Day Two

Location: Falmouth, Antigua

Today was our first full day on Vela, and it was fantastic! Today we were given a full crash-course on our jobs and on what we should do in the event of an emergency. We were given a full rundown on the different parts of the ship as well as their function; we were also informed on the proper strategy and procedures to take should we find ourselves in an emergency. We also were finally able to sail Vela today (under power) to Falmouth Harbor, just around the corner from English harbor, where we were last night. It was amazing to finally be able to sail Vela and see how she performed on the sea for the brief time we were out. The weather today started out as one would expect, with the temperature hitting about eighty degrees at midday. Still, we finally got some cloud cover and a pleasant breeze later in the day that made the heat much more tolerable. Once we arrived in Falmouth Harbor, we conducted a swim test which consisted of three laps around the boat and treading water for ten minutes. We then continued to swim around for a few minutes and enjoyed our first time swimming for the trip. We ended the day with another delicious meal from Shona and a brief from Tom about our new anchor watch duties that we will begin tonight.

Photo 1: Vela’s life ring
Photo 2: Everyone in their Gumby suits
Photo 3: Katie and Andrea
Photo 4: Smash showing the shipmates how to use a PFD
Photo 5: The shipmates getting comfortable in their big orange life jackets
Photo 6: Gumby suit dudes
Photo 7: Sonnet, Ocean Star, and Argo
Photo 8: Vela, Argo, and Ocean Star meeting up briefly in Falmouth