Written by Nora E., Mate & Social Media
Hi Delta families! I had the absolute pleasure of joining the Delta Fleet on their adventures down island for a few days, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I arrived on the morning of Day 14 while the fleet was in St. Kitts. I hopped off the airplane and then hopped in their taxi tour with Percy, a good friend of ours down there who takes us around the island. First, we stopped to do a hike in the jungle where we made friends with Ben, a small monkey with a diaper! Everyone loved spending time with him, giving him snacks, and watching him jump from person to person. Afterwards, we started our hike through the vibrant green jungle where the air was incredibly fresh. Percy found some vines for the kids to swing on while others explored the area. The next stop on the tour was Brimstone Hill – a historical UNESCO site where the native Caribbean tribes fought for their land and independence from the French and British. As the tour was winding down, the fleet stopped to get some lunch at the beach before heading back to the boats to motor to an anchorage for the night.
The next day, some students swapped boats for the sail to St. Eustatius – an island that is owned by the Netherlands. The sail was a peaceful downwind sail that took around 2 hours, and Wren was skipper of the day on FLX. Once we were anchored at St. Eustatius, the divers left for the ScubAqua dive shop to get sizes for our BCDs and meet the dive staff. We did two dives: one was a shipwreck with so many sea turtles and cool algae, and the other was an underground coral valley. I even saw 2 octopuses- a dream come true for me! Those who were not diving had some fun on land, exploring the town.
After St. Eustatius, we journeyed on to our last stop in the Leeward Islands: Saba. Also, it was Challenge Day! Charlie was our skipper of the day on FLX, and she and the crew did an amazing job getting us safely to Ladder Bay on Saba. This island is unlike any other. It is basically a large mountain with a constant cloud over the top of it, and is very influenced by the Dutch. We got to spend the afternoon exploring the town, hiking up the mountain, and visiting our dear friend Jo Bean, who is a glassblower on the island. Each student got to make their own bead by choosing a glass stick and some colors to fill it. The process is very interesting, and the beads all turned out beautifully!
Our last day down island consisted of one more dive with a dive shop on Saba. They took us to a very serene and peaceful underwater valley where multiple sea turtles and stingrays call home. The next dive was like an underwater mountain with the most beautiful coral I have ever seen! The students and staff who were not diving played Trivia on Maora and had some time to relax before we all left for the overnight passage back to the BVI.
As it was nearing the time to put up the sails, the students got the boats ready by stowing away the food, setting up lines on the boat, and getting harnesses ready. We sailed away from Saba as the sun was setting and enjoyed some PB&J sandwiches at the helm. FLX made it back to the BVI in 12 hours – a Sail Caribbean record! We arrived shortly after 6 am, had breakfast, said goodbye to our friend Evan on FLX as he was heading home early for a wedding, and then headed to the Baths National Park for the hikel (snorkel and hike).
Before we knew it, it was already time to return to Hodges Creek Marina, our home base. The students worked diligently to clean their boats, finish their American Sailing Association tests, and come up with fun skits. We had a scrumptious dinner of bbq chicken, veggies, coleslaw, potatoes, and mac and cheese. Finally, the Delta Fleet gathered together to perform skits, get awards, and watch a slideshow of photos from the past 3 weeks. I cannot express how lucky I feel to have spent the last week with this amazing crew of students and staff in some of the most beautiful places. It was truly the time of my life, and I hope everyone comes back next year – let’s do it again!
