Excitement bubbled as we prepared for departure from Greenock. We had been blessed with unseasonably beautiful weather in Scotland, and voyagers shared stories of hikes in the Highlands, adventures to Loch Ness, or outings to comedy shows and jazz clubs. They debated which was better, Edinburgh or Glasgow, and many agreed that now THIS was their favorite port.

And yet, as always, the ship remained the best port of all, where life was filled with generosity and meaningful experiences. Captain Kostas and his officers held the student experience front of mind in every decision, the security team kept things running smoothly, the reception crew responded to all requests with smiles and warmth, the kitchen, dining, and spa staff attended to every wish with kindness and grace, and our cabin steward, Achilles, patiently cared for us and our beautiful space. Upon return from Scotland, a surprise was waiting in our cabin. On the table was a small plastic bucket, carefully decorated with colored paper and labeled, “Mrs. Stephanie Seng.” Inside was a birthday gift for Olivia from Suhendra, a colorful bouquet of napkins carefully folded, twisted and pinched into carnations, dahlias, and roses.

The temporary berth in Greenock made it impossible to get water and fuel there, so we made a next day provision stop in Belfast. While we couldn’t disembark, it was fun to see Ireland. It was a beautiful day. At breakfast, Perry stood on the deck and soaked in the bright orange sunrise before filling my coffee thermos, and Daril was excited to tell about his shore leave in Scotland. Throughout the day, students studied at the tables outside, lounged by the unfilled pool and ordered smoothies from Dexter at the bar. Elsa and I were even able to capture some time on the volleyball court. Once fully provisioned, we stood on the deck as the ship pulled away and watched hundreds of dolphins escort us back out to sea.

Because we’d been able to keep COVID managed, the captain began offering bridge tours for the first time on the voyage. Both the VoLT and the Student Life team enjoyed private tours where we watched radar detect other ships in the distance and took photos sitting in the captain’s chair. I even got the honor of “driving” the ship, accelerating with sweaty palms at the captain’s command.

To celebrate yet another successful port, the field team stepped out of the comfort of flannels and hoodies for a formal fine dining experience. Luke, Kaley and I savored each scrumptious course and time together not working. On the same night, Chris hosted a table with Jesse, Phill and Henry to show gratitude for their hard work and friendship, and we were able to toast the 21^st birthday of our ship daughter, Kyla, who was celebrating with friends at the next table.

Voyage Crosscurrents were in full swing. These one-hour evening presentations allowed staculty members to share areas of interest or expertise with the community. We’ve learned about Jazz, Plankton, the Mediterranean Diet, Pirates, and the History of Forks among many other topics. During this stretch, music professor Michael Kaloyanides convened a band of faculty and students who performed the song Louie Louie as an introduction to his presentation about the song’s history. The community danced and clapped and had a ball with this talented bunch, and as an encore, Lew Cutter joined the group for a raucous rendition of “Gloria” by Van Morrison.

As we made our way up the North Atlantic past the Isle of Skye, rounded the tip of Scotland through the Orkney Islands and entered the North Sea, temperatures began to dip, and Olympic fever grew red hot! Sea captains met and events were assigned. Teams began work on banners and door decorations and practiced for the lip sync and chant competitions. The VoLT and Student Life teams deliberated and discussed, sorting through each activity and how all could be accomplished while remaining COVID safe. Mike Mann, the RD whose collateral assignment was Sea Olympics, poured his heart and soul into the event and his passion for success, both in having fun and staying safe, was contagious. The Staculty team was all in. Ursula was our mascot, adorned with seaweed, ocean trash and Christmas lights, and our team banner highlighted her image. Our cabin door was skillfully decorated with drawings and origami depicting the trials and tribulations of our Odyssey to date, and the appropriateness of our chant was debated. Event teams were formed and spa manager, Karen, shaved the numbers 129 in Chris’ scalp.

On the morning of March 30, it began to snow, and Mike opened the 129^th SAS Olympic Games! Added to my “who’da thought?” list was playing volleyball on a ship in the snow through the North Sea. While we didn’t win, Ken, Stepanka and I held our own and had a blast. Staculty swept the Tug-of-War and the Backward Spelling Bee while competing well in Trivia and Spoons. Chris, Phill and I made it to the basketball finals, bringing in June Cotte and Dan Bianca for some exhaustion relief to secure the championship. This spectacular day ended with a standing ovation for the staculty lip sync led by Zhanna Gurvich, a hilarious rendition of Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show featuring Art History Professor, Henry, in fishnet stockings.

Exhausted and exhilarated, the shipboard community basked in the aftermath of such a special community bonding event. We celebrated Mike and his team of sea captains with standing ovations and ice cream sundaes. With freezing temperatures and icy decks, we persevered through outdoor, COVID safe gatherings to share tacos with the student life team and chocolate with alums from the Spring 2020 voyage. Unfortunately, Chris missed much of the post-Olympic fun because he sustained an injury on the basketball court. A severe hematoma on his hip resulted in a swollen and purple hip, and Dr. Elizabeth confined him to our cabin to ice and elevate. Always keen to empower students, Chris opened the Bing Bong for some of them to give the announcements while he was laid up, and we began preparations for our Denmark Logistical Pre-Port.

April Fools’ made for a fun day of preparations. Kaley, Luke and I created a “Kingdom of Denmark” green sheet with silly emergency information and fun field programs. Bravo and Ingrid would be RDs on Duty, the pool would be open with clothing optional, and Danish trolls were listed as a safety concern. Dexter would lead an Ice Cream Sundae field class and the med team would lead one called the Science of Potable Tap water. Chris wrote a series of April Fools’ announcements that were delivered by Luke while Foster, Hallie, and Bob joked in Pre-Port that we were returning to Gibraltar and Phill DuVentre would be taking over as Captain. And as we laughed, we reflected on the amazing week we had on the ship, the best port yet.