Alpha 1 & Delta 1, Day 4: Sail to Cooper Island
Written by Riley Addison
Edited by Meredith Evridge
The morning started off with French toast or French bagels, depending on how much bread we had left! Those with bagels were tickled by the small change in the usual french toast routine. This was followed by breakfast clean and predeparture checks. Our campers made sure that the boat was ready to motor and sail, and that all items that could fly away were tampered down. After a quick review on how to drop a mooring ball, there was an upwind sail. This meant we’d have our fair share of practice tacking. Tacking is when you change points of sail by passing the bow through the wind. As Cooper Island came into view, fleet captains and program directors came around to instruct each boat on which ball to pick up. Soon enough, the entire fleet was moored. Yellow flags waved cheerfully all across the mooring field. From there, lunch and a rotation of activities began. Activities included beach time, kayaks and stand up paddle boards, tubing, wakeboarding, and Colgate sailboat sailing. It was scheduled so that every boat, every program, got to do a little of everything! We also sent off the Open Water team for their sessions with our exceptional dive staff.
After activities rotation, there were marine bio lessons on turtles and dangerous creatures, and a snorkel shortly after. We always hope to find a turtle or two, and we usually end up successful! Every time one of these enchanting creatures is spotted, a large cluster of our campers and staff view the turtle coming up for air, in silence. Additionally, 0ur Open Water divers completed the rest of their confined dives! They came back just as the simmering spaghetti bolognese wafted through the air.
Nothing like a boat clean with your favorite team to make it fun. As the surfaces began to shine again, there was an extra pep in everyone’s step due to an upcoming soda social ashore. We all dinghied up to the docks again, this time by the light of the moon. We surveyed the scene, noticing a cooler full of ice cold sodas and an area to hang in the sand, all illuminated by cute strung up lanterns. One of our talented staff members brought out light-up balls that he spun, putting on quite a show!! Returning to boats in good spirits, students had a quick boat meeting, settled down, and got ready for bed.
