Half of our Ocean College journey

Date: 12.01.2024
Position: Bocas del Toro, Panama
Etmal: 86 nm
Total: 6325 nm
Ship: Regina Maris

Half of our time at Ocean College has now come to an end and I thought it might be a good idea to have a look back at the past three months.

The first weeks at Ocean College

When we all came on board in Amsterdam, it wasn’t hard to get in contact with each other fast. Time started to fly by and we all made our first experiences on a traditional sailing ship.

But the first few weeks were tough because of the bad weather conditions, the boring harbour days in Calais and the cold days in Scheveningen. After our start in Roscoff, we were all excited to sail into warm areas.

Tenerife and Cabo Verde

After seven days at sea, we were all happy to be back on shore and it was the first time we had our phones to call home. I remember when we saw Tenerife on the horizon and everyone was really excited.

The day we hiked the mountain next to the Teide, everybody was so happy and the day at the beach was pretty nice as well because everybody was running around after seven days on board.

After a nice time on Tenerife, it was time to get to the next island further south. Cabo Verde was one of the coolest stops for me because we went swimming in every single minute of free time. The rope swing was definitely one of the highlights in Cabo Verde. After a short stop in a small village called Monte Trigo, we started our Atlantic crossing.

Atlantic crossing, Aruba, and New Year in Colombia

Everyone was pretty excited for the Atlantic crossing, and I would say it was a nice time and a great experience for all of us. One of the highlights was the “Atlantic Baptism“ for sure.

It was a pretty disgusting experience because of the Couscous dip we had to dip in. Everyone was a bit disappointed that we didn’t go island hopping in the Caribbean, but went straight to Aruba instead (which was a nice time as well). We went swimming every day and made a road trip to Baby Beach.

After some nice free shore leaves, we were excited for Colombia. After we arrived in Colombia, everybody was in a good mood and ready for the new year. This new years celebration was rather different to new years at home. Still, it was a nice fest, diving into 2024.

San Blas and Panama

After we’ve been in Colombia, it was time for Panama and the beautiful island of San Blas. We slept on a completely lonely island. We went diving with stingrays and had pretty much fun while fishing. After some days on the San Blas Islands, we went on anchor in front of a small village and went on free shore leave there. We had our first jungle experience.

Now we are ready to leave the ship in two days, and I would say everyone is looking forward to the second half of Ocean College. I think the next few weeks will be one of the best times in our life.

P.S.: Samuel: Ich denke an euch. Ich freue mich darauf, euch in zwei Tagen zu hören. Liebe Grüße an Fuchspaß und an Shiva ❤️