Location: Soper's Hole, Tortola, BVI
To end it all, we went back to the beginning. I woke up the crew the same way I did on our very first day: a call and response. It went as follows: I say SEA, you say MESTER, SEA…MESTER!! The response could still use some work, to say the least. Everyone knew what was coming, a day of Boat Appreciation and our last hours together. The first few hours were consumed by packing, organizing, and scrubbing while we eagerly awaited our last sign-out night, our last opportunity for bonding and to say our goodbyes. In the meantime, we were tasked with writing a letter to every member aboard Ocean Star to let them know how we felt about them and our time together for the past 40 amazing days.
While this sounds simple enough, most everyone found it difficult to put a feeling and a bond into so few words. Speaking for myself, I shed a tear or two thinking back through the trip and recognizing how much everyone around me really meant to me and also the possibility that our paths may not cross again, although I sure hope they do. After the bags were packed and the deck was swabbed, we headed out to Captain Mulligans’ Restaurant. We took an open-air taxi, almost like a safari vehicle. It was the second time we had all been in the same vehicle, following Ocean Star. Once there, we ordered drinks and then some food like burgers and quesadillas and chicken. Then we sat silent, holding hands as we performed our final squeeze. We all said our appreciation of the trip and then answered our last squeeze question: What did you come here for? Did you achieve it? Many said they came here to step out of their comfort zone and push their limits through diving, sailing, and daily life on a boat; they responded enthusiastically that they had indeed achieved what they set out to do. Personally, I have dived a fair bit, and I’ve done my fair share of small boat sailing, so what I really came for was to build a community and a family, and I think we did just that. My appreciation of the trip was being able to walk away from such an incredible experience with memories that will last a lifetime, memories that are shared with 19 incredible friends. Tears followed, as did more drinks as we celebrated the end of something magical.
Throughout this trip, we have been looking forward to all of the simple things we left behind: clean sheets, a full-size toilet, dry clothes, air conditioning, long showers, and sleeping under blankets. Yet today, I can’t help but think of all the things we are leaving behind. It seems strange that I’ll miss pumping the head 50 times to flush, finding sand in my bunk, smell testing every piece of clothing I have, waking up at 7:00 to the intense heat of the galley, group ocean showers, shaving parties, and all of the beans that I tried to avoid. It doesn’t seem fair that just as we had all adjusted to our new life, we have to return to our old one, but I can say that no one will go back the same as when they started. We have all grown together and had the time of our lives while doing it. Here’s to the Summer of 2022 Ocean Star voyage, certainly one to remember.
20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Squeeze, Clap!