Today we find ourselves as nothing but a thimble of gimbals, tilting amongst the crashing waves of the vast ocean.

As I write this blog, we are hove to on a port tack, in the midst of a blustery gale with easily 15 ft waves in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean - an experience few people have, but none will easily forget.

“Who would have thought that a small, volunteer deckhand position that I started at 15 would lead me to this ship, my dream, and all of you who I now call family” - A thought I had while on watch the other day.

As I look out into the horizon, I wonder how these days could get any better.

Dearly Beloved,
I write to you from the beautiful blue of the open ocean.

At this point, everyone onboard knows the science report song, a tantalizing snippet of which is the title of this blog post.

Another busy day as everybody is still getting used to the watch schedule as well as the disorientation that comes with the floor, or rather soles, being constantly in motion.

It has been a busy couple of days and it can be a challenging transition: shore life to a life onboard a sailing scientific research ship at sea!

A fun-filled morning of hands-on skill training that included furling the jib on the head rig and climbing aloft!

The final days of S-299 were a whirlwind. In the wee hours of July 5, the students successfully completed their mission; all watches worked together and accomplished navigating to and completing a neuston net tow at three CalCOFI sampling stations.