Location: Savannah Bay, BVI
Hi Everyone! I am here writing after spending our first official day on Ocean Star 🙂 Don’t worry. All your kids are safe and having an amazing time!
The day started bright and early at 7:00 am (a little rough with the jet lag, but we’ll get used to it). As skipper, it was my responsibility to wake the group, so I chose “Dancing Queen” as our alarm, which felt quite fitting given the boat and island location. We had a delicious breakfast of bagels with various toppings and a fruit salad. After breakfast and cleaning, we promptly got started orienting ourselves with the vessel, including a tour of the deck, the chart house, the engine room, and the galley. Although it was a lot to take in, we all loved learning about where we will be spending our next 20 days and all of the different equipment that we will become familiar with.
After our tour and a briefing on how to use our PFDs, it was time to get underway! Everyone played a different part in helping Ostar leave the port safely. While on our way to Savannah Bay, those who are getting their PADI Open Water certifications started watching their introductory videos, and the rest of us who will be going for the Advanced Cert. got re-acquainted with some important skills. We enjoyed sandwiches for lunch while watching the land and sea and spent more time getting to know each other. Once we arrived in Savannah Bay, we learned how to lower the anchor and had our fire drill! We all held the firehose and got briefed on what to do in case of an emergency.
Finally, after our fire drill, it was time to jump in the water and take our swim test. Ever since arriving in the BVI, we have all been counting down the minutes until we could go for a swim. We swam four laps around the boat and treading water for 10 minutes. After being hot and sweaty all day, the ocean was the most refreshing, rewarding feeling. We then took short, jumped in showers, and got changed for dinner. We ate burritos and watched the beautiful, bright pink sunset (see pictures!).
So far, I have had so much fun getting to know the crew and the vessel. I can tell this is going to be a very memorable and fulfilling 20 days, and I can’t wait to do more.
P.S. Hi, Mom and Mike 🙂 I miss you dearly and am thinking about you while I’m here. Give Winnie a kiss for me! Also, send Lily Loft this link so she can share with friends! Okay, love you <3