Programs Blog

Author: Talia Buchman, Assistant Steward

Rugelach and hamentashen

Ship’s Log

Winds/ Sail Plan
N x E, Force 4. Sailing under the single reefed mains’l, main stays’l, fore stays’l, jib, and the tops’l

Position
17˚27.6’ N x 149˚22.9’ W

Log
3142 nm

Souls on Board

Reading each of the previous blogs has been a really fun way to keep up with all of the hip happenings on the ship. It has also made me quite eager to share some about what goes on in the corner of the boat that I spend 90% of my time: the galley! The galley is my favorite spot on the ship and it has been a great place to get to know everyone aboard.

Any day that I get to wake up at 0415 is a great day! Yes family/friends, you read that right! It’s not because I’m a morning person, I actually am much more of a night owl. It’s honestly because working in the morning means I get to make the daily midrats. Midrats, aka midnight rations, are the baked good/snack put out after dinner ends.

People who have night/dawn watch typically save theirs for watch, while the non-watch standers often enjoy them after dinner. I started baking when the pandemic hit (much like every other person around the world) and I quickly learned how much I love it! Making the midrats has been a great creative baking outlet onboard and I’m hoping to continue my streak of not repeating any day’s midrat during the cruise. Student steward, Katie, and I started this morning’s midrats soon after the second seating of breakfast was over. Katie was really excited about being able to bake today, which my favorite energy to have in the galley! Today’s coffee cake muffins went very well, especially because we remembered to turn the fan to exhaust and avoided blanketing the galley in a windblast of flour. I’m not sure they will strike up as much of a conversation as the cereal treats that Nick and I made yesterday did (everyone was very invested as to how/why they were dyed pink), but not every midrat can double as a lively discussion! Some of my favorite midrats so far have been rugelach, sunrise muffins, hamentashen, orange/cherry scones, and chocolate babka.

Our chief steward, Ashley, and Katie made today’s lunch and they cooked up an incredible green curry with rice! While Ashley and the daily student steward make lunch I love journaling under the sun and getting to learn about what is happening on deck. It is also a great time to see a science deployment and listen to the students talk about the day’s navigation report. The navigation report is really exciting because different landmarks around the world are always included at the end along with how many nautical miles they are from us. Shout out to Syracuse, NY as the distance to Funk N’ Waffles was included in the report the other day.

We were about 3876 nautical miles away!

Back in the galley, we finish the day off with afternoon snack and dinner. Dinner is always a great time because that is when Ashley, the student steward, and I are all working in the galley together. And that is a short version of our day! Other than the constant clanging of pots and pans, the galley is a relatively quiet place… as long as you consider constant singing to be relatively quiet! Did I forget to mention the galley choir? Since the first day here I’ve found a lot of joy in singing songs from different musicals like Wicked and Legally Blonde as well as various Disney movies. I love it when the students join in on the singing and bring their own songs into the galley! Katie and I sang a couple songs from Phantom of the Opera today. During the first days at sea I started making galley themed parodies to popular songs and have been continually adding to Galley the Musical ever since. The most recent addition to Galley the Musical has been “Party in the Galley” to the tune of Miley Cyrus’
“Party in the USA”!

To close off the blog I wanted to write a small bit about how much being on this sail has meant to me. While I was not a part of the S291 student trip that was cancelled in 2020, I had a similar experience with a different study abroad trip being cancelled due to the pandemic. Being able to be a part of this sail has been absolutely incredible and the perfect way to end 2021. The minute we set sail from Catalina Island I felt a whole wave of emotions (pun intended) crash over me that I think had been buried since the fall of 2020 when I was supposed to head to Madagascar. I am immensely thankful to be a part of the S301 ship’s company and appreciate all of the ways that this single sail has made such a positive impact on my life.

Hi Mom, Dad, Atim, Tyler, Kalie, and Aaron! I love you all so much and look forward to seeing you all when I’m home! Also shout out to Becca for helping me join the SEA community, you’re the best!

Talia Buchman
Assistant Steward

Contact: Douglas Karlson, Director of Communications, 508-444-1918 | [email protected]