In the Fall of 2016, I was lucky enough to travel on a sailing program called Seamester. This was a journey which began in Nice, France and ended in the Caribbean. For three months, I was a crew member on a 112 foot schooner called “Argo”. Most of the crew (like me) were also engaged in college coursework along the way. It was an inspiring trip and prompted me to start this blog. What follows are three posts that record my experiences, and were derived from emails I sent to family and friends during the trip.
November 9, 2016
Wow, this trip is insane. I feel that I am definitely learning much more than I ever would in a normal senior year of high school. Bare with me this evening, I am very tired (I have been hiking this entire day in Tenerife, Canary Islands) but I really wanted to write to you all before I depart for my Atlantic crossing this Friday. I am very anxious for the crossing, and also not looking forward to four hour watch teams morning and night for 19 days! The staff is saying that the first few days are going to be tricky, but after that you start to adjust to essentially getting very little time to rest. I have done four hour watches lasting only five days so far, so I don’t know what it will be like to adjust to these conditions. But I know everything will be okay, because the crew is excellent and now everyone on board is well trained. The passage from Mallorca to Motril was not the most fun, it was five days of stormy weather, huge waves, and there were some close calls. Otherwise, we have had pretty calm passages for the most part, and I don’t think we are going to have too much trouble with our upcoming passage across the Atlantic. The weather is set to look good the whole way across so I am glad we won’t run into any more harsh conditions (hopefully)!
It is really cool here in Tenerife, and the hike we did today was gorgeous. My feet are killing me right now though; the hike was a steep, rocky, downhill path and very slippery as well, it has been raining here. Some in our group face planted but they are fine! The places we have been are absolutely breathtaking and I never thought I would get to see so many places in such a short amount of time. I can’t believe there is one month left to go. I am so glad to be doing this trip, it has taught me so much and has brought me into a whole new perspective. I am very excited for what’s to come in the last month, I think it will be good!
Since my last stop, we have seen the following places:
Barcelona: Extremely busy, colorful, awesome nightlife, but don’t walk alone especially if you are girl
Andrixol, Mallorca: Remote, good place to get away, beautiful
Palma de Mallorca: Touristy, lots of sights and history, cute town
Motril: Industrial port town where we docked to get to Granada
Granada: Sensational scenery, home of the Alhambra, good vibes from locals
Gibraltar: Small area, great cafes, touristy
Marina Smir: Very remote, lots of cats roaming around the area, great beach
Tetouan: Great taste of Morocco’s way of life, fun to learn about the culture there
Agadir: Working port town, awesome beaches, relaxed vibe
Marrakech: Wonderful attractions, busy, always something to do, incredible landscape (especially just outside of Marrakech), one of my favorite stops
Gran Canaria: The beaches there are probably the best I have seen on this trip, relaxing, lots of shopping and dining options
Tenerife: Quiet, amazing hikes, stunning terrain, most people dock here before starting their Atlantic crossing
Caroline Wilbur 