Location: Dominica
Hello, world and all who inhabit it! Today was a busy day here on Vela. We woke up extra early this morning to get a quick start on the day. As the sun rose above the horizon, we were getting sails up, and before we knew it, we were underway to Dominica. It was a beautiful late morning sail with good winds, big waves, and lots of sea spray. The ocean likes to jump up and say hi to us sometimes, which today resulted in several people having some super soggy oatmeal for breakfast. After a swift 18nm sail, we arrived in Dominica and dropped anchor in Portsmouth. We put the boat to bed, ate some spectacular mac n cheese for lunch, and headed off to our Indian River tour.
In two small boats, we rowed up the Indian River, the most famous of Dominica’s 365 rivers and streams. Several cool birds, big crabs, and one very cute puppy were spotted along the way. We even saw Calypso’s swamp shack from Pirates of the Caribbean! While stopped briefly at the jungle shack, many of us drank some fresh local passion fruit juice that, in my opinion, was an 11/10. It just really hit the spot. After a wander around in the jungle, we headed back down the river to the sounds of bugs, birds, the wind in the trees, and Bob Marley of course.
After the tour, we quickly locked in to get the dinghies back on board and anchored up. We were soon after on our way over to Rosseau, where we’ll be spending the next few days. On our way, those who were on bow watch or up on deck were lucky enough to spot some dolphins jumping around in the waters around us. It was truly a sight to behold and one that helped remind us of how privileged we are to be alive on this planet and on this incredible journey together in some of the most spectacular places in the world.
Since then, it’s been a wet evening. We all huddled in to attempt to eat a semi-dry dinner and then set our sights on getting the boat moored. Although it was dark and rainy, the group was full of life and laughter and hard work, too, to get us all set and secure for the night. Shout out to all my salties in the pit, they’ve been working their butts off the last few nights (I’m talking steel wool and lots of elbow grease people). To top it all off, everyone jumped in the water for an ocean shower as the rain continued to pour. We were already soaking wet, so jumping was just the icing on the cake. It was a good, long day, and I’m confident that heads hit the pillow pretty hard tonight.
I just want to say that I am so grateful to the amazing other staff on Vela, and for this stellar group of students. So far, this trip has been full of challenge, fun, learning, laughter, scrubbing, singing, dancing, sweating, swimming and so much more. It is truly a gift to be here with these people, experiencing all the best things life has to offer.
Peace and Love,
Brooke
P.S. To Mom, Dad, Lucy, James, Gma and Bop, I MISS YOU AND I LOVE YOU SO DANG MUCH!! You are with me in my heart and soul every step of the way <3.