Above: Katey cleaning galley supplies on the bow; Below: Kerren and Claire cleaning the doghouse.

Everyone is starting to get more and more comfortable aboard the Cramer.  Watch routines are starting to feel normal, which has everyone feeling less stressed.  Last night we had a gale pass through with some rough winds and heavy rain.  Dawn watch had to deal with most of the effects.  After the gale moved through the sky cleared up and led to a beautiful day.  Today was also our first Field Day!! 

This field day was not your normal middle school or high school field day filled with sports and games.  Field day on the Corwith Cramer means cleaning day.  We split up into our watch groups to divide and conquer.  Some of us took the main eating area (we call it the main salon), some took the kitchen (we call it the galley), and the unlucky few got stuck in the bathrooms (the heads). However, the amazing part about field day is that we are allowed to bring out as many speakers as we have and blast music throughout the ship.  You could hear Brandy playing up on deck and then walk into a screaming sing-a-long of “I Want It That Way” down below.  

It really was a party today on the Cramer and was the most fun I’ve had cleaning in a long time. Field day also provided a much appreciated break from the extremely intense and demanding watch rotations.  This first week on the ship has been one of the most difficult, fun, and tiring weeks of anything I’ve ever done.  From waking up at 00:30 for the dreaded dawn watch, which is never really that bad, to making yourself fall asleep at 09:30 in the morning while being thrown around in your bunk to puking over the rails during watch, being on this ship has forced to adjust quickly.  It really messes with your head.

They say time moves fast when you are having fun, but I haven’t found that to be quite the case here. The time will sometimes move fast while you are miserable and slow when you are not.  It is all very weird and unlike any experience I have ever had before.  Today was the first day where I didn’t find myself checking my watch all the time and that made me happier.  Field day allowed me to shout my favorite songs knowing only the people on the ship would hear it. This is good considering my singing abilities.  It was nice to see everyone doing the same thing today and to see all the smiles on the ship.  I think all of us are feeling rejuvenated after today and ready to get back underway!  Hope everyone reading this back home is doing well.

That’s all for now! Byeeeee.

- Harrison Reeves, Purdue University gap year student

PS:  Mom, Dad, and Tag- I miss you very much and want you know that I am being fed well and that they even give us a midnight snack. Casey- I love you so much and miss you every day.  I can’t wait to get back to you and to call you on the 18th.   Also, Happy 9 months! (didn’t think I would forget, did ya?! I would never!!) See you soon bubba.

Editor's Note: In response to the coronavirus pandemic, all SEA Semester students, faculty, and crew aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer boarded the ship after strictly isolating on our Woods Hole campus for a minimum of two weeks, and after repeated negative tests for COVID-19. To ensure the health and safety of those onboard, the ship will not conduct any port stops and will remain in coastal waters so that any unlikely medical situations may be resolved quickly.