Location: Porto Venere, Ital¥
Last you heard of us. We had raised our sails and set course to Porto Venere. Little did we know, a storm was brewing in many of our stomachs. After a hardy dinner of cous cous and delicious toppings, the waves started rolling and hitting us from the side. The weather turned, and it became rainy, cold, and dark. All of a sudden, our crew fell ill. There were students leaning over the side, curled up in balls, and ridding themselves of everything inside of them. As we were cleaning up after dinner, people would be scrubbing bowls, stop, then launch themselves toward the leeward railing to hurl, just to return minutes later to finish cleaning the bowls. We then heard rumors of chunder down below. Vomit was everywhere, including a poor soul’s pillowcase. Sorry, Skylar. Many staff and Alison were troopers as they scrubbed away at the mounds of green.
On deck, we were holding on tightly as the rollers continued to rock our boat. Then, a snap. The reef line on the main blew, and we had to work quickly to drop it. As the floodlights came on, we saw the carnage of students leaning over the railings and vomit-soaked decks. We dropped the main and continued to sail into the night, with those off watch attempting to sleep. In the morning, spirits were up, and dolphins were even spotted. We were all growing into our sea legs and were able to eat a delicious lunch of baked potatoes, bacon, and broccoli. A lifesaver for many. Thank you, Mia. The day continued on, and we received news that we would get into port early, so our classes were postponed until the next morning so that we would not have to take notes in the rolling seas. The PSCT students, however, had an intriguing class going over the ColRegs as it began to rain again. Arriving at port, everything seemed so peaceful. The rain stopped, the clouds were dissipating, and many of us, we watched, mouths agape at the incredible sunset. The port has castles and hills and beautifully painted buildings. We set anchor and ate a scrumptious meal of stir fry as we reminisced the fever dream of the past 24 hours. Vibes are amazing now, as many are grateful for the lack of waves. Now we finish our duties as we watch a lightning storm from afar. All in all, it was an eventful passage. Thankfully, our vomit storm has passed–for now.
Yours truly,
a non-vomiting crew member
Amelia L.