Today began with Lucas and me finishing B watch’s activities from 05:00 to 07:00 a.m. We then completed our daily chores to keep Mama Cramer tidy. Laurie and Victoria headed back to the US, taking a huge chunk of our family with them.

Welcome to one of the most unique ecosystems on planet Earth -  Los Haitises National Park; a region of Samana Bay, Dominican Republic where geologic processes, biological diversity, and human history coalesce into a truly unique environment.

Today marks day two of our passage to Wellington. Despite the watch officer transition yesterday, things have been running smoothly and everyone is happily settling into life offshore once again.

What seems like 100 years ago when I was in college, I took a scientific illustration course that blew my world wide open.  As a science major, I was pleasantly surprised how the act of drawing enhanced my observation skills and forced me to slow down, make notes, jot down comments, ideas, and truly focus on what I was doing.

C watch has the pleasure of being awake from 2200 to 0300 for watch. Though this may seem like a rough time to be sailing a tall ship through 12 foot waves, the sheer beauty of the full moon reflected on the water, the wind rushing past you, and most importantly the midnight dolphins and Sargassum, makes it all worthwhile.

Today was day one of our 12-day sail from Russell down to Wellington.  The near future is both exciting and daunting as we will not set foot on land for the next two weeks or so.  With that being said, everyone is settling back into the groove of being on a watch schedule and adjusting well to life at sea after being anchored for two nights.

Finally having a full day in port after a long week of learning the ropes (pun), the crew was ready to fill our one full day in the Bay of Islands with as much as we could before setting off on the long journey to Wellington. The day was to be separated into three main activities; a tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, “research time,” and dinner back aboard the Robert C. Seamans with important guests that were friends of Professor Jeff Wescott.

Today marks a week on the boat and the first port stop! As of this morning everyone has fully adjusted thanks to the amazing crew and a finely tuned combination of acclimation and the occasional medication.

It’s hard to believe that we set sail just yesterday from our anchorage at Francis Bay, St. John. So much science has happened since! When we were leaving St. John, we took three surface samples to get an idea of how nutrients and chlorophyll change from inshore to offshore, stay tuned for those exciting discoveries.

Day four of sailing, and we’re already accustomed to life at sea! It took a few days for a couple of us to gain our sea legs, myself included. Some waves are bigger than others, and I definitely could feel the bigger waves. But now, the gentle rocking, the unbalanced moments, and everything else the Pacific has to offer us, can now be fully embraced.