Delta 1 Day 20: Amazing Shift Work From Outstanding Student Explorers
written by Delta mate, Liz Jones
July 13, 2017
On the morning of day 20 of program, the Delta fleet was peacefully moored at The Baths on Virgin Gorda. Through the night, Attila and Rioja experienced high winds and squalls but with the expert guidance of staff and the amazing shift work by students, the boats safely arrived back in the BVI’s at 9:30am, unscathed and proud to have completed our final long passage of the trip.
After a few hours of rest for the crews, it was time to return the boats to their normal state. From unlashing and lowering the dinghy, to reorganizing the salon and cleaning up the cockpit, students and staff alike worked together to straighten up our faithful vessels. After lunch, all students snorkeled ashore with a few staff members for a hike through the beautiful volcanic rocks and blue waters. Thoroughly exploring the boulders, the trail emerged into Devil’s Bay, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. From the bay, we snorkeled the bright and lively reefs on our way back to the boats, seeing all kinds of gorgeous reef fish and corals.
Back on the boats, the crews of Rioja and Atilla embarked on their biggest challenge yet- a deep clean of the boats! Scrubbing every inch of the vessels for the next couple hours, students put in elbow grease to get the boats ready to return to docks. Squeaky clean, Delta boats dropped the ball at the Baths and motored to Hodges Creek Marina, back where program all began. The evening that followed was nice and relaxed due to the crew’s hard work and students enjoyed a dinner of mac and cheese, ribs, and veggies on docks followed by relaxation time with the other boats, writing airplane letters to crewmates and packing up their last belongings. Ready for the departures of the following day, students drifted off to sleep, soaking up their final night in the island breeze of the BVI’s.
