Farewell SeaBird ~ Part One

As fellow stew Jackie Daum recently wrote in a subject line to her e-mail, Operation Sea Bird Successful! Hurrah! Six months of stewarding at sea completed. For the week leading up to going I was so, so excited. We had a truly good expedition week seeing everything from Mama & calf grey whale pairs, to beautiful weather and sunsets/rises, to breaching humpbacks, to blue whales very, very close to the boat and outlined partially under the water in a white silhouette. Plus we had a really good group of guests, mostly German who understood very little of what most of us said (intro's went something like "Hello" "He llo. Thank you." "Yes, well, this is your pa system..." "Thank you" "Your shoilet..." "Thank you" "We ask that you reuse your towels...' "Thank you." "We have complimentary champagne in the lounge..." "Champagne!" This they understood.) and who thoroughly enjoyed their time. The ship usually goes to bed or at least goes quiet guest wise pretty soon after dinner if there isn't any lecture or video scheduled, but the Germans? The Germans stayed up and talked and sang and danced- not kidding, danced-and of course, drank. Our bartender was becoming rather nervous about how his stores were going to hold out as the week went on and the Germans drank him out of bar and home. They knew how to have a good time and they were grateful and excited about what they saw and did.

So the whole week I was excited about my near freedom and then came the day and as I turned my cabins with the replacement stew Chrissy, and felt how weird it was watching someone begin to take over for me, and realised the group of people that I wouldn't work in again (not that I wouldn't come back but that boat chemistry and staff is constantly changing) I began to feel the bittersweetness, and the edge of sadness that came with the excitement of freedom. This boat, with its good and its bad, it's extremes of excitement and difficulties, had been my home for the past six months and it was now time to go. I was ready to go, but it was also sad.

The goodbyes were drawn out as I returned to the boat once for my passport and to say goodbye to Kathy. I came back at the end of the day because I'd bumped into one of the naturalists who was also getting off and she was looking for Carlos. It was good that I came back then. The boat was picturesque with the sun setting and the hustle and bustle of crew all dressed up to welcome guests on board. It was fun to see it from the outside looking in. I've always enjoyed seeing the boat from off of it, and watching it like a play or movie set with so many different things going on at once in different parts of the boat. I love that.

I saw Kathy on the fantail and she ran up to the top deck because that's where the gangway was. I met her there and gave her a real hug since before I'd had to wake her up from a nap to say goodbye. She had a pretty lily in her hair which she took out and gave to me. I'd just bought a rose on the street and wondered who it belonged to. So then I knew and gave it to Kathy. She told me to wait, that Jordan was coming.

Ian came up the steps in his deckhand garb, Jordan in his third mate uniform and there was Kathy all stew like. And so began the most fabulous goodbye ceremony I've ever been a part of.
Jordan: (presentationally) Rachel Faith Feet Whitacre
Kathy: (reminding) Faitharellie
Jordan: Faitharellie
Kathy: Rellie
Jordan: Rellie
Kathy: Rells
Jordan: (turning to Kathy and transfering temporarily out of the pretend decorum and into conversational questioning) Just 'Rells'?
(Faith and Kathy nod and say over one another)
Kathy: Just Rells Faith; I like Rells
Jordan: (returning to presentation modeP) Rells
Ian: Grumpy Pants
Jordan: Grumpy Pants Whitacre we present to you with all pomp and decorum...
Ian: (with hand gestures) Pomp. Decorum.
Jordan: this flag which flew over the Sea Bird for at least one of the seasons which you worked.
(they hand me a flag and then stand to attention most comically and salute in the sunset. It was delightful.)

I then gave hugs to the three of them and took my flag and my lily and walked down the gangplank to sit on the patio at the hotel and wave goodbye when the SeaBird disembarked.