Location: Ile Fourchue to Statia
Today, we woke up next to Ile Fourche, a chain of rocky outcroppings forming a half-circle around a bay. I had explored various peaks on the island the day before and reported an incredible view. Others wanted to see it and were candidates for a sunrise hike. Upon waking up, the idea was soon abandoned as a rainstorm hit and the skies opened. By the time it was normal waking up time, it was a clear sunny day, and we ate breakfast, had OCE and OCB, and then began passage prep. As we expertly rigged the sails and tidied the deck, our routine, we watched a not-so-professional sailboat lose control of its boom and crash jibe a number of times before it regained it. We raised sail and took off for Statia. Eventually, we got all five usual sails up–main, foresail, staysail, jib, and flying jib–and we were cruising along. We had lunch on board–quesadillas with guacamole. We were joined in our journey by boobies cruising above us, looking for flying fish scared up by our bow. We enjoyed watching them glide through the breeze, but unfortunately, our deck, Bret’s shoulder, and Shayna’s face were casualties as the birds released their droppings. We neared Statia in a matter of a few hours. The coast is home to a massive oil storage facility with floating pipelines, the horizon jumbled with dark, monolithic tankers. We anchored in a fairly deserted area near a lone yacht and took down sails. After hosing down the sails and putting on sail covers, we had dinner. MTE class followed, and then a student meeting was held to begin preparation for our student-led passage in a few days.