Written by Sara, Captain on Moet
The Alpha fleet arose today at the standard wake up time of 7 AM. Trellis Bay greeted us with heavy winds and its view that never fails to disappoint – luscious green mountains on both sides of us and channel markers off our stern. The smell of crispy bacon wafted from each boat as we cooked eggs and bacon for breakfast.
After cleaning breakfast and doing PDC’s (pre-departure checks), we dropped the ball and motored away from Trellis Bay. As the cove of Trellis Bay receded, the heavier wind and taller waves made for a great second day of sailing. Despite these more difficult conditions, they proved no match for the Moet crew, with Corte as our skipper of the day, Cece as mate, and Lachlan as navigator.
Once the crew deemed our location safe from oncoming vessels and nearby land, we raised our sails with not one reef… but two! (It was gusting over 24 knots!) Even with these two reefs, we still broke 9 knots of boat speed as we sailed downwind to Cooper Island. For each gybe, a tack was done instead for safety and practice, with everyone having the chance to try the working and lazy jib sheet.
As we closed in on Cooper Island, we furled our jib, dropped our reefed sail, and motored to Mooring Ball #6, where the crew of Moet worked together to successfully pick up the mooring ball on the first try.
After doing a jellyfish check, the crew of Moet enjoyed a well-deserved swim and a watermelon that may or may not have fallen and cracked onto our kitchen floor while underway. To break the 4th wall briefly, it’s not even lunchtime yet folks. For lunch, we ate delicious pizza bagels, prepared by Presley and Sophie. Following a quick lunch clean, divers were shuttled ashore for their diving orientation from the lovely Sail Caribbean dive staff.
After, the fleet enjoyed watersporting, colgating, and diving, depending on what each student signed up for.
Personally, as a staff member getting my AOW, and I dove the Rhone shipwreck and saw a shark! As the sun set, we participated in what we always do here – ocean showers, dinner prep, dinner, boat clean, boat meeting, and power down. Dinner was delicious chicken curry, with our fellow PM (provision manager) Grace aboard Moet.
