Location: Falmouth, Antigua
We love a clean boat around here, but today was not like an old boat appreciation day. Some call this MEGA BA for all the fun extra tasks involved. Judging by the singing and high spirits, I would say it may have been the favorite BA so far. Fueled with a warm spread of toasted bagels and fruit salad thanks to Zoe, Nick, and Ella, we cleaned all the gear that has been getting us through the semester, such as dive gear, PFDs (life jacket varieties), took off a few of our sails, deep cleaned the anchor locker, the bilges, the grey water, inventoried all our food and much more. Now Ocean star is looking beautiful but full of adventure, with gear hanging off every lifeline drying or PFDs being tested to make sure it holds air perfectly. Some jobs were grimier than others, but everyone put in an awesome effort to get it done in time for a swim break before heading to shore for the awards ceremony. The big news of yesterday felt even more exciting when our name was called out from the stage “and in the first place, OCEAN STAR”! The crew rushed onto the stage to claim this amazing representation of everything they have learned and accomplished as sailors this semester. Our big wooden first-place barrel can be seen in the photos below, but the value of the moment is hard to convey.
After a few hours of dancing and chatting with the other crews and enjoying the energy of the night, everyone made their way back to Ocean Star. I had been on board for the ceremony, so I surprised everyone with some s’mores and fairy lights in the cock pit for one of our last remaining squeezes. With our final night of anchor watches ahead, these last few days become even more precious and serve as a good reminder of the importance of living in the moment and making the most of it all, as I believe this bunch has absolutely embodied throughout their trip. It’s been a pleasure being a part of this semester.
I will leave you all with a quote. While it may not be new to you all, I believe takes on a new meaning after seeing the students grow into their roles and sail Ocean Star with such pride and ownership, I hope they take this with them in a few days as they go on to many new adventures. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for,” John Shedd.