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	    <title>Sail Caribbean 2010 Trip Updates (Top 25 from All Programs)</title>
	    <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/</link>
	    <description>Top 25 most-recent trip updates from Sail Caribbean's summer programs.</description>
	    <language>en-us</language>
	    <copyright>Copyright 2010. Sail Caribbean Voyages, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</copyright>
	    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:31:00 EST</pubDate>
	    <ttl>1</ttl>
		<image>
			<url>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/images/logo_sm.gif</url>
			<title>Sail Caribbean</title>
	    	<link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/</link>
		</image>
	
	
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	      <title>Day 5: Trellis Bay to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1100/278/264492/alpha-3/day-5:-trellis-bay-to-virgin-gorda-yacht-harbor/</link>
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		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 5 (July 27, 2010) - Trellis Bay to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor

	After a night of fun and festivities, Alpha decided to sleep in this morning until 8 o&#39;clock. Around 8:30am we all feasted on oatmeal, pineapple, and melon as we motored to Long Bay where the YEP (Youth Empowerment Program) students awaited us. It is not often that we get the opportunity to play and have fun with some of the local kids on the island. So, we really took advantage of the situation. We played capture the flag, beach baseball and volleyball, gladiators on the rafts, and sharks and minnows. We also took the YEP kids tubing, which was a big hit. Overall, the YEP day was a huge success.

	After our YEP community service, our skippers of the day, Keith and Courtney, took the helms of Mad Dog and Bacchanal Time and steered us to the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. During our sail, we were visited by Captain Luff who taught us about parts of the sail. And after Captain Luff taught us about the different parts of the sail, we learned about docking. Once we had finished our docking lesson, we took our positions and prepared for docking. Keith and Courtney did an excellent job of docking Mad Dog and Oscar on their first attempts.

	Now securely fastened to docks, we went ashore for a little gift shopping and fresh water showers! And after our hour long showers, we ate some taco salad and polished that off with some ice cream! Captain Margie and Nick managed to &quot;Big Spoon&quot; the remainders of the ice cream quite elegantly too. Stuffed, clean showered, and tired, we went to bed to rest up for the exciting day ahead.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 14: Departure Day</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1301/295/264489/delta-2/day-14:-departure-day/</link>
	      <description>
		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 14 (July 29, 2010) - Departure Day

	We packed our bags and said some tough goodbyes as everyone left for their separate flights, bringing with them memories, plane letters, and friendships that will last long beyond Sail Caribbean.

	After we gather all the program photos we will be posting an album to the website from Delta 2.

	Stay connected with us on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 13: St. Barths &#8594; Tintamarre &#8594; Marigot</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1301/295/264486/delta-2/day-13:-st-barths-8594;-tintamarre-8594;-marigot/</link>
	      <description>
		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 13 (July 28, 2010) &ndash; St. Barths &rarr; Tintamarre &rarr; Marigot

	Our crews got started today with the sun, with Alex de-docking Teranga, and Caroline as skipper of Groix. As we pulled out of St. Barths, we raised sails to windward of Ile Fourche, a deserted set of volcanic peaks, and reached across open ocean to Tintamarre, where Felicia hooked a mooring for Teranga. Meagan and Lauren secured Groix to a mooring, catching the pennant line and tying a bridle to the two bow cleats. We all went ashore to explore the beautiful marine park. Some of us stayed on the leeward side to hang out in the warm sun and calm waters, while others crossed the short strip of beach to snorkel the barrier reef. On the reef side, Lauren and James saw three baby black tip reef sharks feeding on small fish, and we all snorkeled out to a big ridge under which at least 5 spiny lobsters were taking refuge.

	Back on the boat, we enjoyed our final sail to Marigot, practicing downwind sailing with a couple of gybes thrown in, and then anchored in the bay where we cleaned, packed, and wrote plane letters. We all went ashore to Le Village, a waterfront French bistro where we ate all sorts of interesting pizzas and smoothies. After dinner, we performed skits, with each boat lampooning the staff, followed by the staff presenting a skit about the students. We then presented the awards for the program:

	Best Chili Taste &ndash; Teranga
	Best Chili Presentation &ndash; Groix
	Tug-o-war &ndash; Teranga
	Sand art &ndash; Teranga
	Dizzy Fender Relay &ndash; Groix
	Synchronized Swimming &ndash; Groix
	Least likely to survive a monsoon &ndash; Groix
	Most likely to secede from the union &ndash; Groix
	Mouth most like a pirate&#39;s &ndash; Teranga
	Most likely to teach Dispatch to sail &ndash; Teranga

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 8: Leverick Bay to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1201/291/264459/charlie-2-adv-scuba/day-8:-leverick-bay-to-virgin-gorda-yacht-harbor/</link>
	      <description>
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	Day 8 (July 26, 2010) - Leverick Bay to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor

	This morning our Rescue diving students headed straight ashore after a quick breakfast of yogurt and granola to begin their emergency first responder first aid course. All other students set sail, south towards the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. Underway they learned the importance of a preventor whilst sailing down wind, learned how to jibe safely and how to tie, cleat hitches and the bowline knot.

	Students also prepared themselves for their first docking and first real cleaning inspection. The boats began docking at 1pm and were all in and secure by 3pm. Our Charlie fun divers and advanced divers headed out for a dive at The Dogs in the afternoon whilst our non-divers were free to roam the shops and restaurants of the yacht harbor until shower time at 5pm. Once all our divers were home and showered all our students were able to call home before they settled in for a dinner of chicken parmesan and an evening of hanging out and playing board games in close proximity to one another&rsquo;s boats.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:24:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 8: Leverick Bay to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1101/284/264447/bravo-2/day-8:-leverick-bay-to-virgin-gorda-yacht-harbor/</link>
	      <description>
		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 8 (July 26, 2010) - Leverick Bay to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor

	This morning our bravo students enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of yogurt and granola, before setting sail south towards the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. Underway they learnt the importance of a preventor whilst sailing down wind, learnt how to jibe safely and how to tie, cleat hitches and the bowline knot.

	Students also prepared themselves for their first docking and first real cleaning inspection. The boats began docking at 1pm and were all in and secure by 3pm. Our Bravo discover scuba divers headed out for a dive at the Savannah Bay in the afternoon while the open water and advanced divers attended a meeting about future diving courses and specialties available to them. Our non-divers were free to roam the shops and restaurants of the yacht harbor until shower time at 5pm. Once all our divers were home and showered all our students were able to call home before they settled in for a dinner of chicken parmesan and an evening of hanging out and playing board games in close proximity to one another&rsquo;s boats.

	Check us out on Facebook
	&nbsp;

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		  </description>
		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:14:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 7: Bitter End to Leverick Bay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1101/284/264444/bravo-2/day-7:-bitter-end-to-leverick-bay/</link>
	      <description>
		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 7 (July 25, 2010) - Bitter End to Leverick Bay

	This morning students had a relatively early wake up 8am. They prepared a breakfast of cinnamon toast and headed straight back ashore to the Bitter End Yacht Club. Once there they were greeted by Mark Cheever our resident marine biology expert who gave everyone a marine biology lesson on sharks, how they fit into the marine ecosystem and how they are misunderstood &ldquo;sharks are friends, not food&rdquo;. He also arranged for a shark movie to be played in the resorts open air movie theater throughout the morning. After the M-BIO lesson everyone headed to the beach and performed the jellyfish dance. Once as a large group and then boat by boat, they performed the dance whilst moving down the swimming dock and dismounting into the clear blue water. The most stylish team was deemed Mary Jewell whose performance starred hunter Winchester, Micah Gestrch, Zack Thornthon, and Natasha Rawson Makenzie.

	For the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon students continued to ski, tube and go small boat sailing. At 3pm they returned to their boats, had boat photographs taken and departed for Leverick Bay at the other end of the sound. That evening Captains had the choice to go ashore with their individual boats for a boat meeting and get virgin drinks at the bar before heading to bed at the very reasonable hour of 10:30 pm for power down.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  </description>
		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:09:00 EST</pubDate>
		  <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1101/284/264444/bravo-2/day-7:-bitter-end-to-leverick-bay/</guid>
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	      <title>Day 11: Cooper Island to Monkey Point</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1801/309/264435/sierra-2-ow--scuba/day-11:-cooper-island-to-monkey-point/</link>
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	Day 11 (July 26, 2010) - Cooper Island to Monkey Point

	Good morning and farewell Manchioneel Bay! As we awoke, Sierra took a moment to admire the beautiful Cooper Island. It will be the last time that we stop by this island and it has been great to us on our trip. We had breakfast and 2 article presentations. Emmett brought up the issue of kelp forest destruction due to sea urchin population booms while Amanda talked to us about coral bleaching. After the presentations, Meg took the helm for our first move of the day. She motored us from Manchioneel Bay to Trellis Bay. At Trellis, we picked up a mooring ball for the morning and had a lesson on mangroves.

	Once our lesson was complete, Mike met us on shore with a truck and drove us over to the Beef Island Cut. This cut is known for its lush mangroves and shallow waters so Laurie wanted to take the group to explore the area. While snorkeling, everyone found something to hold. Amanda found a bright red sea star. Michelle found a sea star and an urchin. Rachel and Nick found sea cucumbers and Anna found a fighting conch. Emmett grabbed an urchin skeleton and Aaron collected pearl algae. Meg spotted a sting ray and we were all able to identify red mangrove, prop roots, propagules, sacrificial leaves, pnematophores and black mangroves! We had a great time. The mangroves were beautiful and although Rachel and Michelle were hesitant about the snorkel, they too had a great time! On our way back, we spotted a huge mound of harvested conch shells. Rachel and Michelle jumped out of the boat and grabbed a shell to take back with them and clean. Before we returned to our boat, we went into a store called the last resort to explore the island style. Aaron and Emmett decided to buy matching bathing suits which was very appropriate due to the bromance that has formed between them.

	Graham wrapped up our time at Trellis Bay with a knots and line handling lesson. He went over a handful of important knots for the students to know and taught them a few fun ones as well. When the lesson was over, Meg motored us over to Monkey Point on Guana Island.

	Monkey Point is Laurie&rsquo;s favorite place and she was ecstatic to share it with Sierra 2! As soon as we arrived, the group was in awe with the natural beauty of the location. Everyone jumped in for a leisurely snorkel and before the swim was over the group agreed with Laurie that it is the best location thus far. Michelle and Rachel explored a shallow cave and small beach. Anna, Meg and Emmett swam past 2 spotted eagle rays. Everyone swam through an enormous school of bait fish and came face to face with five 4 foot tarpons. Nick and Emmett spotted 2 different sharks and the different animals continued to surprise us!

	It was now time for dinner and Sierra needed a little bit of a break. We needed to get some of our energy back because we were planning on going on a night snorkel after dinner. As the sun set, we realized that it was a full moon and the sky was freckled with stars! Sierra jumped in and the first things Emmett and Laurie saw a spotted eagle ray. Graham showed the group an octopus and the reef was covered in glassy sweepers and squirrel fish. At 10:30PM we headed in and got ready for bed. It was a long and fantastic day and we once again needed to get rest for another day packed with excitement!

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:47:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 10: Village Cay to Cooper Island</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1801/309/264429/sierra-2-ow--scuba/day-10:-village-cay-to-cooper-island/</link>
	      <description>
		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 10 (July 25, 2010) - Village Cay to Cooper Island

	Sierra had a 7:00AM wake up call and a busy morning. The boat needed to have breakfast, drop off laundry, water the boat and find any missing food before we left docks at 8:30AM. Megan was the navigator of the day and told Emmett that we needed to move from Village to Manchioneel Bay. Emmett moved us off docks and we were on our way. When we reached our destination, the water was crystal clear and the sun was blazing! Laurie went over a lesson on sea grasses and told the group why this marine ecosystem is so important. After a discussion, it was time to explore the beautiful sea grass bed surrounding Cooper Island. Our mission was to find turtle grass, manatee grass, mermaid&rsquo;s fan, bristle brush algae, urchins, sea stars and juvenile fish. Once we jumped in, we found everything on our list plus a ton more. Megan spotted 3 huge barracudas while Emmett, Aaron, Amanda and Anna ran into spotted eagle rays. Nick saw a yellow spotted trigger fish and Michelle and Rachel spotted a queen trigger fish. There was a huge school of brown chromis and they didn&rsquo;t mind Sierra swimming up close to them. Graham spotted a sea turtle and Amanda watched out for coral bleaching. It was a great snorkel, but it was time to head back to our boat so that we could eat lunch.

	Following lunch, Sail Caribbean divers came to Cooper Island and picked up the group for a 2 tank dive. The reefs we explored were called &ldquo;The Steps&rdquo; and &ldquo;Alice&rsquo;s wonderland.&rdquo; There were brilliant colors everywhere and large mushroom sponges sprinkled throughout. Aaron, Michelle, Rachel and Amanda are really starting to be comfortable under water and enjoy scuba diving. After the dive, we had to get ready for the SC chili cook-off. Sierra and the Foxtrot fleet had to create a chili and compete with one another for the title of Chili cook-off winners. Sierra felt confident knowing that Aaron and Michelle were on dinner for the evening. Aaron has worked in a restaurant for a few years so he knows his way around the kitchen. Anna decided to help out and the group got to work. They were chopping machines and when the final product simmered to Aaron&rsquo;s liking, we all had a taste. It was amazing and no one could wait for it to be served. Following dinner, our bellies were full and it was time for bed.

	Check us out on Facebook
	&nbsp;

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		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:37:00 EST</pubDate>
		  <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1801/309/264429/sierra-2-ow--scuba/day-10:-village-cay-to-cooper-island/</guid>
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	      <title>Day 12: St. Barths</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1301/295/264483/delta-2/day-12:-st-barths/</link>
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	Day 12 (July 27, 2010) &ndash; St. Barths to St. Barths

	We awoke to the smell of fresh croissants, some plain and some pain au chocolat, wafting about the boat. The sun was rising in the sky and the crispness of Caribbean dawn was fading fast as it grew hotter. Some of the crew stayed in town to visit the boutiques, feast on crepes, and relax, while others climbed into our three Jeeps, pulled out the windows, and cruised around the island. Heather, Dylan, James, and Alex explored some of the more remote beaches of St. Barths with Kieran, where they discovered some treasures that had washed ashore. They found a boogie board and a volleyball, and enjoyed playing in the surf and sand with their new gear. Britt, Jill, Felicia, and Haleigh accompanied Zack to Governeur and Saline, two of the most pristine spots where supermodels are often seen sporting expensive bikinis and strutting through the sand.

	In the afternoon, we met up with a St. Barths dive company to check out some of the spectacular reefs and marine life. Mimi overcame her nervousness of diving and saw many colorful fish and interesting sponges. James and Jay saw a five foot shark, and with Bryce, Lauren, and Felicia, they saw an octopus, admiring its ability to naturally camouflage itself. The rest of us went to Governeur, a beach flanked by high cliffs with bleach white sand that drops sharply into turquoise water. Daniel did some awesome snorkeling, and when we returned both boats went shopping with a $100 budget for our Challenge Dinner. Groix made Chicken Nuggets and Fries with a side of Tropical Fruit Salad, with fresh kiwis and other delights. Teranga prepared a hearty meat sauce over pasta with fresh baguettes, and both were extremely delicious. We then celebrated Lauren&#39;s birthday in the gazebo near the docks, eating a great brownie-cake creation by KCK and singing happy birthday, followed by an epic game of mafia.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 13: Savannah Bay to Hodges Creek via The Baths</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1601/306/264480/tango-2/day-13:-savannah-bay-to-hodges-creek-via-the-baths/</link>
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	Day 13 Savannah Bay to Hodges Creek

	Our last day on the water!!! All of the Tango students were really excited about going to the Baths this morning. Emma and Kyle woke up super early to motor to The Baths on Virgin Gorda. This meant that once we had eaten our breakfast we were ready to go ashore. We all swam ashore and then took a hike through the caves to Devil&rsquo;s Bay. This is a beautiful beach and the perfect spot to start a snorkel back to The Baths. The highlight of the snorkel was definitely when we spotted a green turtle. We had time to go to jump rock before swimming back to the boat for the next part of our day. We headed back over to Long Bay to meet the YEP students. We competed in two teams in the YEP Sail Caribbean Olympics.

	The events were Dizzy Fender Racing, Synchronised Swimming, Sand Art, and Tug-O-War. Both teams scored highly in all the events with Echo Squad emerging as the winners after a tough fight with Mohawk Team. Mariah cooked up a Bar-B-Q for us and we all feasted on cheeseburgers and hot dogs. It was then time to say goodbye to the YEP friends that we had made good friends with and head back to docks. Our boat needed a full cleaning and we began to pack on the way back to Hodges Creek. Evan and Molly brought us dinner of pizza and sodas and then we all headed off to take our last showers here in the BVI. Before powering down for the evening, everyone spent time writing airplane letters for one another to read on their flights home.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		  <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1601/306/264480/tango-2/day-13:-savannah-bay-to-hodges-creek-via-the-baths/</guid>
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	      <title>Day 12: Trellis Bay to Savannah Bay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1601/306/264477/tango-2/day-12:-trellis-bay-to-savannah-bay/</link>
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	Day 12 (July 27, 2010) - Trellis Bay to Savannah Bay

	Dolphins!!! Three dolphins came to play around the boats this morning and the Tango students swam with them. What an amazing way to start the day! Swimming with dolphins, followed by an upwind sail to one of the most beautiful bays in the BVI, a snorkel and a night under the stars at anchor is not a bad way to spend a day. On top of that we had breakfast for dinner and enjoyed a feast of bacon, chocolate pancakes, grilled cheese, and bagels followed by cake. We then had a movie night and watched Finding Nemo!

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 7: Bitter End to Leverick Bay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1201/291/264453/charlie-2-adv-scuba/day-7:-bitter-end-to-leverick-bay/</link>
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	Day 7 (July 25, 2010) - Bitter End to Leverick Bay

	This morning students had a relatively early wake up 8am. They prepared a breakfast of cinnamon toast and headed straight back ashore to the Bitter End Yacht Club. Once there they were greeted by Mark Cheever our resident marine biology expert who gave everyone a marine biology lesson on sharks, how they fit into the marine ecosystem and how they are misunderstood &ldquo;sharks are friends, not food&rdquo;. He also arranged for a shark movie to be played in the resorts open air movie theater throughout the morning. After the M-BIO lesson everyone headed to the beach and performed the jellyfish dance. Once as a large group and then boat by boat, they performed the dance whilst moving down the swimming dock and dismounting into the clear blue water. The most stylish team was deemed Mary Jewell whose performance starred hunter Winchester, Micah Gestrch, Zack Thornthon, and Natasha Rawson Makenzie.

	For the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon students continued to ski, tube and go small boat sailing. At 3pm they returned to their boats, had boat photographs taken and departed for Leverick Bay at the other end of the sound. That evening Captains had the choice to go ashore with their individual boats for a boat meeting and get virgin drinks at the bar before heading to bed at the very reasonable hour of 10:30 pm for power down.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:17:00 EST</pubDate>
		  <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1201/291/264453/charlie-2-adv-scuba/day-7:-bitter-end-to-leverick-bay/</guid>
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	      <title>Day 6: Trellis Bay to Bitter End Yacht Club</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1101/284/264441/bravo-2/day-6:-trellis-bay-to-bitter-end-yacht-club/</link>
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	Day 6 (July 24, 2010) - Trellis Bay to the Bitter End Yacht Club

	All our students woke this morning at 8:30 am for a breakfast of cereal and fruit. They then set sail up the Sir Francis Drake Channel past the dog islands towards the Virgin Gorda sound and the Bitter End Yacht Club. Underway students worked on tacking, right of way lessons, basic points of sail and sail trim. All of the boats ate a lunch of tomato and mozzarella baguettes underway in the north sound before mooring at the Bitter End.

	Once there our students headed ashore to the luxurious resort where they availed of waterskiing, tubing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, laser and hobie cat sailing. Our students were kept well and truly entertained for the remainder of the day with watersports not to mention the opportunity they had to explore the resorts shops and order virgin pina coladas at the bar. Students returned home to their boats at 5:30pm for showers and prepared a delicious meal of fish tacos and a quiet night on board complete with boat meeting.

	Check us out on Facebook
	&nbsp;

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		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:05:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 9: Trellis Bay to Village Cay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1801/309/264426/sierra-2-ow--scuba/day-9:-trellis-bay-to-village-cay/</link>
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	Day 9 (July 24, 2010) - Trellis Bay to Village Cay

	Sierra woke up in Trellis Bay with one thing on their minds, garbage! In order to help us earn community service hours, Sierra participated in an underwater clean up of Trellis Bay. Amanda swam around with the group and towed the kayak. Any garbage that was found was placed on top of the kayak. Michelle was the first to find something and swam up to the group with a huge cushion star. This was not exactly what we had in mind for the underwater clean up, but it was very exciting. As we were preparing to put the starfish back, Rachel and Ana came swimming up with 2 more starfish. The group passed them around and took picture with them. It was now back to business and we were on a clean up mission. Aaron and Emmett found aluminum cans and glass bottles. Rachel found a huge towel and Nick found a wine glass. Michelle pulled up a large piece of line and more bottles. A champagne bottle was removed and fishing line was unwrapped from a mooring ball. Laurie and Amanda were able to pull up 2 water logged fenders and by the time we were finished with the clean up, the kayak was filled and we were exhausted!

	Sierra dropped the mooring ball at Trellis Bay and Anna took the helm. She sailed us into two different locations. Our first stop was Sail Caribbean&rsquo;s home dock, Hodges Creek. We needed to touch base with a few people in the office and the students wanted to buy a few souvenirs from the dive shop. After a short visit, we were back on the boat and sailed to Village Cay to dock for the evening. Sierra docked with 2 other Sail Caribbean groups. We were neighbors with Tango and Foxtrot. Everyone was very excited for their fresh water showers and a little time on dry land. Sail Caribbean bought buckets of ice cream for the students and we had an ice cream social. The Sierra crew mingled with the Foxtrot group and relaxed for the evening.

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	&nbsp;

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		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:32:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 4: The Bight, Norman Island to Trellis Bay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1100/278/264420/alpha-3/day-4:-the-bight-norman-island-to-trellis-bay/</link>
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	Day 4 (July 27, 2010) - The Bight, Norman Island to Trellis Bay

	This morning, several Alpha students accomplished great feats. Taylor, Charlotte, and Jessica all got up on the wakeboard on their first try! Some pros can&#39;t even brag about that. We also managed to fit 6 people on a two person kayak, which was another feat that defies physics.

	So after a morning of wakeboarding and skiing, we left the Bight and headed for Trellis Bay, where a Full Moon Party awaited us! The crew of Bacchanal Time and Mad Dog practiced tacking as they sailed upwind. After sailing for a few hours up the Sir Francis Drake Channel, we met up with the Foxtrot and Tango programs for a party that no one will forget. Music, dancing, pyrotechnics, guys on stilts - you name it, we had it. It was a wonderful time. We even had Veronica, Courtney, Mackenzie, and Jessica up on stage dancing and singing. They represented Alpha beautifully. We did not want the night to end.

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		  </description>
		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:38:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 11: Cooper Island Beach Club to Trellis Bay </title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1601/306/264474/tango-2/day-11:-cooper-island-beach-club-to-trellis-bay-/</link>
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	Day 11 (July 26, 2010) - Cooper Island Beach Club to Trellis Bay

	This morning was an early start for Tango with Emma calling them all at 6:15am. There were still a few sleepy faces at the breakfast table, but luckily a nice beam reach over to Trellis Bay woke everyone up. Willow, Noah, and Austin rendezvoused with the dive boat at Trellis Bay &amp; Da Vinci headed around the corner to anchor at Long Bay. This is one of the most beautiful beaches the program has visited and everyone was thrilled to be there.

	The YEP students arrived at Long Bay in the morning. Emma gave a marine biology lesson on coral and the islands. Then armed with this knowledge and after a quick discussion on what they should look out for on the snorkel, it was time to get in the water. The snorkel was led by Emma and Kyle and everyone, YEP and Sail Caribbean enjoyed it.

	After lunch Perry drove out to meet us and take the Tango students for some watersports and tubing. Once everyone had taken a turn at showing us what they could do it was time to return to Trellis Bay. It was a big night there with a Full Moon Party happening. This is all based at Aragorn&rsquo;s studio and the main spectacle are the metal fire balls that stand in the water. Once these are lite they throw their light through the carvings onto the water. In front of these a local band played and a couple of fire spinners entertained the crowd. The Tango students were thrilled to meet their friends from Foxtrot again and were sad to learn that tonight would be the last time they see each other on this trip.

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		  </description>
		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 10: Village Cay to Cooper Island Beach Club</title>
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	Day 10 Village Cay to Cooper Island Beach Club

	A late breakfast was the perfect way to start today. The Tango students appreciated not being woken and looked forward to their 10am breakfast. Leila and Nick were picked up by diver Rob for the next session in their Discover Scuba Diving. Once they had left the rest of the crew prepared to leave docks. Everyone was excited about getting out on the water and there were a few disappointed faces when we had to stall our departure so that Perry could fix a slight problem with our propeller. He soon had the problem remedied and it was time to leave docks and head to Cooper Island. Here we picked up a mooring ball and the girls were keen to check out what the Beach Club had to offer.
	The evening was spent cooking chilli for the Chili Cookoff and the crew of Da Vinci dressed up for their Iroquois Village Dinner theme. The judges were very impressed with the pineapple vegetarian chili and the flaming tee-pee.

	Willow, Noah, and Austin left straight after dinner to go on a night dive. The rest of the crew headed to Cistern Rock with Emma and Kyle for a night snorkel. A barracuda caught everyone&rsquo;s attention while the divers spotted a sleeping turtle. After all that fun it was back to the boat for hot chocolate before bed.

	Check us out on Facebook

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		  </description>
		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 11: Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island to Trellis Bay, Beef Island</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1501/300/264414/foxtrot-2/day-11:-manchioneel-bay-cooper-island-to-trellis-bay-beef-island/</link>
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	Day 11 (July 26, 2010) - Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island to Trellis Bay, Beef Island

	Day 11 started with an early morning sail, preformed by the staff members of each boat. Some chose to raise the main and jib, others just rocked out the jib. The students awoke to help drop the sails and pick up a mooring ball in Trellis. Upon arrival, Foxtrot watched a few planes take off from the nearby Beef Island airport. Excitement grew over breakfast for the morning activities, to be shared with the Youth Empowerment Project of Tortola. The groups mingled, played icebreaker games, and then began a sea grass study. The study examined the abundance of different species of submerged vegetation off the shores of Trellis Bay. Later, the groups participated in a trash cleanup along the beach and were thanked by passersby on their way to work for the day. We said goodbye to our new friends from YEP and shared a swim in the ocean.

	Following lunch, the crews of each boat had some much needed down time, which is quite crucial midway through a program. We soaked up the beautiful afternoon with naps, reading, and back flips off the side of the boats. Crews then set out in search of the elusive turtle of Trellis. Zenon went for a power snorkel. Holding onto the handles tied into the towline, the students are driven around the mooring field. The hunt, however, was ultimately unsuccessful, and had to be called off due to dinner prep. The evening&rsquo;s meal consisted of shish kabobs and wild rice. Clean up was frenzied, as all were excited to go ashore for the Trellis Bay Full Moon Party.

	What a treat to get to go to a real Full Moon Party while down here in the BVI! Ting was flowing, cool Caribbean sounds grooved from the band on stage and as the sun set and the moon rose, the fire balls located in the shallows were lit, illuminating the cove. In front of the fire balls, fire dancers preformed, spinning poi, knives, fans and staffs for the huge crowd of students and tourists gathered around them. Students roamed through the party, stopping for dancing or milkshakes or to poke their heads into the pottery shop, Aragons. Foxtrot was not the only fleet ashore this evening, we were joined by Alpha and Tango. After farewells were said to our new Sail Caribbean friends, the students headed back to boats and were fast asleep as soon as their heads fell upon their soft pillows.

	Check us out on Facebook
	&nbsp;

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		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 10: Village Cay, Tortola to Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island</title>
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	Day 10 (July 25, 2010) - Village Cay, Tortola to Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island

	After a raucous ice cream social the previous night, the sailors of the M-bio Armada were a little sleepy while starting their morning. However, energy rose quickly over breakfast as anticipation built for the days activities. The divers soon left docks for further immersion into the submariner community. Sail Caribbean divers took the divers of the Foxtrot fleet to the bow of the Rhone to satisfy their deep dive for their advanced SCUBA certification. For the second dive, the divers went to Chromis Reef around the corner form Manchioneel Bay on Cooper Island. There the divers practiced their compass skills for their navigation dive. The rest of the crew were led by Perry, a shining member of the Sail Caribbean land staff, for a hike to Sage Mountain, Tortola&rsquo;s highest peak sitting at a lofty 521 meters high. Both divers and hikers looked forward to sharing their morning adventures with the others on their rides back to Village Cay, whether that was via open air truck or speedy dive boat.

	Upon return, the Foxies hustled to get their boats off of the hot and sweaty docks and get underway for their afternoon sail across the channel to Cooper Island. Margret took charge on Berlin as skipper of the day. All three catamarans of Foxtrot pulled off docks to sounds of the Fleet Captain, Erica, yelling with enthusiasm. Upon further questioning, Erica explained that this was, perhaps, the finest de-docking she saw all summer. The fleet sailed upwind, enjoying delicatessen delights and nautical insights from the staff.

	At Cooper, the Foxies went ashore for a sea grass lesson and an intro to the sea grass study we do for the BVI&rsquo;s Conservation and Fisheries Department. Sea grass is a vital habitat for numerous organisms, it is a food source for creatures including the righteous green turtles that munch on the grass and provides stability to the beaches of the islands by trapping sediment that can hang suspended in the water column. Of course, sea grass provides our sea creature friends with an element that is vital to their existence, oxygen! The crew set out in groups with mask and snorkel, a 50 m transect line and sea grass identification sheets. As they work from shore to sea, they use a quadrant every 5 m and determine which species of sea grass are present and which species is dominant.

	With data properly recorded and the gear stowed, the Foxies headed back to boats and prepped for the highly vaulted Sail Caribbean Chili Cookoff, where the presentation of the meal is just as vital as the food preparation. The first boat visited by the Chileans, the offical judges of anything and everything chili related, was Berlin. Berlin&rsquo;s theme was an awkward date in Paris, which included full participation of all students, however, Hugo from Paris did stand out as the one student with impeccable French. Next in the mooring field was Van Gogh who transformed their catamaran into a tropical island, with dancers on the transom greeting the Chileans with homemade leis. Zenon had the Chileans giggling from their first step onboard. The crew preformed a bat mitzvah, featuring Gillian singing form the Torah, which she had memorized and coffee filter yarmulkes held on by the boats clothespins. Following the ceremony, everyone on Zenon broke it down with a dance party.

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		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 11: Gustavia</title>
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		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 11 (July 26, 2010) - Gustavia

	After only a short period of rest, our crew was back up and active, brining Teranga and Groix onto docks at Gustavia. Britt did an excellent job on the helm of Teranga, leading his boat and crew flawlessly into a tight spot between two very expensive yachts. Meagan followed them in on Groix, docking the boat without any hitches except the ones on the cleats, and after a cleaning inspection everyone walked around the shops and boutiques, soaking up the French food and culture.

	We rented a small fleet of four-wheel-drive Jeeps, and after sandwiches on fresh local baguettes, we drove all over the island, stopping at Airport Beach. The beach takes its name for the active airport runway that bisects it, running from the hills all the way to the sand, where it fades out into ocean. When crossing the beach, you must look both ways for low-flying aircraft, and in the water windsurfers speed back and forth.

	Meagan and Caroline got some exercise in, jogging up and down the beach, and Jason and some of the other guys tossed the adopted football around. Everyone enjoyed bobbing in the warm waves, and when a brief shower passed we all continued to swim, with the cool rain falling in refreshing drops into the warm sea. When we returned, we ate a large dinner and took fresh water showers, exhausted from the night sail and the beach, but looking forward to another day of new cultures and beautiful weather.

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		  <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 6: Trellis Bay to the Bitter End Yacht Club</title>
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	Day 6 (July 24, 2010) - Trellis Bay to the Bitter End Yacht Club

	All our students woke this morning at 8:30 am for a breakfast of cereal and fruit. They then set sail up the Sir Francis Drake Channel past the dog islands towards the Virgin Gorda sound and the Bitter End Yacht Club. Underway students worked on tacking, right of way lessons, basic points of sail and sail trim. All of the boats ate a lunch of tomato and mozzarella baguettes underway in the north sound before mooring at the Bitter End.

	Once there our students headed ashore to the luxurious resort where they availed of waterskiing, tubing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, laser and hobie cat sailing. Our students were kept well and truly entertained for the remainder of the day with watersports not to mention the opportunity they had to explore the resorts shops and order virgin pina coladas at the bar. Students returned home to their boats at 5:30pm for showers and prepared a delicious meal of fish tacos and a quiet night on board complete with boat meeting.

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	&nbsp;

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		  <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:16:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 5: Marina Cay to Trellis Bay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1101/284/264438/bravo-2/day-5:-marina-cay-to-trellis-bay/</link>
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	Day 5 (July 23, 2010) - Marina Cay to Trellis Bay

	Today our bravo students woke early to a breakfast of Swiss morning muesli after which the open water divers headed to our dive boat. Once on board they completed their final confined dive needed for the open water course. Meanwhile our non divers set sail, heading up and around the Sir Francis Drake Channel learning the basics of sailing technique, running man over board drills and working hard at reducing their personal best times for tacking. They returned to Marina Cay for lunch with their diving crew mates.

	After an epic lunch of tuna pittas a swap took place. Those that dove in the morning went sailing whilst our non-divers headed ashore for virgin drinks and beach fun. All our students were reunited again for dinner at Trellis Bay. Trellis bay is a local artist haunt and the students had the opportunity to browse some of the unique artisan stores of the bay while ashore for a fire ball party hat night. There was a band, large flaming steel fire sculptures and even fire spinning on show for the students ashore.

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		  </description>
		  <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 8: Marina Cay to Trellis Bay</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1801/309/264423/sierra-2-ow--scuba/day-8:-marina-cay-to-trellis-bay/</link>
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	Day 8 (July 23, 2010) - Marina Cay to Trellis Bay

	Sierra awoke to a bright sun shining down on a beautiful new location. Geneve spent the evening moored at Marina Cay and immediately following breakfast the group jumped into the water and conducted their first REEF ID snorkel. It was a great swim with a nice distance that also gave the group a little morning exercise. Each student was also asked to keep an eye out for their designated fish so that they could begin collecting information for their fish profiles. Ana spotted a large group of Blue tangs swimming around with ocean surgeonfish. Nick spotted his yellow finned parrot fish and the entire group spotted a hawksbill sea turtle. After the morning swim, Sierra made their way back to the boat and motored over to Trellis Bay.

	At 1:30PM, Sail Caribbean divers picked up the group and took us diving on a 2 tank dive. We were pleased to see Armando on the boat when we got picked up. Armando is a professional underwater photographer and he came to get some shots of the Sierra students. On the first dive, Laurie and Meg were dive buddies and spotted a huge octopus. Graham saw a black tip reef shark and the rest of the group was blown away by the colors of the reef. The group swam into a cave filled with glass-eyed sweepers and Armando took some great pictures of Emmett, Nick and Ana.

	ScubaShotsBVI.com - Click on &quot;See Your Photos&quot; to view the &quot;2010 Sail Caribbean&quot; photo album.

	After our dives, the group needed to get pretty for a fireball party on the shore of Trellis Bay. Sierra met up with the Charlie/Bravo fleet and had a great time mingling with a new group of kids. There was a live band playing island music, frozen coladas, ice cream and soda all around to top off the evening, jumbees! Jumbees are stilt walkers that were brilliant colors and dance to the music with the crowds. At 11:00PM it was time to head back to the boat. It was a late night and we, as always, had a big day planned for the following day.

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		  <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	      <title>Day 3: Buck Island to Norman Island</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1100/278/264417/alpha-3/day-3:-buck-island-to-norman-island/</link>
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		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 3: Buck Island to Norman Island

	After we slept in until 8:00am, we quickly left Buck Island and headed towards one of the best snorkeling/diving spots in the BVI, the Indians. During our sail to the Indians, we practiced tacking and took rotations at the helm. As we neared our snorkel spot, just about everyone began to get comfortable steering our 47 ft monohulls.

	Once we arrived to the Indians, we quickly jumped into the water and listened to a snorkeling lesson. After the lesson, we swam a complete 360 around the Indians. We saw tarpin, barracuda, Caribbean blue fish, clown fish, and many more. Some of us even swam through an underwater swim through, where we swam underneath some coral.

	As soon as we got out of the water and left the Indians, we got right back in the water at the Bight on Norman Island for some watersports! Tubing was the big hit of the watersport extravaganza. And although everyone was awesome about staying on the tube, we definitely had several extreme wipeouts. Charlotte, Ben, Spencer, Amanda, and Elana performed excellent 9.7 twisty, flippy wipeouts.

	Also, while we were moored at the Bight, we went ashore for some beach time. At the beach, we found a cool restaurant where Mackenzie, Keith, Sami, and NIcholas engaged in an intense game of giant connect four and giant Jenga.

	After breaking a physical (as well as mental sweat from the Connect Four), we showered up and chowed down on some good ole fashion spaghetti. Then, we ended the night by talking about our Ship&#39;s Log and playing a nice game of Mafia. Talk about a full day.

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		  <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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	    <item>
	      <title>Day 9: The Bight, Norman Island to Village Cay, Tortola</title>
	      <link>http://www.sailcaribbean.com/community/tripupdates/2010/1501/300/264408/foxtrot-2/day-9:-the-bight-norman-island-to-village-cay-tortola/</link>
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		  	<![CDATA[
			
	Day 9 (July 24, 2010) - The Bight, Norman Island to Village Cay, Tortola

	The 6 AM downpour may have been a rude wake up for those sleeping on deck, but ultimately it proved to be a false harbinger of the day&rsquo;s weather. Sunny skies greeted us as the Foxies enjoyed honey nut cheerios and uht. After breakfast, the divers embarked on either fun dives or the beginning studies for their advanced SCUBA certification. Our fun divers headed off to Angelfish reef and then motored over to the Indians for their second dive. Non-divers went on a phenomenal snorkel at the Indians. The free divers delighted in the seeing the not so common black durgon, a black triggerfish with baby blue hugging the dorsal and anal fins. All had a fabulous morning in the water, with a plethora of parrotfish and myriad of mollusks joining the crew in the Caribbean Sea.
	The theme for this afternoons sail to docks was &ldquo;Adopt a Tango&rdquo;.

	Berlin, Van Gogh, Zenon and the Tango catamaran Da Vinci all mixed together for a fun afternoon together. Berlin savored seared tuna sandwiches from lunch, hosting Willow and Tom from the Tango program. Following lunch, Becca, the skipper of the day on Berlin, led the crew out of The Bight, and after some deliberation on their course, set sail. The catamarans fell off to port and headed for Road Harbor. Liam was the skipper of the day on Zenon. Layla and Nick from Tango joined the crew on Zenon on their smooth sail over to Village. Halle and Noah hopped on board Van Gogh for the sail across to Tortola. All three catamarans docked with the greatest of ease and were promptly cleaned from stems to sterns.

	Cell phones were handed out and family and friends were called. All sailors from the Sail Caribbean Marine Biology Armada, consisting of Foxtrot, Sierra and Tango, promptly descended on the shore showers of Village Cay Marina. Later on in the evening, once everyone was thoroughly desalted from the couple days of sailing out in the BVI, the fleet dined on chicken parmesan. A Neapolitan Ice Cream Social, hosted by the kind crew of Berlin, followed the culinary miracle. The crew of the M-bio Armada drifted off to sleep as a reggaton rendition of Lady Gaga drifted across the harbor from the beginnings of the carnival celebrations in Road Harbor.

	Check us out on Facebook

	
	&nbsp;

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		  <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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