Location: Dominica
We woke up this morning in Portsmouth, Dominica. After a breakfast of overnight oats, we got right into passage preparation to head to Saba, one of my favorite places in the world in the Dutch Caribbean. Benno and I cracked out our Tides exam for PSCT. Once that was all done, we had our final Leadership class. We talked about going back home to our families and friends after the program and reintegrating into the world after this wild experience. One of the traditions that was introduced during class was that of airplane cards. Everybody on the boat, staff, and students, will write a card for everyone else on board, talking about our relationship with them and things we admired about them but never got the chance to say. It is a touching tradition that makes going back home a bit easier, and a few people have already started on theirs. After a lunch of Caprese sandwiches, our student skipper Charlton gave the crew the brief about our student-led passage to Saba. Unfortunately, the trades have died down considerably today and into tomorrow, so we are essentially just motoring and hoping the wind picks up again. We pulled up the anchor with Charlton at the helm, and first mate Frida led the anchor team, leaving Portsmouth harbor. We put up the staysails before heading down below for our Marine Bio Fish ID Quiz, our last Marine Bio assignment, and the last of the Lit Review and group research project presentations for Oceanography. The end of the program and academics really started to set in after that. All we have left is our Oceanography final in a few days. It’s crazy how fast it all went by looking back. The schedule until we arrive in Antigua was posted today, too. It is packed with diving shore time and excursions that all seem like a blast. I’m sure the rest of the trip will be super fun. After the presentations, student-led watch officially started, with watch team one taking what was left of the 2-6. We had a great dinner of chicken parm prepared by Mads, and we are all getting ready for what will likely be the last of our overnight passages aboard Vela. This is my last log entry as skipper, and I just wanted to reflect on how incredible this experience was and how wonderful it was to share it with the students and staff on board. I feel as though we have bonded so much, and saying goodbye to this unique group of people will be hard. It was a pleasure working with you all. Thank you.
All the best,
Tom