Location: Underway to Nevis
There are three things that every person sailing must do to make the voyage enjoyable. The first thing to accept is that when on a sailing trip, it is that, more likely than not, you will get seasick. The second thing to accept is that it will not be pretty. Our crew faced these hard truths in the last couple of days. Our newfound courage of sailing around calm waters quickly dissipated within the first couple of hours on our journey. The voyage was hard; most of us were sick, and the ones who weren’t had to deal with the sounds of sickness and the strong smell of it. However, our crew did an extraordinary job of adding humor to the situation we faced. As we were presented with the choppy waves and strong winds, everyone put on a cheery face. We would laugh in-between, losing our lunches on the side of the boat. We would try to pretend that we were on a poorly made carnival ride when being tossed around in our bunks, and we would laugh at our tumbles on the slick deck instead of getting upset. The third and most important thing to remember while sailing is: gratitude. Be grateful for your shipmate filling up your water when you’re unable to. The sous chefs fighting the heat so dinner can be served on time, and of course, our wonderful leaders for putting up with all of the lovely things that our seasickness brought to Ocean Star. Now with being a little more aquatinted with the sailing life, we will keep laughing and keep being grateful for every small joy.