Sea Legs on Land

Maya Hart, C Watch, Wellesley

After a little over a week of living on Robert C. Seamans, many of us were looking forward to spending some time on land and calling our families to recount some of our adventures from the past week. On the ship time is warped. Everything occurs according to an hourly schedule, but soon you get used to the pattern of being on watch, sleep, helping when it is needed, getting lost in the magic of the stars, watching the lull of the waves or diving deep into conversations. Some watches can feel like they go on forever, especially while standing lookout at the bow, but somehow the days slip by one after the other. As Randy, the second mate, once wisely explained, the life of a sailor encourages a structured healthy lifestyle, eliminates distractions and relieves some of the stress you face at home. Most importantly, you are more present in every moment. I have found this to be true in my short time on the ship. I have felt more present in my thoughts, conversations and tasks at hand. There is also an added level of absorbing information and learning new skills, but the crew has been so helpful, and I know I can ask questions.

Today we broke the structured sailor routine and spent the day on the Hawaii main island. In the morning, a couple crew members drove the Rescue Boat and the Great White (yes, the boat definitely lives up to its name) to shore to drop off students and some of the crew at Kawaihae Harbor. My first few strides on land felt unusually heavy and had an underlying illusive feeling of swaying. The hard stable ground felt foreign as I had adjusted to the rocking of the boat while underway and the natural sway while at anchor. Over some time, my legs began to regain their normal feeling, but the subtle feeling of swaying persisted throughout the day.

The original plan was to explore some of the little shops off Kawaihae Harbor and indulge in the festivities since today is a Hawaiian holiday celebrating the first Hawaiian king. But we soon discovered most stores are closed on Sundays and decided our best option was to split the expenses and take an uber to Waimea. On the way over, we took in the beautiful scenery of luscious green and spotted some wild goats. After about 20 minutes we arrived at a little coffee shop where people ordered some breakfast food and drinks. We hung in a little grassy area for a while before the group split, and some of us walked to a food court and shopping center. We spent time there eating lunch, exploring shops, and catching up with friends and family. Then we walked a little way to a kid’s park with a playground and had some fun playing on the swings, reading a book and relaxing on the grass. There wasn’t a lot to do but it was nice to just explore the town a little bit and not have anything on our schedule. We met up with some of the crew and other students at a pub where we took over a couple long wooden tables, snacked on some nachos, burritos, quesadillas and played a card game.

Time went by fast, and soon it was time for me to head back to the boat pick up spot. I rode back with Mikey, Stella and Stefani. It took a little while to find a ride back because of the time of day and location. Also, our phones almost died we couldn’t stop laughing but luckily, we made it to the pick-up spot right at 17:00.

Robert C. Seamans has become our home. Some of us feel it more than others, but I think we all feel it to some extent. Today was a good reminder; after a day ashore, many of us expressed excitement to be back on the ship.

When we got back there was a swim call!  I jumped off the bowsprit a couple times which was a lot of fun and then quickly dried off for announcements. We spoke about the next few days underway and then had a delicious pasta with tomato sauce and salad for dinner. Shoutout to the stewards for consistently making wonderful meals. My favorite so far might have been taco night, the shrimp and homemade guacamole were amazing. Starboard watch helped with galley cleanup and C watch (the best watch) split up to take over night anchor watch. What an action-packed day! I am ready for bed and looking forward to getting underway tomorrow morning.

Miss you Mom, Pop, Z and Sammy. I am really enjoying my time out here, and can’t wait to tell you more. Happy Father’s Day Papa if I don’t talk to you. Thanks for being you, encouraging me to follow my passions and being there to talk to. I love spending time with you and appreciate you making time for the family even when you’re busy with work. Love you!

Maya Hart, C Watch, Wellesley

Beautiful sunset with a green flash to end the day!