Written by Franny P., Social Media Coordinator
Mega Fleet! WOW. What a huge and delightful crew we have! The days have already been a whirlwind of excitement. I’m Franny, the social media coordinator, and I have such a good feeling about the next three weeks.
Yesterday on the 22nd, I woke up at 6 AM to catch the 7:30 ferry with a group of staff on airport duty! We grabbed our flags and clipboards and posted ourselves in the St. Thomas airport baggage claim, ready to welcome this year’s students. We had students arriving from 10 AM all the way through the evening. Together we all ate lunch, rode in taxis, took the ferry, and went through customs so they could finally be greeted by our full staff for what’s sure to be an amazing three weeks. We welcomed all of Alpha, Mega, and Delta for each drop off with all of our energy and the loudest music!
Once everyone arrived, they found out which boat they’re on, met their counselors, and got all settled into their temporary home. They played icebreaker games, cards, and chatted until dinner was catered! We had chicken, rice, vegetables, and scalloped potatoes, served family style on their boats. It was so good. After dinner, each boat cleaned up and then had their first boat meeting with cookies! During that, captains and mates went over rules, how day to day life works, how to delegate responsibilities, how to live kindly in close quarters, and all the fun activities to come. By the time it all wrapped up, it was around 9 PM, and everyone was more than ready for rest after a long travel day. The whispers and giggles of new friendships floated over Hodges.
The next morning, staff had a sneaky 6:30 AM meeting before waking up the boats at 7. The day started with yogurt parfaits, a quick clean, and getting ready for the day. At 8:45, rotations began. Boats moved between meeting the dive instructors, getting boat photos, and learning the parts of the catamaran like how to do pre departure checks.
Then we finalized a few last things: filling up the water tanks, strapping everything down, eating lunch, and cleaning up. By 1 PM, we were off! Every fleet left the docks and we won’t see them again for three weeks. I sailed with Y Nissy, where Heidi was on the helm. This crew was so knowledgeable and confident. We sailed to White Bay on Guana Island, and once we got there, everyone jumped in for their swim test, followed by a goofy ocean shower.
After that it was time for dinner (veggie pasta), then a big boat clean, another boat meeting, and now games in circles on shore. These first two days have run so smoothly, and all the students already seem so brave and full of energy. We’re going to have an absolute blast!
