Location: Chatham Bay, Union Island
POV:
It is 5:50 am. You are awoken by Ashlyn, who is on watch. She is speaking words to you, but you can’t comprehend any of them. Finally, you understand that it is time to get up. You crawl out of your bunk, put on a playlist, and wake the crew sleeping in the saloon and 6-man before venturing to the focsle. The boat is awake for an early breakfast at 6:30 am in order to be on time for a hike to see an endangered gecko native to Union Island. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
This is how the morning of the skipper went. With a wake-up time an hour earlier than normal, wake-ups were a little more difficult than the typical morning, but everyone made it to breakfast on time, and clean-up was smooth and efficient. That meant it was time to set out on a noble quest to see this critically endangered gecko. Almost all of the crew set off into the woods after a short dinghy ride to shore. Those who stayed behind helped with some things around the boat and took some much-needed downtime to be well-rested for classes later.
Meanwhile, on the island, the group went for a lovely hike through the forest reserve, where we learned all about plants that should be touched under no circumstances. Unfortunately, KT should have heard that message a little sooner, but we had to persevere, keeping our goal of the expedition in mind and seeing this gecko. There were some amazing views from the top of the mountain, and we reached a crucial point in our hike. The gecko was near, but a little drizzle meant we had to take cover under an overhang. Once the coast was clear, we finally got to see the infamous gecko. It was so cute, but we had to be careful with the lid so that it wouldn’t try and make a break for it. The expedition was a success, and all members made it back to the boat in one piece.
Lunch was served, followed by the return of Steph and Heather from their provisioning expedition. The boat was full once again, which meant it was time to learn. We had both Oceanography and Marine Biology, and lots of learning was done. The rest of the afternoon and evening was a rather quiet one, well as quiet as it can be on a boat. All in all, it was another amazing day on Ocean Star. 11/10
Quote of the Day:
KT: “Kate, I lost you. Where are you?”
Kate: “I’m right here. It’s an 88ft boat. I can’t exactly get lost.”
Steph (making sure no one thinks Kate is lost): “Kate will be in the chart house writing the blog!”
Hi family and friends. Hope all is well. Bye.
Kate