Swimcall on Thor Heyerdahl

From Panama to Kuba! They are our two longest stops ashore on this voyage and we are currently in between them. It took us 8 days from Panama to Kuba and it was a time full of winds from the wrong direction, good winds and no winds.

For starters we hadsome very big waves and the ship started moving a lot.So most of us got seasick again, which was too bad, because when so many people are either vomiting or sleeping, life on board Thor Heyerdahl is dead. Nobody is there and you feel a little bit lonely. Also, the first school day didn’t improve the situation. Our first two lessons were Biology and just 4 out of 17 KUSis were really able to get anything from it. So Lukas R. decided during the third lesson to cancel school and the rest of the day was free. It was amazing! I had time to write in my diary and read a book.  That was the first time during the entire trip. Three days later we had school again, but this time most of us were mentally present and Iris started a second try at teaching us something about “Pantoffeltierchen.” So our daily routine on board could return. But the last days were a little bit exhausting for me:

We had no wind for the last 3 days, so it was calm and we had to make due with Olga, the main engine, once again. And I find the noise of the machine super stressful.

But the water was as smooth as glass and it was just inviting us to go for a swim.

On the last day, Jacob gave us a surprise: We were allowed to jump in. As most of us had already given up hope, the joy was all the greater. The swim was unbelievably beautiful. The water was crystal clear and there was only a slight swell, which reminded us all a little of a wave pool. It was definitely the crowning glory of the Panama-Cuba leg. I think it made up for the seasickness at the beginning for many of us.