Programs Blog

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Noon Position: 17 o 49.458’ N x 062 o 57.060’ W

Ship Heading: 055 o PSC

Ship Speed: 6.7 kts

Log: 897.0 nm

Weather / Wind / Sail Plan: Sunny / 2/8th  cumulus cloud cover / wind from ExN /Beaufort force 4 (11-16kts) / Sailing under all four lowers with a shallow reefed main under a port tack – we just gybed

Description of location: Not too far off of Sint Marteen’s Dutch side.

On the ship, I have seldom wondered what I should be doing at a given moment. Each hour of the day is filled with some form of entertainment here on Cramer [1]. Between being on watch, sleeping, “pestering” various pro crew [2] with questions, keeping up with my personal journal, folding chore rags, it is impossible to convince myself I should go to bed – considering a wake up at 0030 does not, I’m unsure what would.

Instead, I average seven hours of sleep between two and three naps a day and I may have gotten too comfortable sleeping in contacts, though I have heard that anything in moderation is okay. 

Yesterday we had the infamous dawn watch. This one is fun, but it forces my hand to an early bedtime. I was meant to shut the curtain with my bunk fan and eye mask on at 1900 [3], but my hair had to get brushed which meant that I had to go on the quarterdeck [4] (Top 10 Community Living Tips on Cramer) and decided I could not cut my time with the stars short. Instead, I switched my bedtime to 1930 which became 1945 which meant a hard cut off at 1950 when I decided to be the bigger person and wait four hours to see the Milky Way this time.

Around 0030 I was awoken by Amanda’s sweet whisper lulling me to rise, a huge perk of being on a community schedule are wakeups by people and not alarms. I was ready to dawn watch! I mentioned dawn watch is infamous, which may be the wrong word to describe my favorite watch [5]. Cut out most of the noise and it becomes the space between the nine people standing watch and the stars. This evening we were also accompanied by bioluminescence (!), and St. Kitts to the left and then the right and then on the left again (because we gybed [6]).

We did so because we had been sailing too efficiently and were set to arrive in Anguilla before schedule. Sailing too fast on a sailboat? Hard to believe. It is an exciting development; however, because we spent our passage from St. Croix to Dominica motoring [7] which meant little sail handling and a loud motor running at most times.

I ended this dawn watch on lookout [8] which meant I got to stand at the bow [9] of the ship between 0600-0700. With little traffic, sub one sailboat sailing into the sunrise off to starboard, I bid farewell to the morning following a well-deserved send off to bed!

Peace,

Sonia

I dedicate this blog post to all those who will never hear me stop talking about this experience when I return! (Typical.) And will likely try to convince me not to make this a yearly endeavor.

To all the March birthdays I have missed – happiest days to you!

Definitions

[1] Cramer: SSV Corwith Cramer, the name of the brigantine we are sailing, made in 1987.

[2] Pro Crew: Since we are technically all crew given that Cramer does not have passengers, we make a distinction between people who know what they are doing (pro crew) and those who are learning.

[3] 1900: AKA 7:00 PM

[4] Quarterdeck: The aftmost part of the ship where the helm (wheel) is located.

[5] Watches: We are on a rotation between 3 groups to keep the ship moving and safe, there are four watches morning watch (0700-1300), afternoon watch (1300-1900), night watch (1900-0100), dawn watch (0100-0700).

[6] Gybe: Turning the ships stern into the wind to turn the ship around.

[7] Motoring: Main engine is on for us to ensure we actually move forward. St. Croix to Dominica was a passage spent pitching (up and down motion) into the waves and seasickness – not an ideal cause and effect.

[8] Lookout: Person responsible for checking the vicinity at the front part of the ship and reporting any other ship’s or weather activity to the watch officer keeping situational awareness at its peak.

[9] Bow: Front part of the ship.

Sonia Chomiczewski, B-Watch. Northeastern University