Save the turtles with Gunilla

After being sick for two days, seeing the same 4 walls, roof, and floor. It was just like opening a door to heaven, Gunnila surrounded by a blue sea as far as the eye could see. We were just a speck in the ocean, but it left a great impression on me.

I was woken up at 03:30 by the night guard. Everyone in my group had a hard time getting up and getting dressed. I had been ill for two days and had spent my time sleeping and watching documentaries. Now I was ready for my duties on Gunnila. The smell of pancakes made me rush to the kitchen. But it was just the smell from the pancakes the last shift had eaten. I had a sandwich with cheese instead. This setback did not stop me from keeping my mood up though.

My tasks included checking the machine room, doing laundry, cleaning, and making sure everyone had clean towels. I checked these things every hour. I did find it very stressful. There was a lot of running in the stairs because many of my tasks were below deck. Every time I got up on deck though I was shocked by the view. Or moreso the fact that there was no view. It was pitch black. Only the light from the moon was available, and what little light arose from the kitchen and laundry room. It was the light from the laundry room that made me embarrass myself. The bright light made my night vision go away. Therefore I couldn't see anything when I got out on deck again. The rest of the group was sitting and waiting for instructions. They had their legs across the deck and were just chilling. I was on my way to the control cabin stumbling around in the dark caused me to trip on their legs and fall right on their laps. From their perspective I must have looked like a clown.

After the embarrassing incident the sun began to rise on the horizon. It is hard to get up in the middle of the night but the sunrise made it totally worth it. The sun's rays warmed my skin and I felt peak happiness. Before I could say “Gunilla” I was under the deck again to do my tasks.

Later that day we found a sea turtle and someone noticed that it was stuck. The captain decided to turn the whole ship around and save the turtle. Believe me when I say that turning Gunnila around is a process in and of itself. Down with all the sails, turn on the engine and after a few hundred meters Gunnila had turned 180 degrees and was ready to save the turtle. People scouted over the crystal blue sea and after some minutes we found the turtle. To everyone's astonishment the sea turtle was in fact not stuck. The turtle had just stopped at a plastic buoy to eat some seagrass. All the work for nothing. But at least I was lucky to spot a turtle twice that day.

Later that day I just scrubbed the deck and enjoyed the sea. When the day was over I turned back to my cabin and crawled down under my covers and try to catch some sleeå before getting up at 03:30 again tomorrow. I fell asleep to the rocking of the waves, knowing the next day was going to be as great as this one.

//Vilhelm

09/05-22