Arrival Day
Location: West End, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Day one! While the crew was working hard prepping the boat for our sail across the Atlantic, the students, bright-eyed and fueled with adventure, started arriving onboard Argo. As the students settled into their clean and freshly made bunks, Argo soon transitioned from an overwhelming vessel to their new home for the next 40 days. Some shipmates showed up early and eagerly wanted to get involved with boat projects; their help was very much welcome! Rolling into the evening, more and more students started to show up and instantly started getting to know each other and excitedly chatting about this new adventure they were all about to embark on together. The energy on the boat was so positive and upbeat, and everyone helped get new students oriented to their new home. As Tina and Amanda provisioned the boat and magically stashed enough food away for our entire crossing, Shelby prepped dinner to feed the hungry travelers. Dan, Griffin, and Ian were busy touring the new shipmates around the boat and finishing up projects to help keep Argo safe. As we sat down for dinner, the shipmates were getting to know one another, and it had already seemed as though they had been on Argo for a few days because of the friendships that were forming. The dinner rituals and clean-up were explained, and we closed the evening with our squeeze. This is something that takes place every night that gives crew and shipmates a chance to reflect on the day and appreciate the amazing opportunities that we have onboard Argo. We learned everyone’s names and why they wanted to join this adventure; we have a boat full of explorers and shipmates enthusiastic about sailing! The night closed with a quick clean-up and an orientation of some safety procedures. Shipmates tucked away into their cabins and called it a night after a long day of information, traveling, and orientation. We are excited about what’s ahead of us and can’t wait to take Argo across the ocean!