July 12, 2010
By Marilou Maglione
It's hard to believe that we've sailed more than 3000 nautical miles and are now on our way home from a place in the Atlantic where few people have ventured. Our small community of 33, most of whom were complete strangers to each other, have sailed together in collaborative harmony on this 134-foot ship for the past 30 days, conducting an impressive number of science deployments. We're conducting the final lab tests and triple checking the data entered into various computer spreadsheets.
Coming to sea again for such a long cruise (after 26 years since my student trip) has been amazing for so many reasons. Thinking back over the past month, I'm amazed at how much I've learned and re-learned, not just about sailing and science but also about myself, which has rekindled my desire to spend more time on the water. I'm planning to once again beg my husband to consider some cruising as we get closer to retirement!
Life on a research vessel isn't all sunsets and rainbows though. The first week was overwhelming as we familiarized ourselves with all of the lines, lab routines, watch responsibilities, cleaning expectations and each other. I must admit, that as one of the "older" alums, I often felt a little behind the incredibly bright and agile twenty-somethings on board, especially those who had sailed with SEA in the past couple of years.
Standing rotating watches has also been a challenge, mainly due to the constantly changing sleep schedule. When rolling out of my bunk for a mid- or dawn watch, I often feel like a human pinball as I bounce my way around in the dark. (I've collected a wide variety of colorful bruises over the past month!) Each watch has it's pros and cons and I'm still undecided about which of the 5 shifts I prefer. No matter how tired I am though, I feel that I've been regularly rewarded for my lack of sleep – like a fabulous sunrise, a really interesting variety of critters in a 100-count or tonight's neuston tow glowing in the bioluminescence.
Living on a brigantine is like an island complete with it's own language. Learning it has been quite fun, albeit awkward at first. Now it's quite natural to sing out as we work the lines, no longer feeling self-conscious about loudly repeating such things as "ready JT halyard", "downhaul made fast" and "hands to set the fish!" One of our B Watch team members regularly uses his "pirate voice," which makes our teams' sail handling more fun. It takes real teamwork to make a ship like this go and I'm very grateful that our team has been able to work so well together this past month through all of our many duties on board.
So, how much stuff does a sailor need? Much less than you might expect! When told we'd need only 4-6 pairs of shorts for a 30+ day cruise, I remember thinking "What? Are you kidding??" But it's true. Laundry is easy to do by hand and clothes quickly dry in the sun and breeze during the day. It's liberating to have such a small assortment of necessities and time to reflect on what I really need. I'm inspired to go home and clean out my closets. Goodwill, here I come!
As we close in on Bermuda and re-entry to our regular lives on land, it's hard not to think about what awaits... unanswered e-mails, stacks of snail-mail, phone calls to return and plenty to catch up on at our jobs. I must admit that I've found it quite peaceful to be e-mail- and phone-free while at sea. It's a respite that has freed me from distraction, allowing me to live in the moment and immerse myself in where I am and why I'm here – my concern for the environment and another opportunity to sail with SEA.
It's late and time to make this reflection "fast." In two days we'll be dockside and saying goodbye to our captain, crew and new friends. But we'll also leave here with new friendships, knowledge, skills and memories and will be prepared to share what we've learned on this wonderful expedition.
