Written by Sean C, Mate
Today was a day packed to the brim with fun activities such as diving and touring, as well as one of the longest sails we’ve done so far. We awoke at Moorings Marina around 6:45, had a quick breakfast of bagels, eggs, and cereal, and then ushered the divers working toward their open water certifications to meet their dive instructors. Today was the final day of their open water certification, and they would receive their official certifications later in the day.
For those not getting their open water certifications, the morning was a little more relaxed. They were given the choice to either spend the morning by the pool or go on a truck tour around Tortola—both were a huge hit.
For those at the pool, the cool breeze at the marina, along with virgin piña coladas, were definitely the highlights. The truck tour offered a unique perspective on the island. Since we spend most of our time on the water, looking down on the ocean from the highest point of Tortola and seeing all the places we’ve traveled was an awesome experience.
Once everybody had returned from their morning activities (including the divers with their brand-new open water certifications), we began our pre-departure checks for our sail to Bitter End Yacht Club, one of the longest passages of the program so far. After a very important navigation briefing led by Gavin, our navigator for the day, we de-docked from the marina and started our passage into the channel.
About 10 minutes into the sail, we were hailed over the radio and challenged to a race by one of the other boats in our fleet! Not a group to back down from a challenge, we gladly accepted and quickly raised our sails in response. Robert, one of the students who jumped in to skipper for part of the sail, said his favorite part of the day was the race. During the friendly competition, Alina and Robert expertly steered us through the channel to our destination, all while exchanging a little good-natured “smack talk” over the radio with the other boat.
Once we arrived at the mooring field in Bitter End, we secured the boat and began dinner prep. Tonight’s meal was one of my personal favorites- pesto pasta with sausage. Our chefs did an amazing job and perfectly seasoned the sausage (I was very impressed!). We wrapped up the day with our boat meeting to debrief all the day’s adventures before heading to bed early in anticipation of tomorrow’s excitement. As they drifted off to sleep, the students were already talking excitedly about sailing Hobie Cats and spending time ashore at the yacht club the next day.
