Programs Blog

Maia Anderson and Mollie Ockene, American University and Middlebury College

Ship’s Log

Current Position
Anchored near Auckland

Ship’s Heading and Speed
Anchored

Weather
Clear

Souls on Board

All blogs from S-289

Today we left Great Barrier Island and sailed back to anchorage just outside of Auckland, marking the end of our trip. For our blog today we have decided to share 31 things (for the 31 people on board) that we and our shipmates have learned about life aboard the SSV Bobby C. along the way:

1. You don’t really need to shower that much.
2. Pavlov’s classical conditioning works for humans too. We come RUNNING at the first chime of the meal bell.
3. Flashdrives are still very useful.
4. It turns out we still know all the words to every High School Musical song.
5. How to make cinnamon rolls, tahini dressing, endless types of bread, apple crisp, the best popcorn ever, date balls, biscotti, and countless other baked goods.
6. Derek speaks dolphin -“when you live on the sea, you find out your true identity.”
7. Rachel learned how to throw up without getting it on the side of the boat AND how to climb all the way out into the headrig and jump off without opening her eyes. Rachel is our hero.
8. Neuston nets look most majestic at sunset, but you catch the most zooplankton at midnight.
9. Seasickness is one thing, but landsickness is another (we don’t want to get off the boat).
10. You can sleep through literally anything if you’re tired enough.
11. How to wake people up for their watch without scaring them or being creepy.
12. Dolphins can be bioluminescent- they make beautiful trails through the water at night when they swim through bioluminescence.
13. Sirius is a party star and the rage never stops (it sparkles green and red all night and is an excellent star to steer by).
14. You should look straight ahead when you jump off the bowsprit, because if you look down you will smack your face on the water.
15. Slop = good food. Thank you Ashley and Kylie for a month’s worth of amazing slop!
16. Engineers can be junior stewards and they make a mean stuffing.
17. 15 jars of Nutella is easy money for 31 people.
18. Hila (our lovely Third Mate) can communicate with aliens.
19. MandM’s are used by NASA as light attenuating spheroids for scientific experiments.
20. Jellyfish do indeed just taste like salt.
21. Good sunrises and sunsets never get old.
22. The squalliest of mornings can turn into the speediest of sunny surfing days.
23. We’re not capable of getting tired of looking at dolphins.
24. People will run in circles around a ship to catch sight of a shark.
25. When you can’t listen to music for days at a time, you start to sing everything. As it’s contagious.
26. Repeating commands is relevant and enjoyable in every situation.
27. Foulie bibs are the best clothing item a person can own.
28. Red lights save lives (and night vision).
29. You don’t need TV when you have card games to play for 3 hours at a time.
30. You go a little crazy, but not as much as you might think, when you don’t see land or any other boats or human beings for days. It just might mean that everyone starts talking in Monty Python voices.
31. One month can go by incredibly fast when you’re surrounded by the most amazing shipmates, crew, and friends that 2 girls could ask for in an insanely beautiful place. Shocking!

This has been such a great experience and we have learned so much, much more than we could capture in this list (obviously). We are so grateful for this experience, the people who made it possible for us, and everyone who made S-289 an unforgettable time. Thank you all!

Delta Force has the con,

Maia and Mollie