Morning watch was cool because we got to do a bit of rapidfire sail-handling. When the watch started, the weather was nice, but that didn't last for long. We sailed through a squall for about fifteen minutes and so had to take in the spanker. After it passed, we reset the spanker. I stood second lookout and got a free shower when another squall came by. I observed from the focslehead that we had significantly changed course towards W, and when I was done I watched as Rebecca tried to adapt to the frequently shifting winds. I, along with Yo and Leonard, cleaned the galley, then we set the spanker one more time prior to the turn of the watch. I know the goal is to make it to Anguilla still, but if the winds are uncooperative, who knows where we'll end up?
Woke myself up at around 1000 and continued work on my Spanish/Portuguese nautical translations. I also stitched up the spikesheath on my rig because my spike was poking out the bottom and stabbing my ass. Had a very eventful watch today filled with sail-setting, -handling, and aloft work. I was slotted for fourth helm, so the first hour I had Nadia quiz me on my Spanish terms while we had to jump to set or take in the spanker a few times. We also had to set the outer jib. It's getting much better with trainees knowing where to go instead of having large groups in one spot, and sail-handling is much smoother. We were under power the whole day because what are almost always NE winds in these parts are today SE winds due to the unusual weather. About three or four squalls passed over us during watch, but I didn't even bother putting on foulies. While Yo was on helm I relieved her for fifteen minutes so she could go and loose the tgallants and royals so they could dry a bit. However, another squall came later and they were up and stowed again while I was on fourth helm. Rebecca went aloft to stow and told me, "Fred, you have the con," which I thought was the coolest thing that could ever be said to me. At the turn of the watch, I went aloft to up and stow the foresl, which is the first time I've been up in what feels like a while. Plus, I did it barefoot and shirtless during a squall! (I forgot to mention that Shawn, Liam, Dan, and Donald [the fishing crew] caught a bluefin tuna today, but released it because it wasn't big enough. Big enough for what, I don't know, because it was about two feet long.) Before dinner the Captain mustered us to tell us basically not to be idiots in Anguilla and to have a good time. After dinner, I spent a while typing up my logs from Lunenburg to present although in two hours I only made it to the gale. It's funny how much I've developed since then. Jimmy and I polished off the rest of our secret Oreos stash and now I'm going to bed. Sometime tomorrow we should arrive in Anguilla.
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