At the Wheel

A perk of going to school on a hospital ship is the fantastic, once in a lifetime type fieldtrips we get to take! This past week is a perfect example! The teachers were batting around fieldtrip ideas a few weeks ago and one of the teachers happened to say how cool it would be to get to go out on the big covered lifeboat! Why not?!? The worst that can happen is the Captain telling us no, so I went ahead and asked. To my surprise, he was all for it!

Last Thursday the entire elementary met out on deck 7 and get suited up in lifejackets and then we traipsed through midships and down the gangway following our captain down to the dock. The hardest, but most heartwarming part of the whole trip was climbing down the ladder that is bolted to the pier to get in and out of the lifeboat. The kids were so brave and focused as they descended the ladder into the arms of the officers already down in the boat. The men from the deck department were so helpful and encouraging as each student and teacher made the steep descent and it was so lovely to hear everyone yelling encouragement to each other!

When we were finally all onboard, Officer Coltan drove us out in to the open water and proceeded to let each and every student havea turn at the wheel! The kids got to decide which direction to make the boat go and how fast to make it go when it was their turn at the wheel and the looks of excitement and wonder were fantastic! Even the teachers go a chance at the wheel! We waved at the patients up on deck 7 as we drove by the ship and they happily waved back to the little orange clad sailors!

When we had all had out turn, we headed back for the dock where the encouragement ensued once more as each student carefully ascended the ladder with Mr. Philip (our electrician) right behind each, ensuring their safety. When we were all safely on form ground again, Captain Milo thanked us for coming and all the students gave him a huge group hug! It was us who should have been thanking him though! Every single person in the deck department worked hard to help this fieldtrip happen, from those setting out our lifejackets, to those who lowered the life boat, to those who actually took us out, to those who cleaned it afterward, and we are so grateful! What an incredible experience! I cannot express enough how grateful I am that our community onboard values our littlest crew members so highly! Kids are one of the greatest blessings onboard. They do so much to make this big metal box feel like a home!