Delta 2, Days 17 & 18: Saba Fun and Return to the BVI!

Written by Riley Addison

Edited by Meredith Evridge

Day 17

Today’s schedule was similar to yesterday’s. We would split into two groups and rotate activities. Right after breakfast, Zanzibar hiked Mount Scenery while Mayotte went to one of our favorite destinations, Jo Bean’s glass shop! Jo Bean’s glass shop is a wonderful place full of handmade jewelry and decor. Glass work is quite popular in the Caribbean. Under Jo’s close supervision and guidance, students had the opportunity to make a unique Caribbean glass bead themselves. Once the beads were finished, they were all proudly displayed around the necks or ankles of students and staff alike.

At lunch time, Zanzibar and Mayotte met up at a local restaurant to enjoy food that didn’t require prep or clean! Once all were filled to the brim, the groups switched activities. The hike up Mount Scenery was an ascent into a tropical cloud forest. This was a jungle-like forest that was seldom unaccompanied by an encompassing cloud. The hike was tough and the view was blocked by the cloud at the summit, but it was extremely special to be in such a dreamy and photogenic environment! It also felt great to get such a cardio blast.

Along the way, we saw many plant species that we don’t see on a day-to-day basis. Romantic vines from trees, ripe mango trees, banana trees, lime trees, and other fruits and berries. Saba is known for growing a lot of its own food and being self sustaining.

Mid-afternoon we went back to boats with special glass swag and sore legs. Quick showers, dinner prep, and a stow of items prepared us for the night sail. We dropped the mooring ball just after sunset and raised sail. At nine o’clock, we broke into our watch rotations, three students and one staff every three hours. We maintained this until ten AM, upon arrival at Virgin Gorda.

Day 18

Our 10 AM arrival to Virgin Gorda allowed us to check in to the British Virgin Islands immigration and customs. While the captains and program director went ashore to go through the paperwork process, the rest of us made celebratory pancakes. They took forever to make, and made a massive mess in our galleys. This was partly because it was pancakes – but mostly because we where having loads of fun. We smothered them in tasty toppings and savored the flavors.

Once immigrations gave us the green light, we motored to Swanky Scrub Island. We docked next to the freshly arriving Alpha Fleet. Side by side, both fleets gave the boats a deep clean. Cleaning inspections were passed with flying colors, and phones were distributed so our campers could connect with home. They were free to use their next few hours at the pools, deli and small market. In this particular location, we had the luxury of a fresh water shower which was truly the best feeling. We were clean, our boats were clean, and all our ducks were in a line!

We enjoyed a fresh batch of chili for dinner and a quiet night on the dock. It was a perfect easygoing day to recover from our overnighter. We looked forward to meeting up with Mega Fleet tomorrow for Long Bay Day!

(Photos for this post are contributed from Delta student, Ethan Wollins!)