Location: Pattaya, Thailand
Yesterday, we continued BA, making the deck or Argo nice and clean one last time. After some shore time, we moved the boat to the dock in Pattaya, enjoyed shore showers, and got ready for a final squeeze. After meeting all together in the cockpit one last time, we headed to the yacht club for dinner together and a final night out. We all enjoyed each other’s company, staying awake, talking, and laughing until we could no longer keep our eyes open. This morning at 3 am, the crew of Argo convened one last time up on deck to say farewell to seven of our crew that had morning flights out of Bangkok. The rest went back to sleep, waking up at a luxurious 9 o’clock before heading down to the marina for a buffet breakfast. After one last round of cleaning up the cabin, packing last-minute items into bags, and finishing copying everyone else’s photos, the rest of the crew headed out in the afternoon.
I leave you today with the “squeeze question” I posed last week when I was skipper – Argo Mad Libs (the words underlined were provided by shipmates):
Once upon a time, 13 slippery strangers came together for the adventure of a lifetime. They all slept in Thailand and boarded the vessel Argo, where they met their good-looking, intelligent, kind, and gracious crew that they would be working with for the next 90 days. They quickly became accustomed to boat life, each day learning a new job from the job wheel, such as decking, saltie, skipper, or a fighter pilot. They also learned how to scuba dive and were soon able to leap among the fishes and crown of thorns. Although on day one, they didn’t know a durade from ahead, by the second week, they were able to luxuriously haul up all of the sails. They explored the beaches and carabiners of Thailand and, of course, indulged in their favorite local food, such as spring rolls, mango shakes, and sushi. After a brief stop in Malaysia, they set sail for the colorful islands of the Maldives. After a long passage, Carolyn was excited to be able to shout wooo! When she first spotted land. They fell on idyllic beaches and snorkeled with manta rays, but then it was time to head back across the Indian Ocean. After a goopy stop in Jakarta, they went off to the jungles of Borneo, where they saw orangutans barfing through the trees. From here, the days flew by, visiting the city of Singapore and more beautiful islands in Malaysia and Thailand. Although everyone will be sad to leave on day 90, they have made memories and friendships that will last three bow watches.
The past 90 days have been amazing; we have sailed 6,434 nm to numerous islands and cities in five countries – Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives, Indonesia, and Singapore. The 13-student crew we had this semester was some of the best I have ever seen, the level of enthusiasm, excitement, and hard work that was put forth over the past three months is simply remarkable. Argo will miss you all!