One Week Aboard Denis Sullivan

Brunswick, GA

November 9, 2023

Ship’s Log written by 2024 AmeriCorps Deckhand Educator Maeve Merkle-Scotland

Yesterday marked the new deckhand’s one week aboard the Denis Sullivan. It is amazing how much more accustomed to boat life we newbies have all become. With the first few days of information and program overview out of the way, new crew has been able to be apart of the all hands on deck maintenance aboard Denny. Who knew we would learn to fiberglass, go aloft, operate the generator and beyond, in just a couple days!

Something I’ve been thinking about recently as I continue finding new aspects of the ship that interest me is some advice I got recently. Coming from one of the outgoing crew during our “ask a deckie” session, he said to find what you are good at. It’s special the way that each crew member brings their own skills to the table, and can find their own niche to excel in. Together, we need everyone’s abilities to make the ship’s goals happen. Looking forward to the whole year, I’m so curious what I will end up doing.

Yet most exciting, is our plan to head to St. Croix tomorrow! Woo! We are all stoked for transit, anxiously anticipating the amount of hurls we take off the side underway, or what the exhaustion feels like to sleep during the day and stay up through the abyss of night. The bright skies, abundance of fish, and open oceans are huge points of excitement for us all. Stay tuned for how transit goes aboard the Dennis Sullivan!