At precisely 11:43 this morning, C watch piled onto the elephant table amongst the sails alongside their current watch officers, Kevo, Geoff, and I, for our routine watch meeting-a tradition that occurs before every afternoon watch. The Cramer once more surrounded by land and calm waters, Virgin Gorda to the east, Tortola to the west, bright skies and blue-tinged cumulus clouds above.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a little homesick lately. This being said, I have also come to think of this ship as my home, with all of its weird and wonderful quirks. I can finally find my way around the ship in the pitch black and recognize my friends/shipmates in the dark before hearing their voice.

On our first full, 6-hour watch underway on the ship, I was assigned to the engine room. During our time here, each student gets the opportunity to spend a day in the life of the ship’s engineers (the dynamic duo: Henry and Sonia).

I’ve always been drawn to the sea. Ever since I can remember, the ocean is where I’ve felt the happiest- and the most at home. Days spent building enormous sandcastles with my dad and brother on the bustling beaches of Narragansett, summers full of freckles and laughter at sailing school, roadside clam strips with my mom on our way to the Cape, and bone-chilling sunrise plunges into Copenhagen harbor last semester with friends.

Were I challenged to summarize the sailor’s experience in a single word, I believe I would choose ‘dichotomous’.  The thought has indeed struck me many times over these last years since I took up this job – no, lifestyle – of being a sail training merchant mariner.  While not an easy lifestyle, it is a simple one – and in many ways, concrete as well as abstract, it is also quite dichotomous.

Life can really take you places. Physically, we have sailed over 1700 nautical miles, been to three countries/territories, and sailed passed countless more.  But also in what you see, do, feel, accomplish, and even eat, life can surprise you.

Two nights ago I did not sleep well.  Around 0230, I first awoke to the sound of the port jib sheet winch being cranked away on, we were gybing.  I could feel the heel of the boat increase and then I heard light rain hit the deck.  I lay there thinking about our arrival to Dominica and the excitement of coming up on deck in a few hours and seeing land, smelling land, hearing land.

Hello Friends and Family!

I am writing to you from my small home of a bunk, on the port side of the main salon.

After leaving from Grenada yesterday it has been a little shuffle returning to the routine of the ship, remembering that we do need to sleep during the day, and to keep our shoes in our bunks. In terms of the 25th Feb I am lucky enough (or perhaps silly enough) to admit that A watch has had the pleasure of being awake for most of it.

There was a fair amount of excitement in the air this morning as everyone got up to the deck to check whether we are still anchored or already on our way. Today we are setting the sails to depart Grenada and head north towards St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to our next port stop – Bequia.