Just before Christmas, the academic dean who had been preparing for the Spring 2022 voyage for more than a year, resigned. Over steaks at Rare Italian in Fort Collins, our friend Sara began to devise a plan that included Chris and Bob Kling sharing the position as “co-deans.” Chris and Bob worked together on our 2017 voyage and are an excellent team. Suddenly Chris’ retirement plan of reading books and lounging on the pool deck morphed into an exciting opportunity to impact this pioneering voyage. We both had hoped to have time during the Homecoming voyage to prepare for our respective roles before Spring 2022 embarkation. Instead, we found ourselves drinking from a firehose, squeezing a weeks’ worth of work into a day. We connected with our teams, learned ship systems, and readied our voyager orientations.

The academic dean position is much like it would be at any university supporting faculty and students. During orientation, Chris and Bob helped faculty get set-up on Moodle, review their syllabi and course assignments, understand COVID related policies and prepare to teach classes on a ship. At the same time, I caught up with Kaley and Luke in the field office. I have a rock star team and was so grateful for all they did to prepare in my absence. Together we oriented the shipboard community to field programs – optional excursions all voyagers can purchase when in port, and field classes – required excursions tied to coursework. Excitement began to build for the adventure ahead.

We stayed in daily touch with Will. Sara visited him every morning bringing the latest news, a listening ear, and care packages and giving us a sense of peace knowing he was not alone. He continued to test negative on antigen tests only to be denied freedom due to positive PCR tests. After each government test, we waited anxiously from afar for results, feeling helpless and defeated each time he texted, “positive.” And yet Will remained mentally tough. Resigned to 21 days in captivity, he served as a source of reason and resilience for the others who were quarantined and for his parents. We were relieved when Jonah, Lianne, and Liv returned safely home to our very happy pups and began the process of reintegrating.

Just after dinner on January 6, with everyone embarked except 41 students, faculty and staff who had tested positive for COVID, we began to feel the rumble of engines. On deck, we connected with Elsa Berkner, one of Olivia’s best friends who is sailing on this voyage, as well as several friends from our 2017 and 2020 voyages. The crew dropped the ropes and the ship eased away from the dock, slowly leaving Naples and Will behind us.

Classes started on the on the 7^th and we quickly settled into a routine. Morning sunrises on Deck 9 set the mood for breakfast in the Lido Restaurant where we are pampered by a crew who treat us like royalty. Some, like Perry, Bravo, Daril, Jeffrey and Ronnie have been with SAS for a long time and remember us from previous years. After a quick check into our offices, Chris’ with a beautiful ocean view on Deck 7, mine a small dressing room behind reception on Deck 5, we find Mom and Linda in Global Studies, a daily course required for all voyagers. The day continues with a Voyage Leadership Team (VoLT) meeting, lunch, and more work. It winds down with a visit to the Chappy, the faculty-staff lounge where we catch up with fellow staculty. After dinner, we gather on Deck 9 to watch the sunset and retire to our cabin for the best night’s sleep one could ever imagine.

COVID intrudes on the normalcy of the routine. Mask wearing has become second nature, as it is strictly enforced on the ship, along with sanitizing and social distancing. Red Xs mark the chairs where we can’t sit, and we spend hours upon hours planning for and implementing regular testing.

In many ways, I feel like we are home. This ship and these people fill a place in my heart and soul. It’s inspiring to be a part of a community, from the captain and his crew to the staculty and students to our colleagues in the home office, who are so committed to the success of this voyage during such uncertain times. We sail on, savoring all that is good, tackling the challenges as they come, and praying for Will’s release.