14 Things I Took for Granted on Land

Author: Ella Woodruff, A Watch, Carleton College

As we spend a night anchored off the coast of Puerto Rico, and enjoy some relatively relaxing times -- competing in the line chase, seeing some dolphins and having a swim call -- here's a list of things I took for granted before stepping foot aboard the Cramer.

1. 1. Stable beds
   2. Daily showers
   3. Sleeping through the night, every night (worth it so see the stars, see 6)
   4. Having the same view everyday (much more fun to wake up to a surprise)
   5. Stars are good on land (but they're even better in the middle of the Sargasso Sea)
   6. Not needing sunscreen every second of every day
   7. Having to cook for myself (Thanks Will)
   8. Sunsets and sunrises (like stars, they're just better on the ocean)
   9. Not waking up to Antoine sleeping on the bench outside the bunks because below deck is almost unbearably hot and sweaty (can walls sweat?)
   10. Music (only on Field Days)
   11. Getting scientific data online (more fulfilling to collect it yourself off the side of the ship)
   12. Personal space (30 people on a 130-foot ship)
   13. Trees (we can climb the masts like trees, kind of)
   14. Waking up to an alarm (personal wakeups are much more fun)

There have been some great highlights worth mentioning in addition to this fun list, including humpback whales breaching, sparkle dolphins at night, steering by the stars, spotted eagle rays, losing sight of land, stepping on deck into the sea breeze, and dinoflagellate bioluminescence.

Hi to everyone at home, at Carleton, abroad, and elsewhere (if you're reading this)! See you all shortly. And hi to Sydney back in Woods Hole! A Watch misses you.

Cheers!
Ella Woodruff, A Watch, Carleton College

Contact: Douglas Karlson, Director of Communications, 508-444-1918 | dkarlson@sea.edu