Thursday 18th: Rough Waters

..............................................................I went to bed last night, it was very windy and there was scattered rain. I woke up at 7 to the same weather. The bow of the ship was rocking up and down, and I was trying to get dressed as quickly as possible because the sea-sickness started to kick in. When I came on deck I noticed I wasn’t the only one.


Although it started off rocky, this was my favorite day on Gazela. I was on duty in the Wheel House to start. There, I learned from Patrick the navigation system. After my hour there, I moved on to steering at the helm with Scott. It is such a good learning experience here on the ship, everyone is always teaching.
By the time I got to lookout, the wind started to settle and the rain stopped. We anchored right at noon.


We are now anchored in the St. Mary’s River, Maryland.
Once we were anchored we washed the deck and cleaned below. We have to be ready for the Red Cross Waterfront Festival in Alexandria. Since Gazela was hired to be there as an attraction, we want her to look her best.








...........................................................The rain was back on again when the crew gathered on deck as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd mates and the captain explained emergency procedures and safety equipment. During a fire, man over board or ship sinking, everyone is responsible for a specific task.
The weather changes constantly here. By the time emergency procedures were reviewed it was sunny and hot. We had a nice swim jumping off the side of the ship and the bow.




.........................................................Dinner was served by our creative cook, Paul Parsons,(above picture) who made a seafood dish.


We will get underway tomorrow so we can get through the bridge by midnight. We will dock in the dark.
-Abby Fazio