Although Christmas is over now, I still had the song Happy X-mas (war is over) playing in my head the whole day. The lines “so this is Christmas and what have we done? Another year over, and a new one just begun” kept going on repeat and not so weirdly it made me think of the year passed by. So, what exactly happened during 2019 and how did we end up here on this boat, as the persons we are right now?

This has been a year with quite big changes and happenings that have had a huge impact on my life. For starters I got to graduate elementary school after some time of hard studies to the pleasing result of getting into my dream school, Öckerö Seglande Gymnasieskola. I´ve moved away from home and started living on my own, and the little community me and my friends who have done the same thing as me creates has become like a new extra family that takes care of each other and gets to experience life together in a whole new way. Now we’re here together on Gunilla, we’ve been at sea for almost a month and I’m incredibly happy that we are on this adventure together.

A strange thing with this boat is that not many things are planned much in advance, but somehow it always ends up going smooth and being a real hit in the end. New years eve was no exception. I was dying a slow and painful death being post in the heat from the mid-day gassing sun when our watch got cut off for the grand finale of “Gunilla Atlantic Masters”. Our finalists from yesterday’s decksgolf-game had to get changed before they were to meet again. Decksgolf is golf played on deck with a rice filled snuffbox and the brooms that normally are used to scrub deck with as clubs. To see the players and their caddies (and the public as well) all dressed up, full serious, was a pure sight for my tired eyes. It was unclear when our watch really was to end, so I went to the galley to help, as I had signed up to volunteer with the three-course dinner. The only thing we knew was what food we were going to make, apart from that, we were clueless, and the dinner were to start in two hours. As if that wasn’t enough the party committee didn’t gather up until, well, not so long before the party started… Although we had all odds against us, we still had a really good night where everything worked out, only because everyone always comes together to help and do the best of things on this boat. As the clock hit 12 and the new year begun, I was standing on half-deck, somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by my favourite people, toasting with sparkling water and getting new year kisses. Five to be exact, but unfortunately not from any of the five boys in the class.

We’re all in the same boat, crossing an ocean and heading for another continent as we sail into a new decade. It’s quite cool and I’m grateful to be here. So, here’s a cheesy cheer for friendships, happiness and love. The three main ingredients to our amazing Gunilla life. Happy new year!

Alva Ivarsson