Never a Dull Moment

11 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean – over 4000 nautical miles. In some ways the last 11 days have flown by and in other ways it felt like we were never going to reach Panama. So was it smooth sailing? In some ways yes – we had beautiful weather and calm seas the entire journey. In fact at the half way point, right when we were smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic, we had a day where the ocean looked like a pond. No exaggeration it was like glass. So strange to see the North Atlantic so brilliant blue and calm. It was beautiful. I feel very privileged and honored to have had the opportunity to cross all the big oceans in the world more than once and experience them in their many forms.

As is true to form for life on a ship we did have some drama during this crossing. About day 4 we had ANOTHER student with a medical emergency. Well day four was not the best time to have a medical situation because we were about 2000 nautical miles from anywhere! Luckily the student was stable but the decision was made to speed up and get us closer to land as soon as possible. We sped up to about 18 knots (this ship only goes 21 knots) and you could really feel the speed difference. Luckily this was when we were in that super calm water so the increase in speed didn’t shake us around that much.

So on day eight we were in the Caribbean and close enough to land to do a medical evacuation. However we were still too far out for a medical boat to reach us. So what did they do? Well the US Coast Guard flew in with a medical helicopter and picked up the two students of course. Yes, I did say TWO students – by day 8 we had ANOTHER student with a medical condition that needed attention.

It was quite an experience to see the evacuation. The sky was brilliant blue and this bright red helicopter flew in and hovered over our back deck. One of the Coast Guard guys came down on a cable and they proceeded to lift one student up in a basket and the other student was raised up on a stretcher. I actually didn’t see most of the rescue but I was out there to see the Coast Guard officer raise back up on the cable and then saw the chopper take off for Puerto Rico.

So if any of you are counting we are now up to four students who have been medically evacuated – and we are less than 30 days into the voyage! There have been some questions raised around the decisions our shipboard doctor has made. Apparently there was some question as to whether or not the first two students evacuated really need to be evacuated. This doctor has never worked on a ship and he speaks very limited English (he’s Bulgarian) which has complicated all of these decisions. Don’t know if this is true but I’ve heard a rumor that we might be switching doctors in Panama. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

So how has life been for me during this last crossing? Well it was definitely better than our crazy trek to Portugal (I’m still having nightmares about that one). Having 11 days gave us much more time to prepare and get leaders and students prepared for their field programs in Panama. It was still crazy busy though. I’m having a difficult time finding balance. I’m sad to say that I didn’t make it outside these last 11 days more than maybe a cumulative total of an hour and a half. I’ve been working about 12 hour days and no matter how hard we plan and prepare everything ends up being done last minute and everything seems to go into crisis mode before it’s done. Most of that is because of our limited communication with the home office folks --- we plan and prepare and then at the last minute receive all kinds of crazy changes. Internet is a dismal mess – sometimes it takes 15 minutes to load my Yahoo Mail login page! Forget opening attachments -- that could be an all day task! It’s like watching paint dry. The satellite also went down A LOT our last few days before Panama.

Also working with the Executive Team onboard is still as challenging as it was before. I’ve never worked for a leadership team that operates so completely and totally in reactive mode. A problem comes up or someone complains and they jump to react – no thinking through things strategically or trying to look ahead and be proactive. It’s really hurt us in Port Programs because our department does not have a voice around the Executive Team table. So changes that impact our area have been made and we are never informed or consulted. It’s kind of infuriating. No matter how hard we try and keep the channels of communication flowing and no matter how many times things get screwed up because one of their changes has an impact that they didn’t realize (because they didn’t ask us!) our pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears. I was really hoping that after Portugal things would be less reactive and communication channels would be developed and utilized more but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be happening.

I’m hanging in there though. I am really holding on to the idea that things should slow down after Ecuador. After Panama we only have three days before we arrive in Ecuador so we are scrambling to get everything done for both Panama and Ecuador simultaneously. Also Panama and Ecuador are tricky ports because of where we will be. In Panama we will be using tender boats part of the time and then once we get to shore it’s a 30 minute drive to the city. The other half of the time we will be in a highly restricted, high security fueling port that does not allow any vehicles to drive in nor can you just walk in – we will have to use shuttles to get us in and out of the port area. In Ecuador we are going to be berthed in an area where there is essentially nothing and it’s a 40 minute drive to the closest city. Both of those port situations will be particularly tough for those of us who have to work some during our port stay. You can’t just run off the ship and escape for a brief period. After Ecuador all of our berths are right in the middle of the cities we are in. So I’m hanging on til after Ecuador.

I hope that all is well with everyone at home. I think of all of you often and am missing seeing and talking to each of you. Take care – I’ll post again after Panama!