This is Panyu logging in here. After being physically “tortured” by Super Station Deployment (all three nets deployed Neuston Tow, Tuckertroll Deep and Shallow, and yet another Hydrocast), a hectic hour-long lab practical exam, a totally out-of-expectation fire drill on the boat, getting stranded and soaked in a sudden squall while on watch, and finally finishing up the first policy draft for the Conservation and Management class, I am now EXHAUSTINGLY HAPPY and CANNOT FEEL MUCH STRONGER!

Today righteously marks a total of two weeks of stay in the Robert C. Seamans. Two weeks ago on the 3rd of July, we group of young people excitingly boarded this brigantine in Pier 9 in Honolulu. These two weeks to me are like a long span of two years. Yet they are a fast two years of repeating the same errands every single day. Being woken up for either breakfast or dinner forty minutes before the start of the six-hour watch, routinely putting on my harness like a soldier buckling his gun and sword, half-awake and half-asleep, dragging my body to the quarterdeck for a quick turn over with the previous watch, then either heading to the head rig for a bow watch, leaving the deck for the galley to begin the daily cleanup, or diving into the buzzy engine room logging all those fluctuating numbers… If you are still reading, I really appreciate your patience, just like I appreciate my own considering that I have not yet jumped off the boat for an
attempt of swimming back home and I am still alive keeping myself after tasks for fourteen days in a row. Yes, patience is the keyword for today, for tomorrow, and for the rest of the expedition.

My first boat dream is me lying on a peaceful beach with fruit margarita by hand and magnificent Pacific sunset in the background. As a recent graduate from college who finished her undergraduate degree in honor in mathematics and computational engineering in three years and who has a decent job lined up in September, I stubbornly thought I deserved a much better post-graduate summer holiday experience than being stranded on a boat doing tedious labor work (well they can be tediously interesting).

However, the reason that I am still mentally upbeat for all the repetitions and daily hustle bustle and the reason that I have not yet gone overboard is that I firmly believe there is something out there calling me to stay stronger and more patient. There is something subtly beautiful waiting for me to discover.

I can never forget the ecstasy, after days of disappointment, of beholding the first ever appendicularian sitting under the microscope after sorting out the 40 ml tucker trawl deep samples for hours. For many times, I was assigned to the task of steering the ship during dawn watch (from 1:00am to 7:00am), but I was too exhausted and sleepy and ended up with hugging the helm as if it was my pillow. My watch officer Ashley would then pat my shoulder, point to the east, and say, “Hey, Panyu, see the sky over there? The sunrise is happening!” The horizon far, far away was dyed in layers of colors that I have never seen in my life. I can never forget the relief of showering in the first ray of sunlight and beholding the newborn sun rising slowly after hours of rush in and out of the doghouse and work on deck. The other day I was lying on the net near the bow. I was hung up in the air above the roaring ocean. I felt like flying with the boat like a tropicbird. Furthermore, I had the best view of the ship from where I sat.

Robert C. Seamans is such a quietly brilliant warrior who steadily marches to his destination day and night.  Soon tomorrow morning we will be close enough to see Enderbury Island! A lot of expectations for the first PIPA atoll island we will see. So far a moral lesson learned is that the beautiful things are the fruit of patience and discovery. Stay strong and stay patient!

Before I log off, I want to let my family and friends know that I miss you all so much! I want to tell you that I am doing very well and please do not worry about me. I will be back safe and sound very soon.

To every best version of you,
Panyu Peng