Location: Great Harbour Peter, Peter Island, BVI
Students and Staff awoke bright and early on their final day of the program to see the earliest of our fellow shipmates off. It was a cold morning of reluctant goodbyes and a few fleeting tears. By noontime, Ocean Star had lost all of her beloved voyagers to taxis, ferries, and airplanes. The vessel seems to have part of its soul torn away every departure day, and if you listen carefully, you can hear her crying out for her old charges to remain. After all of our students depart, the silence and emptiness that we are left with what seems foreign and unnerving. No longer are we awoken by the pitter-patter of footsteps from the night watch, nor do we hear the raucous laughter and general shenanigans emanating from the salon. Ocean Star has become a quiet ship, and it does not suit her. She loves nothing more than having her bunks packed with bags and students excited for the adventure of tomorrow. It is a very somber silence that remains as she makes her way out to her mooring in Great Harbor, Peter. We miss you all so much already. Stay safe, live well, and always remember that forevermore you are a Star.