Fiji to Bali – Summer 2024

This is it, guys! After nearly three months, 5510 nautical miles, 433 night hours, and 57 sea days, Argo's Summer 2024 voyage is officially and sadly over. It still feels unreal that we're not on the boat anymore- the boat that became our home and served with undying loyalty to the crew that became our family.

Today began with a breakfast of anything we had left (prepared lovingly by Gabe and friends). This included avocado toast, pop tarts, eggs, dragon fruit, pineapple, and cake. We then began the hard part: goodbyes. Hugs were shared, a few tears were shed, and one by one, Argo's deck became quiet and empty.

The boys + Elanore didn't leave the dock just yet, however, as Spencer's friendly nature and supernatural ability to learn new languages got us a tour of the neighboring superyacht. Dressed in a coat of shiny black and with a carbon fiber mast towering 78 meters above the sea, this ship was INSANE. We met the captain and received a full, in-depth tour of nearly every nook and cranny.

We then all explored Denpasar and enjoyed our final day in Bali. Reagan, Lexy, Olivia, and Addy dropped their luggage off at a hotel downtown and enjoyed some lunch and gelato. Addy and Lexy then left for the airport. Reagan had pool and spa time, while Olivia chilled in the hotel room. They are currently ordering room service and watching a weird movie.

Beck got a sick shark tattoo on his back and then joined the boys for their last supper. Iain and I ordered a huge pizza, which Spencer and Beck both helped finish. And now we're on our way to the airport, where we will say our last goodbyes.

I bid you all a very bittersweet final farewell and leave you with this poem by Don Blanding, shared by our lovely Kackie this morning. May we all think about these words as we fly home and reflect on this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity:

How very simple life would be
If only there were two of me
A Restless Me to drift and roam
A Quiet Me to stay at home.
A Searching One to find his fill
Of varied skies and newfound thrill
While sane and homely things are done
By the domestic Other One.
And that's just where the trouble lies;
There is a Restless Me that cries
For chancy risks and changing scenes,
For arctic blue and tropic green,
For deserts with their mystic spell,
For lusty fun and raising Hell,
But shackled to that Restless Me
, My Other Self rebelliously
Resists the frantic urge to move.
It seeks the old familiar groove.
That habits make. It finds content
With hearth and home — dear prisonment,
With candlelight and well-loved books
And treasured loot in dusty nooks,
With puttering and garden things
And dreaming while a cricket sings
And all the while the Restless One
Insists on more exciting fun,
It wants to go with every tide,
No matter where…just for the ride.
Like yowling cats, the two selves brawl
Until I have no peace at all.
One eye turns to the forward track. The other eye looks sadly back.
I'm getting wall-eyed from the strain
(It's tough to have an idle brain)
, But One says "Stay," and One says "Go,"
And One says "Yes," and One says "No,"
And One Self wants a home and wife
And One Self craves the drifter's life.
The Restless Fellow always wins
, and I wish my folks had made me twins.

And alas, it's me (Steph) again, typing out my last final blog on my last program on Seamester ever. I somehow have only cried twice today, which actually feels pretty decent. Once, when Kackie read this poem, which I was expecting, and once, when I asked Gabe to play Landslide during breakfast cleanup, which is one of my cry songs, that was basically into tears. Oh, and I cried at the final squeeze last night because it was actually my for-real final squeeze. Anyways, walking down the dock one of many times today shuttling students up to various taxis and whatnot, I thought about my time here over the last almost four years. I am wildly grateful for the lovely people in the office in Sarasota for giving me the opportunity to do this crazy job/life. I remember a friend I worked with at the park service telling me that I should take this job because it's once in a lifetime and anything else would be waiting for me when I got back. He was right. This has changed my life and me completely in such a short time. The people that I have met (students, staff, office staff, people in all the countries we go to) have made such a lasting impact on me. I have been lucky enough to turn into a 'boat person' and find a love for sailing and teaching that I never thought I would have. These boats (Argo, Vela, and Ostar) have become my homes, and the people on them have become my family. I have been lucky enough to sail all the way around the world with some of my absolute best friends. I am forever indebted to Garrison for talking my ear off about how great his Seamester experience was as a student almost five years ago. To think my last program I got to have his sister Anabelle on board Argo. I could never fully put into words what this life, this job, and this experience have given to me. I could keep rambling about how much this place means to me (I promised you sappy, didnt I?), but that would be a bit ridiculous, so I'll spare you. I will always be emotionally attached to all three of these boats, and it will always be the place where it all really started for me. Thank you a million times to anyone and everyone who has been a part of this, near and far. This will always hold the biggest piece of my heart.

For the final time, #4, out.