Location: Slipway, Antigua
Today was the last full day of our trip, and there were a lot of different emotions aboard Ocean Star. We were all excited to do our BA (Boat Appreciation) quickly so we could have some free time on shore before going out to dinner all together that night. Once we ate breakfast and cleaned all of that up, we started on our BA. Scrubbing every surface imaginable below deck, tables, floors, counters, ceiling, and bunks all got a good clean. We basically got it all done before lunch, which was pretty epic. It is great to know that we put in hard work so that Ocean Star is just as nice for the next group as she was for us when we came aboard her nineteen days ago.
After a very yummy lunch of Caesar salads with chicken, we had free time onshore for a couple of hours.
Some people went for a swim over to the beach, while a couple of people went for a hike to the Mermaid Pools. Kasey, Marley, Kelsey, and I walked to Seabreeze (a favorite spot of most of the shipmates) and got some gelato and saw quite a few goats on the way there. After hanging out at the cafe for a bit, the four of us went our separate ways for the remainder of shore time. We all met back on the ship to do our final “squeeze” of the trip. I asked everyone what their favorite part of the trip was, and it was very nice to hear everyone’s answers and think back on the past three weeks.
Then it was back on the dingy and off to shore for a dinner all together at Trappas. It was fun seeing everyone get “dressed up” in clothes that had yet to make an appearance on the trip. It was a very exciting evening full of amazing food, laughs, delicious drinks (and a bit of wetness at the far end of the table, but it’s all good). Having one final night all together off the ship and just letting loose for a few hours was a perfect way to spend our final evening together on Ocean Star. You could really tell how close everyone has gotten over the past few weeks together.
Tomorrow we will all be leaving Ocean Star and going separate ways back to our “normal lives” back home. This whole trip has been such a fantastic and life-changing experience; getting to see new places, meet new friends, try new things, and grow stronger together as shipmates is something that I am very grateful to have been a part of. We will all miss Ocean Star and everyone we have met on board, but I think that we will all take a piece of it back with us in a way.
Three Stars