Location: Les Saintes, Guadeloupe
To whoever is reading this, hello and welcome to the 10th day of our lovely voyage.
Day 10. Somehow.
Im not exactly sure how we got here so quickly, because it feels like we only boarded Ocean Star yesterday. Today, Liz brought up how strange it is that weve only known each other for ten days, yet it already feels like much longer. And she had a point. But then again, most people do not start friendships by immediately living in the same floating house, taking ocean showers, brushing their teeth next to each other, eating brownies and milk in the dark at 3 a.m., hitchhiking with a random couple on a strange island, waking each other up like human alarm clocks at ungodly hours, holding hands every night during squeeze, and having moo-offs. Yes, Actual moo-offs, its exactly what it sounds like it is.
So yes, ten days might seem short. But in Sea|mester time, thats pretty much enough to skip small talk completely.
Today on Ocean Star, we learned that a good day does not always need a giant dramatic moment. Sometimes all you need is a bit of diving, music, a nice meal, and good company.
The morning started with music playing while everyone moved around the boat getting ready for the day. At this point, Ocean Star has started to feel less like a boat and more like a floating house where everyone is always slightly wet, slightly tired, and somehow still in a good mood. Some of us went scuba diving, which is still one of those things that feels casually insane when you think about it. One minute you are sitting on deck, and the next you are 100 feet underwater breathing from a tank like a very confused fish with responsibilities.
After diving and getting ourselves sorted, Alyssa made lunch as our head chef for the day. She made a kale pasta with chickpeas on the side. I feel like the chickpeas deserve their own sentence heremaybe even their own paragraph.
The chickpeas were great.
Later, we had navigation class, where we used charts to measure distances between points and figure out directions. This made us feel very official. Were we suddenly expert sailors? Absolutely not. But did we stare at charts, measure lines, talk about bearings, and briefly feel like old explorers planning a voyage across the sea? Yes. And honestly, that counts for something.
In the evening, we went ashore in Les Saintes while Gabe and Zoe stayed back to man the ship. This is one of those things thats easy to overlook, but it really matters. Because of them, the rest of us got to wander around, eat together, and enjoy the island knowing Ocean Star was in good hands.
On the way to dinner, we saw a very cute, very chubby cat. I do not know its name, its story, or its official role on the island, but I do know it had main character energy.
Dinner itself was one of those moments that felt ordinary while it was happening, but I think well all understand later how special it really was. We were sitting together, eating, laughing, talking, and smiling in that easy way people do when theyve started to become comfortable with each other. At some point, mid-dinner, mid-laughter, and mid-smile, I paused and looked down the table from where I was sitting at the head of it. For a second, I just watched everyone.
It hit me that this was one of those moments people dont always appreciate fully while theyre living it, but miss dearly later in life.
I tapped Erik, who was sitting next to me, and I could tell he saw it too. We didnt really have to explain it. It was just one of those quiet understandings. The kind where you both realize, at the same time, that appreciation is due.
The rest of dinner was full of the kind of conversations that somehow only happen on trips like this. I talked with Perry about traveling, life, and all sorts of fun and slightly crazy stories, including, but not limited to, the time a nurse shark bit his head. Parents, relax. I am being told it was a friendly nibble. To be fair, though, he does wear a Nemo hat, so maybe there was some confusion on the sharks end.
That is what I am starting to realize Sea|mester is really about. Yes, its sailing, diving, navigation, night watches, cleaning, classes, and learning how to live on a boat. But more than that, its about the small moments that sneak up on you. Music in the morning. Lunch in a circle. A chart that slowly starts to make sense. A chubby cat on the walk to dinner. A conversation you didnt expect. A table full of wonderful people laughing in a place none of you will ever experience the same way again.
One day, well all be back in our normal lives, probably cleaner, and definitely better rested. But I think part of us will miss this version of life. Well miss the boat, the islands, the meals, the inside jokes, the tired mornings, the strange little routines, and the people who somehow became part of our story in such a short amount of time.
Today was not dramatic. It wasnt perfect. It didnt need to be.
It was one of those days that reminds you that living fully does not always mean chasing the biggest adventure. Sometimes it just means noticing where you are, who youre with, and how lucky you are to be there before the moment becomes a memory.
And tonight, in Les Saintes, we noticed.