The Final Stretch

Today is November ninth. We have been at sea for ten days now and everyone is in the flow of things. After leaving Jacksonville, Florida, we were all excited to finally be sailing again. Now, after being on the open ocean for some time, everyone has fallen into their own personal schedule.

Having four hours of watch, then catching up on sleep, having lunch, then doing homework, having watch again, and so on. Today is our last day of classes and everyone is trying to study for finals and finish their final portfolios before we get to Vieques. The main salon and cabin top are packed with off watch students trying to cram as much knowledge into their heads as possible.

The anticipation of being only three days from our destination is apparent and there are always excited smiles and eager glances around during almanac when the ETA is announced. Though we are excited to get to Vieques, the realization that we only have eight days left of Ocean Classroom is shocking. As we look forward to seeing friends and family, we dread the fact of having to leave Harvey Gamage.

We will no longer be sliding across midships in a mid-day squall. There will be no scramble to get the work gloves when Cap yells, “Fish On!” We can no longer laugh at our deckhands’ absurd senses of humor. Spoonfuls of peanut butter may be a figment of the past. So as we near the end of our Ocean Classroom experience, we students must savor the little things before being thrown back into life on campus. Our window of opportunity is almost at a close.

-Nicola