ONE GORGEOUS ISLAND TO ANOTHER!

Madeleine Yao, C Watch, Boston University

Kicking off a beautiful day, I had dawn watch from 4:00 - 5:30AM with our awesome mate in training, Nick! A peaceful start of the day with us anchored at Maui. We got to watch the sun rise before heading back to our bunks for a quick pre-breakfast nap. Despite the crazy sleep schedule, I am a huge fan of night and dawn watch because I get to… stargaze! 

Another yummy breakfast fueled my day, and fueled my soon to be SECOND nap of the day, where I caught up on some sleep. Before this wonderful second nap, we departed from Maui and began our 55 mile journey to the Big Island! The channel that we crossed swept the boat with huge waves for a few hours - making the lookout position for Watch A ridiculously fun and exciting. We practiced our super strong balancing skills while moving above and below deck. More than a few of us ended up completely soaked and very happy. In the afternoon, we ran safety drills: assuming our fire, man overboard, and abort ship positions. Confident in our life saving abilities, we continued our day. I worked in the salon on my pacific reef paper with my partner Maya. We are finishing up our methods section, and up next is data analysis! Soon, we reached the Big Island where we are now anchored. I am currently writing from the cabin top to take in the gorgeous views of the island and ocean. Feeling pumped for dinner, and ready to tackle my group’s night watch later tonight.

Madeleine Yao, C Watch, Boston University