Land Ho! And Other Assorted Chilly Willies!

Gabriel Packer, B watch, Eckerd College

Today on board the Cramer it was as they say “Out of the frying pan and into the freezer” (I’m sure someone has said it at some point). As today’s dawn watch found out (with the other watches learning in time) we were in for a cold one today. Temperatures hit 7°C this morning with winds up to 26 miles per hour. So everyone who had watch on deck made sure to bundle up in several layers of cold weather gear. Also for everyone not actively on watch at the moment, it was a fantastic day to wrap themselves up in a blanket with a nice warm drink below deck.

However, in slightly less weather related news, we have anchored again near shore for the first time since the Cramer left Key West exactly a month ago. We anchored today in the early afternoon in a lovely cove in the Gulf of Maine. It was certainly an odd and bittersweet feeling for those aboard the Cramer to see land and plants again after weeks of nothing but endless water around us, along with the distant voices of people who weren’t one of the 31 crewmembers. Furthermore as we prepare to start anchor watches everyone is looking forward to a nice, quiet, sleep-filled night.

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s voices again and I wanted to wish my mother happy birthday, sorry I couldn’t be there in person but this is hopefully the next best thing!

-Gabriel Packer, B watch, Eckerd College