We have entered Junior Watch Officer (JWO) phase, meaning that we get a chance to essentially take on the role of a mate for a watch.  It has been really exciting to see how much we now know about the boat, as well as all the stuff we still have to learn.

What can I say except life is good on the Robert C. Seamans. Yesterday during our watch we hit 2000 nautical miles, we experienced the best sailing onboard yet-beating the trip record for distance sailed during a single watch with 35 nautical miles in 6 hours, and it was a full moon. I think A-Watch has finally relaxed from the mainstays’l tear and main boom snapping, both on our watch, literally.

Happy Passover! Tonight is the first night of Passover.  In my family that would mean that either my parents, sister, and I would be getting ready to go to my aunt and uncle’s for seder, or my mother would be cooking all day and we would be getting ready to have everyone at our house for seder.

“Hutch it.”

This is one of my favorite phrases to hear from our steward, Sabrina. On the ship, we get 6 meals a day (3 meals + 3 snacks) and we eat when we are told to eat. This is with the exception of THE hutch. The hutch lives in the main saloon and is an area of great revere. Leftover food can get “hutched” and then becomes fair game-free to be eaten at any time and in any number.

Hello friends! Raffi here from the Seamans with some booming news. While I was tucked in my bunk last night, sleeping hard after a fun, field-day filled afternoon/watch, A watch decided to go out with a bang before the end of evening watch.

Hello from somewhere in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean! We are at about the halfway point, and wow we are so busy! Our little world onboard the Robert C Seaman’s is always moving (in all ways imaginable). Students are busy with projects, crew are busy teaching (and with their own projects), and everyone is always busy learning.

Aboard Seamans, my world has been pretty thoroughly tilted, both literally and figuratively. On the literal side, the wave swells have been rolling the boat side to side nearly constantly, which makes standing up straight… an event. More figuratively, however, this ship has offered me a vastly new perspective for self-reflection.

We have been on the Seamans almost two weeks. It is crazy how quickly the time is going by.  I have learned so much in such a short amount of time, and it has been so much fun.  It feels like we have been here so much longer than we actually have.

Today marked 1000 miles sailed and we have made it far enough North that it has started to get warm. People are hanging out in t-shirts and shorts and the boat is alive in a way it hasn’t really been yet. The fore deck gym is in full swing, with people attempting to do as many push-ups as miles we’ve sailed.

We are going into our second week here on the Seamans since we left Lyttelton. But it feels like we have been here for months! I have learned so much and been tested in various ways already.