Written by Mer M., Mate/Dive Instructor
This is Mer from Stella Maris checking in from Trellis Bay! Today we woke up at 7am and had a breakfast buffet of bagels, yogurt parfaits, and cereal before demooring from Little Harbor, Jost Van Dyke, and motoring to Sandy Cay. Once we dropped our anchor, we got ready for Olympics! We dressed up in all blue and designed an exquisite flag based on our love for Nutella, then made our way to the beach for the festivities. Our team spirit was strong, and we ended up winning tug of war and the bury-your-counselor challenge.
Once Olympics were over, Stella Maris students split into three groups for the sail to Trellis: the boys went to Y-Nissy, the girls to Betty’s Dream, and the Sierra students—both from our boat and from others—stayed aboard Stella Maris for a mangrove-focused sail. We quickly up-anchored from Sandy Cay and made our way to Trellis. Along the way, we set up our very own Stella Maris Subway, where the students were able to order from myself and Bronte, our marine science coordinator, and they received the best boat sandwiches had this summer so far.
After about two hours of sailing and a decent squall later, we arrived at Trellis Bay ready to explore and learn about the mangroves. Myself, Bronte, and Franny (our photographer and social media manager) joined the Sierra students for a quick open-air truck ride to a protected mangrove reserve. Once there, we were met by Alex, a BVI native and mangrove expert, who took us on a guided tour throughout the mangrove forests near Trellis. We had an amazing afternoon kayaking through the calm waters, home to juvenile nurse and lemon sharks, upside-down jellyfish, and a plethora of other marine creatures. Our tour even took us into thick tangles of mangroves where we had to lay down flat on our kayaks to pass through. We learned so much about the many important roles of mangroves, as well as environmental lessons specific to the BVIs from our guide, Alex.
Afterward, we headed back to Trellis for some shore time at the market and shops, then made our way back to the fleet. We got showers going, followed by a delicious burrito dinner cooked by Maria and Harris. We then deep cleaned the boat in preparation for inspections tomorrow before going ashore at Scrub, then played some much-deserved games before heading to bed. We can’t wait for what tomorrow has in store for us!
