Location: St Barths
This evening the intrepid crew of Argo eased into the coastal waters of St. Barths. The evening before this one, we departed the British Virgin Islands. As the distance between these two islands steadily decreased over the course of a night and a day, as we neared 4,200 nautical miles traveled, the nearing completion of our Caribbean circumnavigation emerged. This closing circle is mirrored by the closing term; oceanography, marine biology, and MTE exams, navigation 200-ton offshore theory tests, and final research projects abound. These last hurrahs are evidence not only of our accomplishments aboard and new-found knowledge but also of the success of this radical form of education we have thrown ourselves into these past three months.
This school ship is a place of learning, unlike any other. What it offers to its students and crew is simply something different. A new environment and approach to education, grounded in the simple endeavor of sailing and complemented by complex thoughts and processes of experiment and experience. As we pass from the BVI’s to St. Barth’s and draw nearer to the place where this journey began, we are reminded of the importance of this school, and the incredible opportunities we find within it. This understanding will get us through these next few days of intense study, and in turn, will bring us into Classics Week, armed to the teeth with a new-found knowledge of ourselves, the sea, and sailing.