Programs Blog

July 8, 2025

Time: Unknown

Location: The floating library in the Pacific, north of 15˚N and SE of Hawaii

Weather: Squally

Hello Land Folk!

I am the lone deckhand of S322 and am having the best time. 

I’ve been trying to decide what to write to you all and I keep thinking about a question that many of my friends asked me before I left. They all wanted to know if I was scared—if being out at sea with no land in sight was something that frightened me at all. At the time my answer was yea probably. I figured once I was out here I would look out and feel the intensity of the endlessness in front of me; that I would feel both frightened and invigorated. I’ve tried to make myself feel this whenever I am on lookout on the bow staring at the vast sea. But, instead all I want to do on lookout is sing. Usually it’s either The Sound of Music or Katy Perry. And, honestly, I think that this inability to stop singing at the bow represents my time here quite well. It has been just delightful.

I am inspired by both Wika’s blog and Ross Gay’s Book of Delights (shown to me by my friend Megan) to provide you all with my delights of this journey:

– Jan dressing up as King Neptune and everyone making skits or interpretive dances to perform for him in order to become shellbacks (what you become when you cross the equator)

– Sending a giant ongoing tic-tac-toe board through the RCS postal service and finding out that everyone put X’s but no O’s on the board

– Seeing many people in random conglomerations staring at the boat wordle and trying to solve it together

– Seeing random conglomerations of people napping on the couch in 16^th Street (where my bunk is)

– Playing cards when we should be sleeping

– Beth sending everyone informative mail under the pseudonym “Eels” 

– C watch providing me with a group wake up that involves information about captain hook and alligators aboard the ship (We have wake ups for watch which are usually provided by one person where they inform you of the time and weather for your watch).

– Doing pushups in the wee hours of the night with Quinn (who we call Quinty Prince of Seamans) 

– Chatting with Captain Allison as I continue to do pushups

– Wearing the same outfit as Jordan and then pretending to be each other

– A Watch’s tea-time when we created an interpretive dance to explain the difference between waves and swells—there was more laughing than dancing.

– Walking through the ship and seeing students chatting, laughing, working, or just being together.

–  Raquel coming here with only one pair of socks and now receiving socks with funny notes anonymously from many different people

– Going down to the engine room for a boat check and finding Angie there with a guitar and then hearing a song.

– Everyone singing early 2000’s songs as we are in the depths of cleaning the galley mats on Field day (our boat deep clean day)

– My first dawn watch when I saw the Atolls, a rainbow, and the most beautiful sunrise.

– When I was on helm and everyone on the quarter deck started singing campy call and response songs.

– When we all played the dance game and Rufus had the best dance moves

– Owing both Emmy and Flo cupcakes for misinforming them about boat stuff

– How excited the students were to create decorations and craft gifts for Gillian’s birthday

– The funny faces Elle makes which then Lila copies which then Elle copies

– Gillian spreading rumors that I leave cups everywhere…I DO NOT

– When everyone makes fun of me for putting on insane amounts of sunscreen. Just saying I have yet to burn…

– Screaming “SHOW US A WHALE” to the ocean as we haul on the Mainsail.

– The way the students have come together as a team that lifts each other up

This list goes on and on and is already too long. Plus I need to go to sleep. But I will leave you all with this. When I look out at the ocean I don’t feel overwhelmed in its endlessness. I think that is partially because of all of these little delights. We all, as shipmates, have found ways to create so much specialness all on just 135 feet of boat. For me, as a 25 year old trying to figure it out, life can sometimes feel like the vast unknown ocean. Whether it’s jobs or just what I want in life, it can feel like there is no land in sight at moments. Jordan, our first sci, asked us when we first got to Nuku Hiva what we want to take with us from the boat when we enter back in the “real world.” For me, it’s that you can create specialness where ever you are and whatever might feel like an endless ocean is just something to float on with those you love. 

Signing off,

The lone but not so lonely deckhand (Tessa)