Date: July 11, 2010
Location: Civitavecchia, Italy
Author: Jordan Glaubinger
Today as our final day on Argo. We spent the entire day cleaning Argo and giving back to her for all her help with our journey across the Med. We finished our day with a final squeeze question of 'What will you miss most about the trip?" For dinner we had pizza and ice cream which was amazing. Tonight we had an amazing video slideshow of our entire trip which everyone enjoyed. Overall, this was an amazing trip and the entire crew had a blast!

Date: July 10, 2010
Location: Civitavecchia, Italy
Author: Jillian Griswold
Good morning Chris! An extremely perky Chris woke the boat up at a lovely hour of 5:30 am to catch an early train to Rome. Made our way to the Colosseum, Forum Romano and the Wedding Cake of Rome. They were lovely as well. The groups split up an were able to head out into the heart of Rome for some food, coffee, shopping and some beautiful buildings. Experienced them all and wished for a hot Italian love at the Trevi Fountain. One day in Rome is simply not enough, but it was a fantastic day none the less! p.s. Tomorrow is my birthday!

Date: July 9, 2010
Location: Civitavecchia, Italy
Author: Madison McLeod
This morning we arrived at our final port, Civitavecchia. Today was our last academic day and everyone got cracking on last minute journal entries. As it is we have three days left and the group is grasping at last minute bonding time. The nostalgia is kicking in but it's overpowered by our extreme excitement for ROME! Though it was a rather relaxed day later tonight we'll be taking our final quiz and handing in our journals which leaves our minds and hearts open for Rome tomorrow. This trip has had its trials and tribulations but the Argonauts have become one organic entity and its separation will surely leave us all a little bit empty.

Date: July 8, 2010
Location: Underway to Civitavecchia
Author: Rachel Osborne
Today was a great day of adventure. After a delicious breakfast of eggs and coffee cake we moved the rigging around to create a boom swing. We all swung on the boom swing and some of us had some pretty epic moves, while others had epic fails. A great lunch of pizza on French Bread and more water sports/cave exploring/beach time. We set sail this evening for Civitavecchia and should arrive before dinner tomorrow. Beautiful weather tonight as we embark on our last passage. As the days get fewer we run a mix of emotions from sadness at leaving, missing each other, having a great time, excitement to set sail and eagerness to see family and friends at home.

Date: July 7, 2010
Location: Ponza Islands, Italy
Author: Tim Perkins
We woke later than usual after the night passage from Naples (at 8:00 am, and yes that is a lie in). After which we ate breakfast in something a kin to silence, partly due to exhaustion and the vista. The weather for the past few weeks has been a high pressure which has been almost sentient in the way it's been following us, which means great weather but relatively calm for sailing. After breakfast there was shore leave to the beautiful settlement on Ponza. It was a BA day, so we scrubbed the hull after lunch. Finally after dinner, a final Lifeworks meeting took place which was a life changing experience.

Date: July 6, 2010
Location: Naples, Italy
Author: Samantha Sawan
We started the day bright and early so we could maximize our time at the ruins of Pompeii! A tour guide led us through the city. Everything was surprisingly well-preserved and/or reconstructed, we even got to see the remains of some of the victims from the eruption. After exploring for a good three hours, we headed back to Argo. Sadly, we all said goodbye to Alex and Otto. Once we returned, we set sail for Naples. A few people went ashore to explore a bit before dinner. Now, we're all pitching in for post-dinner clean up so we can set sail for the Ponza Islands.

Date: July 5, 2010
Location: Pompeii, Italy
Author: Eddie (by the hand of Claudia)
This morning we woke up early and got underway so we could be first in line to see the Blue Grotto. Once emperor Tiberius' personal swimming pool, the large, hollowed cave had glacier blue water from the reflected sunlight. After shuttling in on small boats and hearing music echoed off the cavernous walls, we sailed full circle around Capri, had lunch, and took some awesome pictures of Argo. Then we headed to the Bay of Naples, some went ashore, others cooked and hung out and we finished the evening with a yummy dinner, dominoes, strongest (wo)man competitions, and went to bed early to get ready for Pompeii! We're all having fun but we're praying for some wind!

Date: July 4, 2010
Location: Capri, Italy
Author: Malcolm Shepler
Today, the fourth day of the month of July, we, the crew of Argo honored the struggles of our ancestors by participating in the Pan-Hellenic/Italian Olympics. Held on board in the crowded Capri anchorage. We enjoyed brief shore leave in Capri before returning in the afternoon for the festivities. Our three watch teams competed against each other in activities varying from scavenger hunts to timed sail-raising. By the end everyone was thoroughly soaked and the deck was littered with debris. Although not everyone was a winner, every team had at least one gold medal in a specific event. A spectacular Fourth of July and we are all looking forward to visiting the fabled Blue Grotto in the morning. On a side note, being in Capri has enabled us to witness some of the most impressive yachts in the world. Here is a list of just a few of the yacht anchored nearby, be sure to check them out online: Siran, Mirabella V, Katya, Selene, Pestifer, Limitless, Yeratel G, Azucar, Utopia, Sai Ram, Pegasus II, and Silver Angel.

Date: July 3, 2010
Location: Underway to Capri
Author: Chris Uyeda
Today was about mountains. But not the kind you're thinking of. The highest, longest, and most active mountains in the world aren't the ones on land - Everest, Denali, Fuji. Instead, they're the ones that are covered largely by water, islands to most, but geologically, mountains just the same. Their bases begin not at sea level but hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands feet below at the ocean floor. These are the mountains that were the bookends to our day. This morning Argo sailed by Stromboli, a rarely visited island that gently emits lava to this day. By night we were anchored in the lee of Capri, an island heralded as one of the most beautiful in all the Mediterranean. Both Stromboli and Capri rise straight from the sea. Their peaks and topography are surpassed only by their depths and bathymetry. What causes these extreme features? Argo is currently in one of the most tectonically active places in the world. It's where the massive plates of our planet collid
e, separate, or slide past one another creating the earthquakes, mountains, and volcanoes that define its geology and mythology. For people witnessing these landscapes today, the experience is breathtaking. For those that saw these places thousands of years ago, they are the kinds of places that make it easy to believe in the gods.

Date: July 2, 2010
Location: Underway to Capri in the Messina Straits
Author: Eliza Steiner
Today we set sail at 6:00 am to start our journey to Capri. Although it is nice to sail through very calm waters, we were not able to put up our sails. One benefit to the calm waters was that we were able to turn off the motor and swim in the beautiful Mediterranean. We had several dolphin spottings and some of us even saw a sea turtle! Other spottings included Mt. Etna, an active volcano, and Scylla and Charybdis. The meals today were some of the best of the trip, including french bread pizzas, bbq chicken sandwiches and carrot cake for dessert.