Happy ride, Cowboys!!

Isa Rosso

The start of Cowboys’ ride

It seems like an old memory...that doomsday I detailed in my last post. A very calm ocean is now surrounding us. A bigger swell is sometimes appearing, but nothing so dramatic to notice. I can finally sleep! And, finally, the phone is no longer attempting to hit me!

Cowboys is ready for deployment with Uday, Nivas, and Rakesh

Two days ago I had my last station, and my last float, Cowboys (Apex #12757), was deployed! Cowboys touched the water at 51 00.78’ S, 57 32.41’ E at 11:32AM on January 24, and left the deck riding smooth and gentle waves. The name of the float comes from the mascot of the Salinas High School, which is a cowboy. I’m waiting to see its first profile, as Cowboys was, together with Lil Sinker, in the rollercoaster of Jan 18. Fingers crossed all the sensors are OK! You can check it on the SOCCOMviz website.

As we are approaching our last site (at 40 degrees south), in search, again, for the lost mooring, the mood around is fizzy and excited, projected towards the end of the expedition. I started packing already, writing my reports, finishing up some work, in this wake of newfound excitement. I’m thinking about these past weeks. It feels like we’ve spent a year on board. My body feels like it: I have new wrinkles to prove it! 😮 Zoe said that we went from summer to winter, and now we’re witnessing the blooming spring. We’ll reach Mauritius in summer, and I confess I’m not ready for the sticky, humid heat waiting for us there!! 

It’s always like this, for me, when I’m on a cruise. Time flows in a different way. Probably because of the intensity of every day. Friendships happen at a fast pace on a ship, in just a few weeks it’s common to bond deeply with someone. It's so intense that the goodbyes always hurt. But it's also precious, because then you have new beautiful relationships to nurture once back home... despite the distance. 

Indian Republic Day flag hoisting

Today is the Indian Republic Day, and I’m very happy to celebrate this important day with my mates here. In the morning, we had the flag hoisting on the heli deck, and the Indian anthem was sung. Then, we had a sweet buffet and a delicious cake prepared by the cooks (yuuuuum!!!!). 

I gotta get ready now for the night party!!  🎉

The fog appeared from nowhere and surrounded us in a huge and cold hug