When I graduated high school, I wanted to go to college but I also wanted an adventure.  I applied to all of the U.S. service academies and several other colleges, and I ultimately chose to attend the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.

Unlike my friends who spent the summer before sophomore year working and partying, I shipped off on a summer tour of duty.  I flew with my fellow swabs in the cargo bay of a C130 airplane across the Atlantic to Lisbon, Portugal.  Imagine riding a rickety roller coaster for hours on end and that’s about what the flight was like.

The reason we flew to Lisbon was to board America’s Tall Ship The Eagle.  Little did I know that this trip would be one of the greatest adventures of my entire life.

We spent a few days in Lisbon before setting sail.  So, what do you think a group of 18-year-old cadets did to entertain themselves?  Drink, of course.  After all, we were “legal” over there.  We hit just about every bar in the port area, and I remember karaoke with a group of Russian sailors in the wee hours of the morning.  I even traded hats with one of them, and I’ve still got it tucked away in storage to this day.  We barely made it back in time to shove off, and I had a major hang over for our first day at sea.

The salty air and constant activity helped us to sweat the poison out quickly.  We spent the first few days learning how to do everything on the ship, from swabbing the deck to setting the sails to maneuvering at sea.  We made one stop in the island port of Madeira before embarking on our voyage across the Atlantic to Bermuda.

I had a group of five friends who were more like brothers to me.  We all played on the academy’s football team together, and we quickly developed friendships that I knew would last our entire lives.  The five of us rented a tiny little Yugo-type car in Madeira, and we went exploring.  It was amazing.

We toured a wine factory.  We drove to the top of the island.  We found several quaint restaurants that happened to sell 10 cent beers.  We saw some of the most amazing hot springs and cliffs I’ve seen in my life.  We drove around that entire island, soaking up every bit of culture and excitement (and beer) we could muster.  We had a blast!

It was very cool to have liberty in foreign countries, and most of my fellow cadets and I had never traveled outside of the U.S. prior to this experience.  It was great to meet so many people, and it definitely helped to expand my world view tremendously.

After a few days in port, we set sail for the long trip across the Atlantic through the Bermuda Triangle and eventually arriving in Bermuda for one of the largest Tall Ship shows in the world.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of being at sea on a tall ship for four weeks.  It takes some getting used to.  First, it’s a lot of work sailing a large ship in open seas, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been for explorers and merchants who did this for a living hundreds of years ago.  It’s nothing like going on a luxury cruise.

Every day was filled with duties, and we rotated through things on a weekly basis.  We all spent time working on deck, and we all spent time below deck in the engine room and kitchen.  The first time I climbed up to loosen the very top of the mainsail, I’ll admit I was a little nervous.  It was an amazing sight though, looking out over the vast sea from such a high vantage point.  The wind, smell and view were all unforgettable.

My favorite thing about being at sea was the sunsets.  Watching the sun go down at sea is one the most brilliant and awe inspiring things I’ve had the good fortune to experience.  Rays of light dance across the waves, and just before the sun dips out of sight, a green blast of light shimmers on the horizon.  It is nothing short of incredible.

We did and saw many things at sea that I’ll never forget, including climbing out on the tip of the mast under full sail and feeling the spray of the ocean on my face as we crashed through the waves; 20+ days listing at a 30 degree or more angle; watching hundreds of dolphins chase the ship at unbelievable speeds; countless games of spades and hearts with my friends; and, navigating by the stars like sailors of old must have done for centuries.

One experience about this trip at sea stands out in my mind above all others though.  When we got to be dead center in the Atlantic ocean, the Captain stopped the ship for swim call.  This is a rite of passage for sailors around the world.

Here’s the deal – you can’t weigh anchor in the middle of the ocean because the water is miles deep, so the crew uses the engine to keep the ship in place while people go swimming.  How do you get in the water?  You jump off the side of the ship, which is like jumping off a several story high building.  How do you get out of the water?  You climb up the cargo net draped over the side of the ship.  What protects you from sharks?  Two crew members sit on either end of the ship with machine guns ready to fire.

It was one of the most exciting yet scary things I’ve ever done, especially since I can’t stand being in water that I can’t see the bottom.  Some of my friends swam around for over an hour, as if they were chilling out in a freshwater lake back home.  Me – I jumped in, swam to the cargo net, climbed out and repeated that process about 10 times.  I was not about to stay in the water any longer than I had to, but I did enjoy the thrill of jumping off of the ship into the water.  The only scary part was how deep you would go when you hit the water, and it seemed like an eternity to get back to the surface.

A day or two after we crossed the center of the Atlantic is when we hit some bad weather and rough seas.  I was lucky to be one of the few members of my class not to get sea sick.  Lucky in that it got me duty on the bridge, which was really cool.  I actually volunteered to do night duties with a few of my friends.  The sound of the ship crashing through the sea at night was amazing, and I also volunteered for every opportunity to go aloft for whatever needed to be done.

After about a month at sea, we headed into port at Bermuda.  This was a big deal.  We were representing the United States of America at a major tall ship show where vessels from around the world had come to show off their nation’s pride.  I felt very honored to be one of the cadets chosen to stand on the mast of the top sail as we arrived in port.  What does this mean?  I stood at attention on the mast many stories aloft for nearly two hours as we came into port.  I had never felt so much pride before in my life.  It was like I was flying high above the world, looking down from the heavens.

As I stood up there on that mast, I couldn’t help but think, “This was definitely an adventure of a lifetime!”

I hope my kids get to have an adventure like this one day.  It changed the way I viewed the world, and it gave me a new appreciation for life and freedom.

Have you ever had an amazing adventure in your life?  Write a blog post or leave a comment about it.  All posts and comments will be entered into the Harry Potter Adventure of a Lifetime Contest.

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