Location: Port St Charles, Barbados
We have officially crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in the Caribbean! This morning watch team 3 took down most of the sails at a stellar speed and then dropped the anchor in Barbados at around 6 am. Some people decided to stay up and watch the sunrise, while others were able to sleep in a little, which was a well-needed rest. Overall, I think everyone was very excited to wake up near civilization again. It’s a rare experience that you actually have to turn your head to see the whole island.
After a quick oatmeal breakfast and soaking in the new landscape, we almost immediately got started on boat appreciation and cleaning every nook and cranny of this boat. To set the scene for you, this means that there are cans, bottles, brushes, and rags everywhere, as well as different music playing in every area, creating some interesting mashups.
For lunch, we had delicious orange chicken and went back to work re-energized, diving deep into bilges and scrubbing the hull and deck ferociously, as Elder Gabe taught us. After everything was finally shining again, we took a quick dip in the ocean as a reward and made a few calls to friends and family before dinner.
During dinner, we were joined by a special guest: Seamester’s operational director Travis, who had come to stay with us for a night to fix some things on the boat. It was a very exciting moment for our crew to meet a new person, since no one really remembers how to talk to anyone outside this boat (he was greeted with a sea shanty).
Finally, to finish off the day, we did some dive table practice with Elder Gabe in preparation for all the diving we are going to do during our time in the Caribbean, which is very exciting!! Since everyone is now pretty tired, and tomorrow is going to be another long day of exploring and learning how to dive for the open water people, the boat is now quieting down. Good night everyone!