EARLIES Day 11
Written by Chiara M., Dive Instructor & Mate
This morning, we woke up to the soft sounds of the ocean against the catamarans at the Bitter End Yacht Club docks. We awoke to a breakfast buffet complete with cereal and bagels provided by Mack. The staff, Frankie, Sara, and I, sipped coffee and tea during the calm before the storm: Challenge Day.
At 6:45 sharp, Skipper Ava, Mate Naomi, and Navigator Mia made their way to the staff boat for a navigation briefing. After learning about the sail to Anegada, our crew returned to the boat and shared their plan. After filling up our water tanks and completing predeparture checks, it was time to leave the docks. Following a swift departure led by Ava and Frankie, we set off on our journey, without the help or direction of staff, to Anegada.
Ava and Naomi directed the raising of the sails, and it went so smoothly that the staff was thoroughly impressed. While underway, we made friendship bracelets, ate oranges, and played matches of Bullshark. Once Anegada was in sight, the crew reconvened to take down the sails and prepare for the mooring ball pickup. With excellent attention to detail by Ava, stellar hooking by Paulina, and attentive threading by Mack and Tessa, the feat of picking up the mooring ball in such a rowdy mooring field was executed extremely well.
Once secured to the ball, we each made our own sandwiches and enjoyed them before shuttling ashore for our next activity. Onshore, Aidan, our fleet captain, took us on an adventure to Big Bamboo on Loblolly Bay in Anegada. We felt the wind hit our faces as we drove through the island, admiring how untouched and well kept it was by Mother Nature.
Once we arrived, we purchased souvenirs and waited for the next mission: the Sail Caribbean Olympics. With Frankie’s enthusiasm and cheers, we created a family dynamic with one focus: winning. During the relay race of Dizzy Fender, we cheered and sang until each of our fearless racers led us to victory. After Dizzy Fender, we played a fender throwing game, where we tied. Ava and Paulina were exceptionally good at catching fenders and did a fantastic job.
Later, we chased and tackled our amazing Captain Sara and buried her in the sand as a mermaid for the sand art competition. They say art is subjective, but we were confident we made a masterpiece. Finally, we played a game of Tug of War with Nohea. Although we didn’t win, we grew closer as a boat.
After the competitions, we retreated to the Big Bamboo restaurant, where we savored French fries, enjoyed ice cream, and relaxed in each other’s company. After some downtime and digging our toes in the sand, we headed back to the docks. During the end of this free time, the Sierra students went on a mini adventure of their own. They were given a ride to see flamingos and visit Shark Bay, where they saw lots of lemon sharks, barracudas, and a blue crab. They had lots of fun!
On our second dinghy ride, I drove, and we saw two turtles in the ocean coming up for breaths of air. Once back on the boat, we took quick showers and began dinner prep, led by Naomi and Mia, while the others played Bullshark and Mafia. Once dinner was ready, Mia went with others in her program to see more turtles and even got to see two eagle rays!
We feasted on amazing burritos with avocado mash and sour cream. After our delicious dinner, we started boat clean and waited for our Captain Sara. Despite all odds, we had an amazing Challenge Day, and our crew celebrated many small victories.
