Programs Blog

June 13, 2025

Time: 1607

Location: Off of Tahiti

Weather: Clear skies, light wind, and mostly calm water

Good afternoon from the Robert C. Seamans!

I started my morning at 0000 for an abbreviated deck watch that only lasted an hour and a half. It was our first time on watch so we walked through what we are supposed to do to check that the boat is functioning, and, even more exciting, we saw a huge sea turtle eating algae off of the side of the boat.

After my brief deck watch, I went back to bed until 0620, when I stood my first real watch on deck. We did a lot of orientation, such as learning how to clean the inside of the ship and what to do in an emergency. I am in charge of the flares in the event of an abandon ship, which I think is super cool. During this watch we also left Tahiti’s harbor. It was a little bittersweet, we have had wonderful week learning in Tahiti, but I was excited to get out at sea. 

It has been pretty smooth sailing since we have left the harbor. We have run drills and eaten some delicious food. Even though I am a vegetarian the stewards are fantastic at providing filling and scrumptious food for me. We just had ginger scones that I will think about for the rest of my life.

It has been a super exciting day and I am pumped for what the future holds on this trip. I have never had an experience remotely close to this and I can’t wait to do deployments for science, start looking at things in the lab, see more cool wildlife, and work with the stewards. I would be lying if I said that the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack hasn’t been playing in my head all day.  

Shout out to my family, friends, and boyfriend. I miss and love you all.

Arg,

Sophie Wilcox, B(est) watch 
Purdue University