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Alpha 3 & Tango 3, Day 4: A Great Sail to Great Harbor

By wpdev July 28, 2019
Written by Kyra Benforte
Edited by Meredith Evridge

This morning, we were able to sleep in until 8 AM! Waking up to another beautiful morning at the Bight on Norman Island, we shook our heads in amazement that we were able to see these stunning sights. The blue of the Caribbean filled our hearts with gratitude. After a satiating breakfast of French toast, we began to get our boats ready for the sail to Peter Island. After completing our pre-departure checks, including taking drying items off the lifelines, closing hatches, checking the engine, and securing the galley, we donned our life jackets and dropped our mooring balls. Motoring out of the mooring field, we raised our sails and turned our faces towards Great Harbor.

During our sail, we learned about tacking and points of sail, and reviewed how to pick up a mooring ball. The lessons were relatively short and easy to follow. Those that had been here with us before were able to jump in with their knowledge and give new campers some help. It was a fun sail with our fleet and everyone enjoyed being out on the water. After our sail, we made a delicious lunch of chicken caesar pitas and hung out on our boats. All parties had a chance to sail on our Colgate 26, and do some watersports. Some of us went tubing on our mega tube, “Poparazzi,” that is definitely one highlight of every single Sail Caribbean program – according to many of our campers! Wearing a helmet and life jacket, three people lie down or stand in the Poparazzi while holding onto handles. Being towed behind the rib, our powerboat, the waves crash and make the tube roll from side to side. It is a good challenge to hold on even when the rib speeds up a little bit. Others went wakeboarding and waterskiing, towed behind another rib. There is nothing like having fun in the sun with new friends!

After enjoying a beautiful sunset, we set a tasty batch of spaghetti bolognese to simmer below deck while we all showered. After filling up with dinner, our boats got a routine clean and each boat gathered for a boat meeting. We did “Rose, Bud, Thorn,” which is when we all go around and talk about the best part of the day, something that was difficult, and something that we are excited about in the future. It is a really nice way to continue getting to know each person on the boat. We also made our Full Value Contracts, a contract that binds our boat and says what we would like to keep on and off of the boat. Some examples are keeping teamwork and good attitudes on board, and keeping off negativity and the phrase, “I can’t.” Our day ended around 9 PM when we began to power down for the night and get ready for the exciting day that awaited us in the morning!

The greatest challenge during the program was staying entertained during the quarantine period. Not being able to leave your boat and not having a phone, which was a crutch against boredom, it was difficult at first to stay entertained.