Location: Nevis
Hola families!
Welcome back to your daily recap of the 2023 Ocean Star Adventures. Today got off to a great start with the Top Gun soundtrack blasting on the speakers, and we continued to hum “Danger Zone” as we hauled up the anchor and motored away from beautiful Statia early this morning. Our passage went quickly, the time filled with a delicious breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit and then a Seamanship lecture on anchors, docking techniques, and sails by our very own Captain Nick. While not all of us have completely conquered our seasickness, we’ve learned that every task on board is a team effort, and it takes a whole crew to keep OStar running smoothly – even if that means just boosting morale. After a pita sandwich bar for lunch, we pulled into Nevis with spirits high. We worked quickly to drop anchor in the gorgeous bay, and after a sweltering cleanup, we had some precious free time this afternoon. Students did everything from a nap to journal to finally achieve a backflip off the boat (ahem, yours truly!). Then, the crew finished Emergency First Responder training, complete with a hilarious array of dramatized injuries and sound effects. Thankfully, the only true casualty was a t-shirt, which was laid to rest (sacrificed?) on the ocean floor.
Dinnertime on Ocean Star is always a multi-hour event, but today the chefs tested their skills even further by preparing an entire taco bar while the sky opened up during a tropical squall. Chopping onions became exponentially harder without fresh sea air blowing through the galley, meaning some dive goggles were retrieved, and many laughs were shared. (The karaoke was world-class.) The sounds of thunder and torrential downpours created quite the ambiance down below, and dinner was truly made with love and lots and lots of help. We even managed to bake brownies to celebrate our second birthday of the voyage – and shoutout to Kieran for a) getting older and b) taking the most recorded naps on a single birthday in world history! Excitement is in the air tonight as we clean up after the storm and look forward to our various shore activities in Nevis tomorrow.
To my people in Marietta and Beaufort – I am alive and having so much fun. I love you all.
Over and out.