Location: Bequia
Hello from Bequia! I started the morning by planting a hidden phone in every room that all simultaneously played the radar alarm clock (which multiple individuals have given me a hard time for having as my default alarm noise in the past). It was not very well received. Tim thought it was Nolan’s alarm and kicked him in the back, Liz frantically searched for it and glared at me, and I and the foc’sle were not on speaking terms. Elene is still holding a grudge, but I’m working on earning her trust back. Breakfast was cereal this morning, and then we were off for a day on shore! Most people went over first thing after cleanup, although a few people stayed back to do a makeup dive. Nat led a dive as a part of her divemaster certification with Shu, Gabe Demop, and Peter. I was feeling under the weather, so I waited for the divers and headed to shore afterward with them. The twins stayed behind on the boat to do a bit of work and relax some (academic weapons).
On land, I walked along this really gorgeous little boardwalk that bordered a few of the local beaches and rock faces. I met up with Brina in town, where we walked around for a little bit exploring the area. Earlier in the morning, she had walked to the far side of the island to explore all of the cute and colorful houses. She and some of the girls also walked around and did a bit of grocery shopping before I got there. And quite a few of us bought matching necklaces! Although many of them were lost to the ocean only a few hours later. Brina and I found a very cute and friendly little puppy, and there were dogs all over the place that would come up and say hi. We also got some ice cream from a local ice cream shop and ate some frozen mango chunks. And then we headed to the beach to meet up with everyone else! There was some very intense football playing, snorkeling, beach exploration, shell collecting, and questionable rock climbing (mid-form). Will, Zoe, Liz, Brina, and Katie explored the catamarans anchored nearby and dove to touch the anchors. There was a really pretty cave nearby that we went to check out, which was gorgeous. And then, the boys wandered away to go find food, and MG, Brina, Zoe, Liz, Katie, and I stayed back for a bit, playing music, swimming, and napping on the sand. And then 4 pm came around, and it was time to go back to Argo!
We took some quick ocean showers, did a bit of studying, and Brina and I danced for a while above deck. Beau has enjoyed singing off the martingale as of late and spent some time doing that. Nat cooked us empanadas tonight, which were amazing and worth the time delay for dinner. Her sous-chefs were Ben, Tim, Elene (who made corn salad) and Max (who made dough). There was a beautiful sunset, and a few people claimed to see a baby green flash. My squeeze question for the day was to tell two truths and a lie but don’t ever say what the lie was. It was fun to hear everyone’s crazy stories that may or may not have been true. And that was the day! We’re currently in the process of cleaning up the many dishes and dirty galley from dinner, and then we will have a late-night marine biology class. My research group (Nick, Audrey, and Golden) is planning on collecting some data for our fluorescent microalgae project after class. And then it will be time to catch up on journaling, maybe do a little NavMaster practice, and go to bed!
This is my last day as skipper, so this will be my last blog post. I don’t love that thought; I kept telling myself we had so much time left, and now it’s slipping by. Argo and this crew will always have a special place in my heart and will forever be a second home for me. Thank you for the smiles, laughter, and occasional tears 🙂 Love you forever, and signing out!
Emma