Today it was my turn to be Captain, so there aren't any pictures. We woke up around 5 am and were rowing by 5:30. Rowing in the dark through some pretty narrow areas is one of the coolest things I've experienced. I was at the tiller as we needed every available hand rowing. It was a couple hours of rowing and we were docked back at John Pennekamp State Park. As soon as coffee was made and consumed, we emptied the boats and cleaned everything.

Once the cleaning was done, there was a little group ceremony where we received graduation certificates and a few little speeches were given. At ten in the morning, we all got back on the shuttle, bound for the airport. We convinced the shuttle driver to stop at a gas station so we could have our first cold drink in 6 days, some of the fellows that had been denied tobacco also resumed that habit and a few beers were purchased as well. The locals were laughing at us. None of us realized it, but all of us were swaying a little bit. They called it "Land Sickness."

I got to the airport and had lunch with one of the guys I had sailed with whose terminal happened to be close to mine, and sooner than I had hoped, I was back in Minneapolis.

Overall, the trip was great. The weather was good, I learned a lot about sailing and met some great guys. I'm not sure I would do another OB trip, as I prefer the go at your own pace method, and it got a little touchy-feely at times. I might be alone in this but I like my introspection private. That said, I can't thank Outward Bound enough for helping out vets, providing the services they do, and allowing me the chance to sail in the Florida Keys.