Above: Work; below: Laughter

I knew that when I began hearing sail commands in echo in my dreams this was a life-changing experience. Having two years of sea-time helped me cope with the challenges of life on a tall ship. Mostly because I know how your mind goes a little crazy under the strain of the bitter sea which endlessly heaves mariners up, down and around. And so, when I think about my shipmates who stepped onto the SSV Corwith Cramer greener than a St Patrick’s day pub crawl, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride.

To the land-lovers reading back home:

We all have some salt in our veins now that we didn’t have before. Maybe even some deposits encrusted on our brows and/or beards. What this means is that we now carry a valuable lesson with us. We understand what it is to be of service. We persisted in true service without any compensation other than experience (in fact, we paid to be here). I think the pinnacle of our experiences are those moments when we’ve worked so long and hard that the work sort of engrains itself as a part of life. Moments when it becomes hilarious to press on and do more tasks because we are so weary (a little crazy, right?). Then, we look at each other; one of us says “That’s well” or “Okay, great!” We laugh. We go to work. But, the work doesn’t feel like work anymore. More jokes ensue. We all feel much lighter. We understand what it is to be of service. And these moments are when we are proud.

Happy St Patrick’s day!

- Jacob Cooper, A - Watch, University of Washington