Location: Slipway, Antigua
Hello everyone one last time,
I want to consider myself to be the editor of the Ocean Star spring 2021 blog. I have been down here almost every single night for the past 80 days helping every skipper that comes through writing their blog. Did they always want me to help? Who knows. Did I give them a choice? Definitely not. The people on this boat are some of the worst spellers I’ve ever met, and you would definitely agree with me, especially if you read Max’s blog the other day ( I was unavailable for editing that night). It seems only fitting that after all of the time I’ve spent on this blog that I am the one to write our final blog, and luckily the job wheel agrees. Today is our last day on the Ocean Star, the long talked about and much dreaded day 80. It felt like this day would never come, but alas, here we are. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that this has been the experience of a lifetime and one we will never forget. We’ve gone on crazy adventures together and built friendships that will last long after this trip. It feels like just yesterday that we arrived at this very dock as 14 pale strangers. I couldn’t even tell any of the boys apart for a solid week. Now I can’t imagine what life is going to be like without them.
This morning, people woke up at scattered times because finally, there was no 7 am wake-up. However, Katie, Erin, and I were unable to sleep past 5:45. By 8 am everyone was awake, and we all just hung out in the salon one last time while we watched videos from our night out last night. This morning breakfast wasn’t until 9, but we all entertained ourselves by watching a boat getting taken out of the water. Some of us are leaving to go back to the states today, while others stay in Antigua for a few more days. I’m uncertain what Henry is doing; I am pretty sure he is never going home. In just a few hours, we are all going to have to say goodbye to one another, and I am not looking forward to it. I am definitely going to cry. Okay, so quick update: we all just said bye to Katie, Noah, Erin, Max, Julian, and Grady, and I can confirm that I cried. Many people cried, actually. It was quite a pathetic sight of us trying to smile through our tears as we tried to take pictures.
Every single person on this boat has had an impact on me in some way or another. There are so many things that I have accomplished that I never thought I would ever be capable of. Ocean Star has become my second home, and the crew, my second family. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this experience and for everyone who has helped to make it happen. Also, if you’re one of the students that were on this trip and you’re reading this in the future, just know that I miss you a lot, and I love you all.
To end this final blog, I want to leave with you a quote by Winnie the Pooh that has made leaving a little bit easier for me:
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
With love,
Addisen
Picture 1: Julian and Noah packing up
Picture 2: The beautiful Ocean Star at 6 in the morning
Picture 3: Me, Erin, and Katie
Picture 4 and 5: Brahm and Grady being lovingly
Picture 6: Bill doing important work
Picture 7: Steve looking hot as hell
Picture 8: Shoes on the dock
Picture 9: Katie looking away
Picture 10: A trash can
Picture 11: Eric waiting in his taxi
I ran out of time because we are leaving now, but the rest of the pictures are us saying goodbye (but steve filled in from picture 7)