The old year slips beyond the wake,
A fading light the waves retake,
Its logbook closed, its course now run,
As dawn breaks wide on a newborn sun.
The harbor holds its breath a while,
Lines grown slack, the world in trial,
Then bells ring out across the bay,
To mark the turn of time and tide.
New charts are spread, the compass set,
On winds unknown, but hopeful yet,
The sea ahead, both calm and wild,
Promises deep and undefiled.
We toast to storms we safely passed,
To broken spars and anchors cast,
To lessons learned from moon and foam,
And every port that felt like home.
Now raise the sail, let old fears part,
Trust sea and stars and steady heart,
For every year, like every sea,
Demands both courage and belief.
So here’s fair winds and brighter days,
True bearings through the shifting haze,
May the year ahead, from start to end,
Bring open seas—and stronger friends.
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