Location: Carlisle Bay, Antigua
On this wonderful day–July 10th, 2021–I, Graham MF Stuard, was chosen to replace Ashley “Smash” Tomasello as the new captain of the Ocean Star vessel. People told me, “Graham, you’re not replacing Smash. You just get to write the blog today.” But I wouldn’t let myself be discouraged. My 24 hours as captain were so successful that I had written this limerick to honor the times we had.
“The crew woke up to Doja Cat
They said, Graham. I hate that
In the morning, half of us went diving
We passed our first certifications. We were thriving!
We saw sea anemones, shrimp, and cool fish
And returned for an excellent Smash cooked dish
Our other half learned diving theory
And by the afternoon, we were all feeling weary!
Our first oceanography class was held,
And some of the boys have begun to smell
Many here have taken Dramamine
And for dinner, we had a can of beans
Being the captain is quite a hard job
Always having to deal with this mob
But overall we have all had lots of sun
And this trip has been a good time.”
I’d like to use my final hours as captain to thank my subordinates who followed my rule and helped me get this boat into proper shape. Jaden and Teag, for being excellent scuba buddies and exploring the ocean floor on our first real dive. Max and Meg, for helping me with my last-minute photo shoots. Joel and Sophie, for both impressing us with doing 120 pushups in one day! And the whole crew for putting up with my abuse of power.
From Antigua, with love and so much salt everywhere,
Graham.
Captions:
1 – A 6 AM sunrise shot
2 – Clutching your bro in the storm
3 – SCA lookin’ swag
4 – Cleo, beakfast.
5 – HOLY COW beakfast
6 – Forced group photo
7 – Duel wielding ear doctor
8 – Who took the table
9 – In the pits
10 – 2 kool 4 skool
11 – Joel boat ft. Sashworth
12 – Aesthetically-pleasing-slice-of-life-saloon-table-shot
13 – Working hard or hardly working?
14 – “Why did you take that” – Maria
15 – Shower jump
16 – Post shower jump shower swim
17 – Such a cute photo
18 – Hold me, Jack
19 – 2, 6!
20 – Inspired by Captain Jack*
*Photo by Maria
P.S. – Bonus if you can find the secret code hidden in this blog post.