown bored, more of the pod appeared! Off the stern, portside, bow, and in the distance, after intense deliberation we estimated that there was anywhere between 25 to 40 dolphins surrounding us. It was amazing. On a side note, they were surprisingly quiet. The producers of Dolphin Tale really spun a web of illusion with all those chirps and clicks that were put in that movie.

Once the marine mammal excitement died down, many of us found ourselves comfortably sliding around the main saloon as the ocean swell began to grow.  Karma had just introduced us to a homemade card game called “Stringy”, which was extremely entertaining but so ridiculous that the rules are not worth mentioning. This devolved into Karma telling someone to pick a card, put in back, and then not so subtly hide it in her palm while shuffling the remaining deck before finally asking dramatically, “is this your card?” and then still showing the wrong card.

Thankfully, our chief engineer Clare intervened and the game of “Whist” became a main event. Whist is a trick-taking game involving changing trump suits and bidding on how many tricks you/your team will take that round. For a group of newbies, we played hard. Karma and Eamonn started off strong, but soon got stuck in the weeds after a series of overestimating their cards. Team Madi and Kenzie were down in the beginning, but came back strong with a bold 4 trick bet in the last round. Ultimately, the team of Ang and Craig reigned victorious after spending the majority of the game suspiciously quiet. I think they knew something we didn’t. Per Whist’s shipboard tradition, the losing team of Karma and Eamonn will receive a formal letter declaring their losing status sometime in the future from the winners. Nothing builds a community like bragging and poor penmanship.

Despite the oncoming bumpy weather, things continued as normal. Although the sea state became more rambunctious and the portholes showed more sea than sky, the whimsy of being young and at sea remained strong.

To the Family: Miss you all! Charlotte, I hope you’re enjoying vicariously reliving your past New Zealand trip through my location. Ann Marie, they have so many museums here that you would love to go to and read every single label. Wish you both were here, please both book your flights now. Mom and Dad, I am not sunburnt and have not broken any bones (so far). Pet Heidi for me! James, I miss you and I can’t wait for you to see beautiful ANZ. 

Margaret Nicholson, B watch, Colorado College