Programs Blog

What a way to start off the day!!

March 22, 2022
Sunrise with the big island of Hawaii in the background
Sunrise with the big island of Hawaii in the background to the right on March 21st

Eban Charles, C Watch, Bowdoin College

Ship’s Log

20 degrees 47.1 minutes N 156 degrees 28.8 minutes W

Souls on Board

Here off the coast of the big island of Hawaii, dawn watch aboard the Robert C. Seamans could not be more beautiful! Yesterday morning, I was fortunate enough to stand dawn watch and stand lookout at the bow of the ship for the 06:25 sunrise.

What a truly breath-taking experience! At the top of this blog post, you can see a picture of the sunrise capturing the deep and vibrant shades of orange and red that spread across the sky. Looking to the starboard side of the ship, I could see the big island of Hawaii far to my right and the south side of Maui, Lanai, and Kahoolawe straight ahead. I could not have imagined a better way to start off the day and the rest of the day (my twenty second birthday) was full of amazing surprises as well.

When I woke up today, we had arrived and anchored in Maalaea Bay off the coast of Maui. Several weeks ago, we anchored in Maalaea Bay only days after getting off the plane in Hawaii and right before heading south to Palmyra Atoll. Now, we spend the day resting away and out of the wind before heading towards Oahu to anchor off of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.

Although it feels amazing to see Maui, dolphins, and whales breaching in the distance again, it also feels sort of bittersweet. All of us students have learned so much about sailing, seen extraordinary things together, and will remember our S302 voyage for the rest of our lives. I look forward to seeing everyone’s continued journey after our trip, but we still have a few precious days left! More blog posts coming soon!

– Eban Charles, C Watch, Bowdoin College

Note to everyone back home:

Hello Mom, Dad, Amaryllis, and Mandolin!! I hope you all are doing well! Life off the coast of Hawaii and at Palmyra Atoll has been truly amazing, and I had one of the best birthdays that I could ever imagine! I look forward to giving you all big hugs and telling you all about our voyage when I am back in Maine! ?

PS: we caught a Mahi Mahi off the coast of Oahu

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