Programs Blog

26 August 2025
Location (Lat and Long): 34 03.36’N, 149 17.3’W
Ship Heading: 040
Ship Speed: 4.3 Knots
Log (nm): 1184
Weather/Wind/Sail Plan: Wind SSE force 4, seas SSE 4 ft, sailing under the stays’ls, tops’l, and the raffee

Today is another milestone—our first watch rotation! It is a beautiful day, sunny and still inexplicably windy enough to sail even though by all accounts the wind should have died down last night and left us motoring. This little surprise is making me appreciate the joy of sailing even more than usual—the raffee and the tops’l full and proud at the top of the foremast, the wind pouring over the deck to fill the stays’ls, the waves and swells rolling across a royal blue sea.

Last night, A watch’s last midnight watch, was full of squalls and thunderstorms, far off lightning flashing behind the huge heads of dark cumulonimbus clouds, sudden downpours appearing seemingly out of nowhere. In the moonless night, Jupiter and Venus were the brightest things in the sky, casting long silver rippling reflections across the water as they rose above the squall clouds.

In the aft head next to the mirror is a printed copy of the poem Messenger by Mary Oliver, which begins with the line, “My work is loving the world.” I think that sums up the mood of this voyage so far. We are all so happy to be here on board the Bobby C in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, laughing through rainstorms and losing track of the days. I am so grateful for this crew, this ship, this world, and this voyage, and so looking forward to the weeks to come.

Olivia Carson, Deckhand, A watch

Ps. Mom, Dad, and Daniel, love you!!