Anegada- Trellis Bay

The day started off with a batch of French toast. With the long sail back down to Tortola, we had the morning to reach our destination. The amount of time that we had was a good for us, because the wind seemed to have gone somewhere else. It is funny to be in an ocean with nothing but open sea between you and Africa and to not have a lick of wind. Either way our motor sail down to Trellis Bay was relaxing.

We learned about knots and various finer points of sailing and seamanship, some formal while others where just one-on-one. When we arrived at Trellis Bay we did so in the early afternoon. We collected onto Geneve and listened to a lesson about invertebrates, talking about what makes them so fundamentally different from us, other then their lack of a back-bone. In learning about these animals, we talked about where they live and that there is often a great deal of garbage that is dumped into the oceans. We then did an underwater clean up to see what we could find. After all of this, we showered, prepared our dinner and prepared for the Fireball party. At 8:00 we all arrived ashore dressed to the nines. Armed with dresses and collared shirts, the Foxes were ready. The fireball party is always a blast, local music, dancing and singing. The highlight is when the Trellis Kitchen Staff lit these iron balls stuffed with wood on fire. They even have one shaped like a giant man! After the spectacles ended around 10:00 we all headed back to the boats for the rest that we all needed so much at that point.

Day 11

Long Bay to Monkey

This morning we all arose to bagels and cream cheese, a quick but hearty meal to prepare for diving at 8:00. The all the divers except for Sandro headed off to Diamond Reef. Sandro refrained due to ear issues and generally not feeling 100%. Diamond Reef is a beautiful barrier reef that stretches along the southern coast of Great Camanoe Island. The reef is a steep gradient starting in about 3 feet of water and dropping down to about 45 feet at its deepest parts. The second dive site that they went to is called Lee’s Bay and is defined by large rounded granite formations under the water. Large and unique formations create some very fun places to explore along the shore in about 15 to 20 feet of water. When all the divers returned, we made lunch, dropped the mooring ball and motored around the corner to Long Bay. Long Bay is ideal for two things: Olympics and YEP.

Today, it was Olympics. The Olympics consisted of five games. Tug-o-war, the Turtle Relay, Dizzy Fender, The Kayak race, where you have to carry your captain in a kayak around a point and back into the water, and Sand Art where you have to bury your captain and mate in sand and make them into an art sculpture. Each of these games was divided by a five to ten minute session of playing in the water. After the exhausting work of fighting for names sake, we all returned to the boats for a dinner of lasagna and salad, and a quite night on board.

Monkey Point to Baths to Cooper to Hodges

The day got off to an early start on Foxtrot 3′s Sail Caribbean teen adventure as we motored from Monkey Point over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda at 5:45 in the morning! Dylan, Jessica, Spencer, Mitch and Katie enjoyed a sunrise sail with the staff. We arrived at the Baths in time for a leftover breakfast as the crew ate the boats clean today! Then everyone went ashore to the Baths, a national Marine Protected Area. Everyone went on an amazing ‘hikle’ (hike and snorkel) through the  boulders and then met up at Jump Rock. We climbed up and had some (supervised, of course) great jumps off of the rock.

Then, back to the beach for some life enjoyment and back to the boats. Van Gogh was fired up for a race over to Cooper Island. Geneve, meanwhile, was more interested in the delicious chicken fried rice that Christian and Sandro prepared for us. Spencer and Jake got their respective boats over to Cooper Island in a quick manner for our last packing and cleaning effort. It was a lot of work, but everyone pitched in, then went for our last swim in the Caribbean. We sailed back to Hodges Creek Marina, where the boats were successfully docked one last time by Spencer and Jake and then everyone went for land showers.

We met up for a pizza party, soda and ice cream and then planned skits for our awards night. Awards were announced, Turk’s head bracelets were handed out for sailing certification levels and hilarious skits ensued by Geneve, Van Gogh and staff. Van Gogh skit starred Jake, Dylan and Mitch, while Geneve’s featured Tirdad and Jess, while Kaveh stole the show with “hot wings”! Everyone stayed up to write airplane letters to one another and enjoyed each other’s company one last time under the stars.

Long Bay to Monkey

As Foxtrot’s end became visible in the eye of all our minds, our days seemed shorter and shorter. We made a special effort to try to squeeze in as many bits of fun as we could. They morning of the day was the busy part, with our students interacting with YEP, or Youth Empowerment Project, that works with local youth to expose them to new experiences.

The early morning was dedicated to the preparation of the day, planning the activities that the students would lead for the YEP kids. As we all arrived on shore, so too did the YEP students, brought by truck to the little dirt traffic circle, they all found refuge under a nearby tree. Graham facilitated the first activity with them, helping them to get to know each other by throwing a ball back and forth and saying your name and favorite animal. After that, it was Jess who offered up the idea of Red Rover. This classic game was put to the test as 38 people lined up to play. Each of our games was divided by a ten minute splash break.

Once we completed Red Rover, Jake and Dylan facilitated a game of sharks and minnows. Though, shorter then Red Rover, the game was greatly enjoyed by all. We completed our time with YEP by taking them on a snorkel. Often time locals have not experienced snorkeling or seen the coral that attracts so many foreigners. It was great to see our students sharing their new found marine biology knowledge and love of the ocean with the local kids. Melissa, Davide, Amelia and James made a special effort to teach snorkeling skills to the local students.

After our YEP friends departed, we relaxed on the beach for a bit and then headed back to the boats for lunch and a voyage over to Monkey Point on Guana Island, skippered by Sandro on Geneve and Davide on Van Gogh. Sandro de-anchored expertly unassisted by staff. Once moored at Monkey Point, we had a fun filled afternoon of water sports, snorkeling and exploring. Melissa, Amelia, Alex, Kaveh, Matt, Tirdad, Mitch, Jess, Maggie and Hannah all did some awesome tricks while tubing, waterskiing, wakeboarding and wake skating. Christian, Logan, Matt, Tirdad, Melissa, Amelia and Davide went for a snorkel and spotted beautiful reef squid. After a delicious dinner of honey mustard chicken, everyone studied for and passed the crew certification level test with flying colors! To celebrate the entire fleet participated in a nocturnal ocean lesson and then jumped in the water for a night time bioluminescent splash! Christian, Logan, Taylor, James and Jake were particularly amazed by the glowing plankton. The glowing dinoflagellates were a magical sight for the end of our day.

Home!  Everyone woke up at 5 am, had breakfast and prepared to leave.  All flights were waylaid by Hurricane Irene.  As we all eagerly waited to hear about flight plans, we got to hang out more.  Everyone talked and played games in the restaurant on docks.  By 12:00, a ferry was ready to leave Tortola to take the entire group to St. Thomas.  We all gave finals hugs and said our final goodbyes and the staff waved as the taxis left Hodge Creek.  All our staff had a fantastic program meeting amazing students, sailing tons, and having an all-around incredible time.

The fleet woke up early in order to make a stop at The Baths on Virgin Gorda before the trip back to Hodges Creek.  Everyone was a little nervous about the upcoming storm.  That said, it was a beautiful morning and the scenery was picturesque.  Some students enjoyed a hike up to the top of the hill, where they enjoyed breathtaking views of Tortola and the surrounding islands.  Other students strolled through the large boulders and warm pools that make up the cinematic surroundings.  Once through The Baths, they put on their fins and mask to snorkel back to the beach.

At around 11 am, after 3 hours at The Baths, we started our trek back to Hodges.  While we were all sad to end the trip, our crew mates were excited to get back home and see their parents.  As we all docked, we readied our boats for Tropical Storm Irene. There was definitely a level of excitement as the storm got closer.

At 6:30, the crews got together for last boat dinner of pizza.  After dinner, the fleet gathered for an ice cream social, and for skits and awards.  The skits were very funny, as students took on staff and staff acted as students.  The impersonations on both sides were very accurate and everyone had a good time reminiscing about the past two weeks.  Awards were handed out to each boat.  Vivaldi won Beach Olympics and Monet won Chili Cook-off.  Venture got the award for most boat spirit and Sao Jorge won Race Day.  After saying goodnight, we all headed back to our boats to write letter plane letters and have one last, long hang out session.

Today we woke up to calm waters and a beautiful, cloudless day.  Cooper Island was quiet and our fleet were some of the only boats in the mooring field.  We had a busy day planned as our Charlie divers prepared for a dive and the rest of the fleet prepared for a sail to Long Bay, a perfect spot for beach Olympics.

On Monet, Eliza, Zac and Zoe completed the wreck dives for their Wreck Diver specialty.  They went for a dive at Wreck Alley, a dive site where 3 boats were sunk and turned into artificial reef.  While the divers were diving, Gustavo skippered the boat during an amazing anchoring.  During the sail, Gabby, Eric, Veronica, Chelsea and Mitchell learned more about chart navigation.  For beach Olympics, the boat decided on a Harry Potter theme.  They all got to the beach with lightening tattoos on their foreheads!

Sao Jorge sailed off the mooring ball at Cooper Island with Curtis at the helm.  While the rest of the crew was sailing, Eliot, Ally, and Allie went diving on the world famous Wreck of the HMS Rhone.  Once the boat arrived at Long Bay, Robert was skipper during the anchoring.  Once secure, Frank dove on the anchor to make sure that it was set correctly.  The group created an amazing flag for their Olympic team that really inspired team spirit and S.J. pride.

Matt S. was skipper today on Venture.  He helped get the boat off the mooring ball and stayed on helm to raise the sails.  Philip and Joel both completed dives for their Wreck Diver Specialty at dive sites with near perfect visibility.  They estimate it was near 90 feet!  Once at Long Bay, the crew made their way to the beach for Beach Olympics.  Venture won the Fin Relay!

On Vivaldi, Ross was skipper of the day and under his guidance, they were the first boat to drop the ball at Cooper Island.  At Beach Olympics, Vivaldi won Dizzy Fender.  They were quite a speedy group and were able to push through the dizziness of spinning around a fender 10 times in record time.   They buried their captain, Kaitlyn, in sand and sculpted her into a starfish.  Unfortunately, at the end of the games, they were forced to say goodbye to Tim and Cam who had to leave early.

After the games ended, we all got together for beach barbeque and headed back to boats for a crew tests and serious, but fun boat meeting for our last night on the water.

It was a hot morning in Nanny Cay, as we all woke up early to make crepes for breakfast.  Today was a nice, relaxing day.  We had all day at Nanny.

On Vivaldi, Marco, Keric, and Cary left for their last Advanced Open Water dive.  They did their Deep Dive module to around 70 feet and then their Peak Performance Buoyancy module. While practicing their buoyancy, they navigated an underwater obstacle course and even took off their fins and had a race on a sandy patch.  While they were diving, Emma, Matty, Cam, Tim, Jack, Ross and Brett enjoyed the pool and beach at Nanny Cay.

On Monet, Chelsea, Gabby and Will finished their Advanced Open Water dive, while Zoe, Eliza, Gus, Eric, Dylan, Mitchell and Zach went to the shops.  In the afternoon everyone got together for a game of Nuk’em, a derivative of beach volleyball.  Monet was paired with Sao Jorge.

On Sao Jorge, Marella, Curtis, Frank, and Robert went on the last two dives of their Advanced Open Water certification.  In the afternoon Eliot completed his Fish Identification specialty.  Allie, Ally, Nicole, Cara, and Josh got to have another fresh water shower at the amazing Nanny Cay showers.

On Venture, Phil passed his Rescue Diver Exam! The rest of the boat enjoyed ice cream at the Nutty Banana.  In the afternoon, they competed with Vivaldi against Monet and Sao Jorge in beach games.  While Joel fought valiantly for a while, he was targeted by the other team and forced out.  Savannah loved the Nanny Cay showers.

That evening after the afternoon divers returned, the boats prepared for their first night sail.  As sunset arrived, all the boats left docks.  The night was perfect for a night sail.  The moon didn’t rise until late and it left the sky clear for stargazing.  Marco and Tim saw at least three shooting stars.  The boats all successfully night moored at Cooper Island with flashlights and good communication.  After such an exhausting evening, everyone was more than ready for bed.

“Challenge Day! Awesome demooring. We chilled at the beach and found Herbert, our pet who is a hermit crab. We hiked up to the helicopter pad which had the most amazing view and after we had an opportunity to hang out with our friends on the beach.  After we sailed to Sopers Hole and we had an extremely successful sail with no major problems.  After that we moored on the first try and visited friends.  Then we cleaned.”

Today our crew did a great job of: mooring/sailing

Miracle Moment: Sailing alone amazingly.

Day 10 Sopers Hole to Nanny Cay: RACE DAY!!!

Below are extracts from the ship’s logs of the boats, race day in the student’s own words.

Vivaldi:

Captain of the Day: Cary, Navigator: Ross, Mate: Jack

Today was race day. We woke up at 7:00am, got our breakfast of eggs, cleaned and started to sail. The wind was very strong and we went pretty quickly. We came in second but Nanny Cay was pretty awesome. We ate lunch and then we were allowed to hang out at the shops/pool/beach with the other boats. Also the showers here are each about the size of my bedroom and they felt really good.

Monet:

Captain of the Day: Gabby

We woke up early and demoored at once. Then we raced to the starting line outside Soper’s Hole. We sailed incredibly and tacked really fast! The conditions were amazing and we all worked together to race amazingly. When the race finished we docked on our first try really well at Nanny Cay.

Venture:

Captain of the Day: Joel B

“Today was race day. We came in last but in our hearts we were first”

While the morning started serenely in beautiful Little Harbor, things got a little more exciting as it was announced that today was Pirate Day!  As captains and mates woke their boat up in pirate garb and announced the history of the famous BVI pirates.  From stories about Black Beard to interesting facts about islands like Dead Chest and Norman Island, everyone was excited for the fun and games of Pirate Day.

In the morning on Vivaldi, Jack and Brett went diving.  Everyone else on the boat went on a snorkel together.  During the snorkel, the boat was surprised with a game of Panic.  Panic is fleet wide game organized by the staff boat.  All the boats get their kayaks out and choose two people to kayak to the staff boat.  Once there, they receive instructions about a task they have to complete back at their boat.  After finishing, they send the next set crewmates on the kayak to the staff boat.  Vivaldi came in second!  After Panic, they learned how to up anchor and had a really fast downwind sail to Norman Island, the old center of the pirating activity in the BVI’s.  Keric led a challenging mooring ball pickup with Cary, Tim and Ross helping form the bow.  At Norman, Ross, Matty, Emma, Jack and Brett went on a hike while Tim and Cam went on a Discover Scuba Diving Dive.  Ross and Matty made Sloppy Joes for dinner and everyone had a dance party during clean-up.

On Monet, Mitchell went on a snorkel and found a giant hermit crab.  Monet also played in the Panic game.  One of the challenges was for a student to wear 5 life jackets while kayaking to the staff boat.  Veronica managed to get all 5 on her and still successfully paddle.  While Eliza, Zach, and Zoe went on the Peak Performance Buoyancy Dive, Gabby, Veronica, and Eric went tubing around the bay.  Just after lunchtime, they picked up the anchor and headed to The Bite, Norman Island.  That evening, Chelsea, Marella, Robert, and Gabby went on their first night dive.

On Venture, Caitlin was skipper of the day.  After getting her crew up and organizing breakfast, the boat participated in Panic.  Joel and Matt P picked up a plastic bag that had fallen overboard, and about 5 minutes later, the group saw a sea turtle and felt even better about helping to save the environment.  Before setting sail, Mariel and Savannah charted the navigation.  On their sail from Peter Island to Norman Island, they were caught in a rainstorm.  Phil took the opportunity to have a fresh water shower.  That evening Matt S, Scout, Chloe, Jack went for their first night dive.

On Sao Jorge, everyone woke up and ate cereal for breakfast.  While enjoying the beauty of Little Harbor, some of the crew went snorkeling and Cara, Marella, Nicole, Curtis, Frank and Robert went tubing and wakeboarding.  Allie and Ally went diving in the morning and got more dives toward their Rescue Diver certification.  It was a beautiful day for a sail, and Sao Jorge arrived speedily at Norman Island after a relaxing downwind sail.  That evening, the Bravo divers went on a night dive and saw some interesting wildlife.  Curtis saw a flounder and Frank saw a spotted eel.  Robert saw a Spotted Drum Fish.

After dinner, it was announced that tomorrow is Challenge Day, and the crew members will have to sail from Norman Island to Sopers Hole on Tortola without asking their captain or mate for any help.  It is an incredibly exciting and motivating experience as our crews learn they know more about sailing than they ever thought.  Everyone went to bed looking forward for tomorrow!