Location: Bonaire
Today started off just like any other, and at precisely 8:45, the sailors split up again into two groups. Those who had gone diving yesterday went windsurfing today and visa versa. For the windsurfers, we were welcomed to Jibe City, a Dutch-influenced windsurfing beach. Our lesson started around 9:30 am, but beforehand, we enjoyed ourselves at the gift shop where many of us purchased sea salt-free board shorts and shirts. During the lesson, we intently watched and listened to Brandon, our instructor, as he demonstrated the basics of windsurfing. I learned today that when windsurfing, suddenly you’d find yourself in a completely new area than where you started. I learned this after successfully getting the board to sail, and what seemed like moments later, I was stranded in a coral-filled area, unable to catch the wind to bring myself back. Through trial and error and some minor collisions, the group eventually got the hang of the sport and enjoyed two to three hours of sailing around the beach. After that, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and apple pie at the cafe on the beach and then had some downtime to explore the other shores. When we returned to Argo, a few of us walked to the local ice cream shop, Lovers, to get our free Wi-Fi fix, and some feverishly finished the “take-home” oceanography quiz. After a meal of spaghetti and garlic bread, the dive group has now started to set up their dive gear for tonight’s night dive. Overall, it was another positive day in the Caribbean filled with new experiences. Now we get to look forward to another trip to Lovers, the ice cream shop, and tomorrow’s Carnival Celebration.