Programs Blog

Author: Bella Duati, Syracuse University

Ship’s Log

Position
11˚04.273’N x 136˚40.275’W

Taffrail Log
2217 nm

Winds
Force 3 from NE

Sail Plan
Motor sailing under the main staysail and forestaysail

Souls on Board

Believe it or not we are already on day 18 of sailing! 18 don’t even sound right to me and what’s even crazier is that we have deployed our 32nd carousel today! And as Katie previously mentioned before, we are encountering some honking squalls out here! Although, honestly it has been so hot these past few days that I’d rather have rain than this hot (like really humid air) weather. And everyone on board just cannot wait for that trade wind breeze to come back once we travel more North West towards Hawai’i.

This trip is nothing like I have expected at all. Coming into this I had no previous background in sailing at all, like many of my other shipmates. I do however love the intensity and challenge that living on this tall ship brings. Life on boat is both intense and blissful I would say. It’s intense because we always clocked into our watch rotations, whether it’s dawn watch (from 1 AM to 7 AM) or for me (especially me), steward day – where I got to spend a day in the galley and helped the stewards prepare all of our meals and snacks. I basically got super sea sick from all of the motion in the ocean that day, and especially because we’re in fact in the ITCZ! There were big swells and my body was just straight up freaking out over all of that rolling. I am all well now, healthy and smiling again, wohoo!!

The picture here is me with the rest of C watch after I have recovered from steward day. It was our first meeting with our new mate, Megan and scientists, Lila on the bowsprit. I really wanted to give them a shoutout because I can’t thank them enough for all of their support and help while I was recovering from my sea sick day. Here, we sit clipped in in, looked at the school of fish swarming beneath our feet, watched the booby dive and hunt for flying fish, and just taking a second to be here, in the moment. This is the bliss that makes all the tiredness, sea sickness, and stickiness (from not showering) worth it.

And today, I threw my first message in a bottle, inspired by the one and only, Captain Sean! Captain Sean started the bottle drift experiment when he was just 13 years old on his big sailing adventure around the world with his family. And like our Captain, I love the idea that there is this possibility for someone out there to find my one bottle in another part of the world. Sean said that he has a 20% return rate, which is pretty high! The next time you go to the beach, make sure to look for our bottles!

I still can’t believe that we are already half way there in our voyage. I feel that personally I have come a long way. Although I live in New Hampshire now, my true home port is still my village in East Java, Indonesia. I am so grateful to be here and I realized how much I miss living the simple life.

Salam ke Mas dan Mbak Puji, delut engkas teko. Hi Lei and Willa, I miss you all so very much and I’ll be back soon! Y mi amor, Roberto, te quiero muchisimo.

-Bella Duati, Syracuse University

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