Sierra 3, Charlie 3, Foxtrot 3 and Alpha 4, Day 12: Olympics and Long Bay Day!

Written by Jackie Bonfiglio

Edited by Allie Faulkner

Day 12

This morning we awoke from a restful sleep thanks to a gracious 8 AM wake up. We could hear the roosters coo among the Nanny Cay docks as we prepared buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. We stacked our flapjacks high on our plates and gobbled them up really quick, excited for the day ahead.

Once we filled our bellies and tidied up the boat we began going through our pre-departure checklist so we could embark on next sail to Long Bay on Tortola. Our captain went over a thorough de-docking plan with the skipper of the day and we were completely ready to go. With a seamless execution, we caught our dock lines and cruised our way out of the marina and through the channel markers to the big blue. The skipper promptly assigned positions as we went head to wind to hoist the mainsail. By now our crew has become quite efficient in working together to raise sail, leading us to turning off the engines and running on wind power in no time. While the wind was optimal, in order to keep pace in traveling upwind, we had to alternate to motor sail to make it in time for Olympics.

While underway we prepared a lunch of grilled cheese with hummus and carrots; quick, easy and delicious! As we approached the anchorage of Long Bay, our mate reviewed how to anchor with us. Once we anchored and were secure for the night, we got ready to go to shore. We quickly applied sunscreen, filled our Nalgenes with water, and grabbed our towels before heading to shore to begin the competition of Olympics!

No one could have foreseen who would come out on top in Sail Caribbean’s final Olympic games of the season. All the boats could be seen breaking out their athleticism, competitiveness, and creativity in events such as tug-o-war, beach clean turned sand art, dizzy fender relays and synchronized swimming. The competition was intense and the steaks were high as the students put in their best effort.

After the final event ended, campers dispersed and intermingled to participate in activities ranging from volleyball to water sports to independent small boat sailing. Some made sand castles and some even got to take the colgate out by themselves; with staff nearby in a rib of course! All the fun on the beach worked up our appetites. We had a grill out of hot dogs and hamburgers prepared by our land operations staff for dinner. As the sun began to sink in the sky, golden hour approached and we made our way back to boats for our last boat showers of the program. We concluded our evening by showing what we’ve learned about sailing on our crew tests. Needless to say it was yet another amazing day sailing and having fun in the British Virgin Islands. It was another day in paradise.