It has been a month and a half since I have joined the Galeon and time has already flown by. Maybe it is because there is no free time to stop and think, every day is intense, whether we are working or not. Addicionally, we are absolutely exhausted after our work days, and we need to take advantage and see as much as we can while resting on our days off.

We barely have time to think back on everything we are doing; all of the cities we have visited and all the people we are meeting. The moments where we can stop and reflect upon our voyage are great. I found myself in the deep blue sea, with all of the tranquility and peace that comes with the sounds of the ocean and the wind. On the Galeon we sail with only 17 crew members, and it is my duty to write the chronicles of our passage between Baton Rouge to Brunswick.

On the 8th of May, at 6:00 in the morning we embarque towards Brunswick. During the voyage, the crew is divided in three watches with two per day: from 12 to 4, from 4 8, and from 8 to 12. I am chosen for the mid-day watch, and it gives me time to sleep a little bit before the start of my next watch.

My first watch was very calm, the Galeon was running at around 11 knots thanks to the current from the Mississippi River. After our watch ended, Ares, Gonzalo, Sergio, Bruno and I climbed the foremast to see New Orleans from the heights of the ship; indubitably the city where I had the most fun since I have been in the USA. The French Quarter was fantastic, there was an enormous market and food venders of all kinds. Bourbon Street was our late night adventure, which truly lived up to its name. Overall, the city is known for its music. It was a privelage to go into any bar in the afternoon, ask for a cold beer and be able to listen to a great quality jazz concert.

At night Carlos made some fajitas and they were a big hit. I went to sleep with a good taste in my mouth knowing that when I woke up it would be my birthday.

The start of my 24th birthday wasn´t great. The port motor wasn´t working correctly for a tree trunk had gotten caught in the propeller. Thank goodness for our captain Pablo, with his resolution and experience we could pull free without any problems. After a brief intense 15 minutes that felt like an eternity we reached the delta of the Mississippi and onwards to the Gulf of Mexico.

The first person to wish me a happy birthday was Mateo, the storeroom manager, which is a huge responsibility. If any food goes missing he is the man everyone turns to. In his defense, everyone onboard eats alot out of boredom. After him, lots of wishes came from my watch and all the rest of the crew. Bosco made me a decoration on the chalkboard; I wont judge his art but he had great intentions.

On the high seas the day passed like any other day of navigation, except of course Majo screaming with delight at some whales that breached close to the ship. This was the first time I hade ver seen a whale, and to see two on the same day on my birthday was very special.

After this nice pause, we got back to work. My tasks during the watch were to keep the machines running, checking them every half hour. Whenever I came up from the engine room I would work any job that was necessary. Today I painted a pipe, I had to finish my job before I could eat. Charlie the quartermaster came up and offered to finish my paint job. I thanked him and started towards the kitchen and was in shock when the whole crew broke out in song with a cake full of candles. They caught me totally by surprise, it was all set up perfectly, they even let me drink a coke while I ate (a special treat during a voyage). As soon as I finished eating they called Charlie out for not even picking up the paintbrush, and we all laughed. We all carry our own weight on board, and a birthday is no exception. The rest of the day was like any other, but I will always keep fond memories of my first birthday on the high seas.

I dont know how to describe the day after my birthday. The routine that we follow during our navegation mixes all of our days together. Every day is similar to the next, except that we learn new things and have new experiences. Almost every day we saw dolphins and flying fish. One day we caught a barracuda, and while passing Miami a large osprey sat on our yard arm and accompanied us for about an hour. Initially it seemed like a sweet and friendly bird, but then it started to send gifts from above and we had to scare it off. Also, we were accompanied by a family of tiny friendly colorful birds; one of them lande don Majo´s head. All of us know that Majo is dangerous when she´s angry, but luckily she was happy.

It is always wonderful to see animals, and during our time off we spend our time staring off into the sea. Each one of us has different techniques to pass the time. Since we are offshore, no one can talk on the phone or use the Internet, but before we leave for the next port we download movies. We play board games as well to have fun, but for some it isn´t a game, its a serious affair(Sergio). Some crew members play video games, but I think that reading books is the most popular pastime while we are at sea. Some, like Ryan, play the guitar like a professional, and others such as myself are trying to learn. The truth is that there is an infinite number of things to do. There are no days where I feel bored, nor any days that I havent enjoyed.

It is the sixth day of the voyage, and everyone is readying themselves for the morning docking, and to visit the new port and meet new people. We wont forget the hard days of work and of course our lovely night watches.

To finalize my chronicles, I send hugs to my family and friends. There are hard moments in which I wish that we werent so far from each other, but I am sure that I will never regret living this great experience that I have just started.

Víctor Castellanos Rodríguez.