I’m Thankful for…

Thanksgiving aboard the Sᴓrlandet took place today. Of course classes ran as normal, but the feeling of family, friends, laughter, and an autumn breeze stirred across the ship. The face of almost everyone was lit up with joy. Best of all, however, was the little things, and some major things, that truly made it a thanksgiving to remember.

Maritime Studies, a daily class on seamanship, was mandatory for all students today and I dreaded this at first. I kept thinking that it’s Thanksgiving, why can’t they give us the day off? However, pro crew had some tricks up their sleeves and we played a massive game of tug-of-war which bent around every corner of the deck. Rope over 250 feet wound its way through blocks and crisscrossed the masts. It was a true family event. Our crew was split in two and we strategized like crazy. Secret code was shouted down the line and certain words had us hitting the deck faster than most can make-fast a line (tie a line around a wooden peg). The team I was on unfortunately lost, but it didn’t matter too much because we did to break two stoppers (very thick line) simultaneously.

The banjer was adorned with hand prints and messages which spread our thanks. Family dinner (dinner where maritime, academic, and student crew eat together) included turkey, stuffing, yams, carrots, potatoes, and best of all the freshly baked pumpkin pie! Leftovers were plentiful so I helped myself to at least 3 slices of pie and slept for 7 hours straight. Overall, it was a wondrous occasion which left us students counting down the days until American Thanksgiving.