Delta 1 Day 19: Sail Caribbean Olympics Tradition

written by Program Director, Jen Borderud
July 11, 2015

Though the 21-day course is drawing to a close, this morning marked one of the last and final challenges for the Delta crew.  Their task was to navigate Grand Plaisance III from Marina Cay to her final anchorage at Long Bay, Beef Island. The catch, however, is that they would have to circumnavigate Scrub Island, Great Caminoe Island, and Guana Island before heading toward their final destination.

Dylan, Chloe, and Hawkey had met the previous evening to look over the chart and plan their passage and schedule for the day, so when morning came, they were well-prepared to get the crew moving and on their way.  Dylan gave commands from the helm and led the crew off the ball and out of the mooring field at Marina Cay.  It wasn’t long before Cassidy, Elvira, and Sam had hauled in on the halyard and raised the main.  Kricket, Chloe, and Emma worked together to unfurl the jib before trimming to a close haul.

The biggest challenge of the day came when it was time to anchor.  The idyllic anchorage in the east end of Tortola was a bit breezy and already had 4 boats from the Charlie and Bravo programs anchored. It would require a precise and skillful approach to anchor Grand Plaisance  III in the available sandy patch.  The crew made the shrewd decision to bail on the first approach and instead use it as an opportunity to get a closer look at the available space in which they would be anchoring.  Though the crew had to work through the best way to communicate between the bow and the helm, they were ultimately able to anchor GP3 smoothly and safely at Long Bay.

The rest of the day was spent on the beach and in the water with the Charlie and Bravo fleets.  Our ASA students took and passed their Keelboat practical exams and everyone got their fill of wakeboarding, small boat sailing, and stand up paddle boarding.

After lunch, it was time for the time-honored program tradition of Sail Caribbean Olympics!  The Delta, Charlie, and Bravo programs teamed up with their fellow boat-mates to compete against opposing crews in 3 events: Dizzy Fender, Tug-o-War, and a Beach Clean and Recycled Art Competition.  After closing ceremonies, everyone kicked back and enjoyed a beach barbeque together on shore.  When everyone had had their fill of hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, portabella mushrooms, and corn-on-the-cob, it was time to swim back out to boats and wind down with showers and a boat meeting.

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