Location: Antigua Slipway
“Ocean Star has not looked this good in at least a month! We have got all her bunks made up, the floors scrubbed, the deck clean, and the dirt from interim removed from ourselves! I figured now is as good a time as any to introduce the staff on board:
Let us start with Sam. She loves science, the ocean, animals, sailing, exploring, sunsets, sunrises, teaching, diving, oh wait….she loves everything! She is our resident science professor, scuba instructor, and provisioner (aka she gets us all the delicious noms). She is commonly found dancing to Shakira, Pitbull, and, well, any other song, really, but do not ask her the lyrics (she will make them up).
Next up is Marley but more affectionately known as Marles Barkley (spelling varies). She is also a scuba instructor (you’ll see the trend) and is ready to bring her passion to the realm of Ocean Star. She is happiest when talking, looking, petting, or really doing anything involving dogs, especially a very lucky lady out there named Monroe who is actively sailing on both Vela and Ocean Star (at least her photo is).
Now onto Ash. He is our ship’s medic and a dive instructor. We have learned that he likes to settle into things before he does important tasks (like contact government officials). Ask him about a ristretto because he loves it. He would most likely be found looking at the inside of your regulator or making zizi sounds at a machine, but only after he has commuted to work.
Last and definitely least is Smash. That’s me. I will be the one standing at the stern of the boat, looking up at the sky and out in the distance, looking especially concerned if the wind picks up. I can also be found underwater sometimes, but I tend to only look for trunkfish.”
That’s all the staff on board, so I’m going to throw it over to the skipper of the day, Aurora,
Smash signing out
Aurora – Getting to Ocean Star in itself self was an adventure. I met up with three other classmates, and we all went together in a van from the airport to the ship. The man driving the van told us a lot about the island. As we went along the roads, we saw cows, sheep, dogs, and goats. Once we arrived, we got ourselves set up in our bunks; we start getting to know our fellow shipmates. The view from the ship is amazing; the harbor with the mountains behind it is breathtaking. We have a very yummy pasta dinner with veggies and after had our first “squeeze” of the trip. We all introduced ourselves and said why we came aboard Ocean Star. Then we got to work on our various jobs. We head out tomorrow, and I am very excited to see how the voyage will go.