A Watch cheers on their fellow watch mates during the line chase.

Hello to all of you who are tracking C-259’s journey or looking back at this for wonderful memories.

Today we had the chance to test our knowledge as our watch groups competed against one another to prove who knew the Cramer’s lines the best.  There was an air of competition as B Team took the lead, followed by the frantic chanting of A and C teams as they guided their teammates with the commands “hot” and “cold”. The class activity concluded with a communal Congo line of celebration around the ship.

Everyone has become rather sleep deprived with the constantly shifting schedules making everyone just a bit wackier and conversations sillier. People have been sleeping at all hours of the day depending on their watch. Still, the lab and library have been buzzing with students working to process data for our projects. I am not sure about the other groups, but I have been falling asleep to the image of hydroids and dreaming of my next watch. As we have moved north, more Sargassum natans has been caught in our nets, bringing in a plethora of zooplankton, small pieces of plastics, and other exciting organisms with it for us all to look at.

C watch has now been lucky enough to be nicknamed squall watch as they have been suited up in their foulies for both watches today. We have now had two squalls, and more are on the way, making moving around the deck just that much more tricky. Some of us have gained our sea legs, while a few others have been struggling to stay upright as the boat rolls with the swells.

All in all we are all learning the true meaning behind the phrase, “we’re all in the same boat,” on a variety of levels as we attempt to balance and learn all that is new aboard the Corwith Cramer. We are very grateful for our mentors aboard the ship for helping guide us through the massive amounts of information that has been thrown at us (aka: spaghetti) within the last week.

There is something about looking out over the open ocean that is part freighting and part magical. As Callie put it, “there is some good that comes out of being sea sick, because without the opportunity to lean overboard you may not see the bioluminescence dancing in the wake.”

Cheers,
Hannah 

A personal shout out to some very important people in my life: Happy birthday to Mom, Hunter and Aunt Cory. Happy graduation to my brother Toby and good luck to everyone at Colorado College as you finish up 8th block.