Location: Sandy Island, Carriacou
This morning we had a delicious pancake breakfast with a cheeky nutmeg syrup twist, cooked by head chef Ryan. Marine biology was all about marine microorganisms with Professor Stephanie. Oceanography, with Professor Heather, was all about the chemical properties of seawater.
Following the marine science lectures, we went (some by dingy, some by fin power) to the picturesque uninhabited island nearby. Lunch was a wrap spread on the beach, followed by a variety of island adventures. Many of us did a lap around the island snorkeling and saw an octopus, a massive porcupine fish, a nurse shark, smooth trunkfish, and a lot of other guest stars from the recent marine bio ID quiz 🙂 Alexis even captured a video of a baby turtle making its first dip into the ocean. Just when we thought the reef wasn’t in the best shape, we rounded the last bend of the island and saw massive, thriving colonies of several species of Porites and Orbicellas. It was a bit chilly but worth braving the cold.
Meanwhile, routine onboard maintenance and continuous optimizing boat improvements were happening to our sleek and well-oiled boat. We made improvements and fixes to the foresail, the heads, the fridge, and the anchor chain, ticking lots of jobs off our famous chart house whiteboard list. For dinner, we were treated to a lentil dish Ryan has at home all the time, and afterward, we did the black and white card activity and learned about things everyone feels proud about, what they feel they bring to the boat, among many others. We’re now gearing up to move to our fourth country of the trip, St Vincent and the Grenadines, tomorrow morning.
Photo 1: Sunrise
Photo 2: Sunrise
Photo 3: Rock towers
Photo 4: Sunset
Photo 5: A baby turtle some students helped get to the sea
Photo 6: More rock towers
Photo 7: Beach Picnic
Photo 8: Kebo and Charlie in hammock bunks