Next Stop, Hawai’i!

Author: Abigail Colby, Deckhand

Today is a special day on the Robert C. Seaman's - it is shipmate Rachel's birthday! Happy birthday Rachel! We celebrated with cupcakes for afternoon snack. The galley team might have overshot the frosting recipe and eager hands are now enjoying this miscalculation by the spoonful. I think we have an energetic afternoon ahead of us.

Spirits are high as we remain hove-to after our local apparent port stop. Students and scientists have been busy processing nutrients from our various science stations. We hope to be sailing again this evening after the nutrient processing is done. Below deck, students hang out in the main salon playing music and card games. Sometimes a holiday tune will make its way from the crowd of students helping in the galley. Above deck, the wind continues to howl at a steady force 6, promising a swift sail as soon as we ease them out.

As a deckhand on the Robert C. Seaman's, I have the pleasure of standing watch with all students for each phase of the trip (mates and scientists will stand with one watch per phase). Their growth and confidence on the ship is tremendous. Each watch has its own personality and flavor, sense of humor and inside jokes. Tomorrow, we will move into phase three, which gives students even more ownership over their watches. Each student will rotate as a junior watch officer (JWO) and junior lab officer (JLO). Watches will use the knowledge and resources amongst themselves to operate the vessel, while crew takes a step back. It's the phase where students apply all their learnings of the past three weeks for the final leg of the journey, and put their hard earned skills to the test. They're more than ready, and we're eager to see them grow in this next phase.

-Abigail Colby, Deckhand

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