While I was typing up yesterday’s blog “Stars, Satellites and Sea Lights,” I sort of forgot to mention the large amount of satellites and shooting stars we saw zooming above our heads during our watch. It was almost as if the sky was putting on a light show for us. I honestly wish I could could have video taped, or taken pictures of it. Neither would have done it justice, however.
Today started out like any other day. The weather was great. Once again, I awoke to another amazing sunrise. It’s sad to think we only have 2 more of these ocean sunrises left! We all ate some breakfast, consisting of cereal, oatmeal, fruit, juice, and granola bars.
Breakfast was complete, and it was now time to deploy the first of what would be the last 3 trawls on this expedition. The calm, clear skies made trawl deployment and recovery very easy. The weather, in conjunction with the ease of deployment, was welcomed by the very wary crew! The only ‘problem’ we had at one point was a pesky Cahow trying to investigate the equipent and whether or not he could make a tasty meal out of it. By trawl 3, he had reruited 5 other of his Cahow friends, and I think they determined that their efforts would be fruitless. However, that didn’t stop them from hanging around.
With all 12 trawls accounted for, and with it already being such a great day, the crew decided it was officially time for some rest and relaxation. I think Captain Eric was even in a relaxed stated of mind, as he gave the official “okay” to remove our ever-restricting PFDs (personal floatation devices). About half an hour later we — along with the weather — were even able to fiiiinally convince Eric to let us go for a 20 minute swim, which we all took advantage of. We lacked a ladder, but thanks to Kate’s MacGyver skills, she was able to rig a rope to assist in getting back onto the boat.
After our brief dip, it was important we continued our trek back to Bermuda in order to make an on time arrival. Spirits were high as we continued the journey back. We played some music and snacked on one… or maybe 2 bags of chips, cookies, and some chocolate, which is always a big hit among the women. We also caught a brief glimpse of about maybe 5 dolphins towards the bow of the boat, which is always exciting. After some sun, much of the boat, except Watch 1, decided to head below deck for a few games of cards before dinner. Over much confusion, a variety of games were played. Some familiar to us and others not so much. One thing that is for certain is that Kim has to be watched!
In general, today was good fun had by all! Lots of laughs and story time. As the journey comes to an end, we are all networking and making connections to keep in touch and explore other opportunities in other countries. The sunset was beautiful, marking the end of another day on the North Atlantic Ocean.
– Winston Godwin, May 23, 2014