Location: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
A new job wheel marked the first day of student head-chefs, and I ended up as skipper once again! Will made us a wonderful breakfast of shakshouka while many of us helped to prepare Ocean Star for our first sail. After breakfast and cleanup, we made sure everything on deck and down below was secured, and we lifted the anchor. Some of us were a little sad to leave the cozy anchorage that was home for the past week, but the excitement of lifting the sails soon took over. We topped the booms, lifted the halyards and sheets, and had a wonderful time. A squall quickly came our way once we left the anchorage, but we handled it with grace despite being soaked to the bone. I definitely got a good workout for the day. All the while, Will, Jodie, and Zack fought seasickness down below in the galley to prepare lunch (falafel and chicken wraps). They were all quite ill but powered through and managed to serve lunch as soon as we dropped anchor. After tacking and sailing for a bit longer, we dropped the sails and motored into Falmouth Harbor. We dropped the anchor and got the sail covers back on, and enjoyed our well-earned lunch.
After lunch, we had marine bio class with Steve, and then most students had free time for the rest of the afternoon. Will, Isa, and Sophie went for a swim and practiced their climbing skills while others worked on their leadership essays down below. Ash, Calum, and I went with Jodie to do her first Confined Water dive for her PADI Open Water certification and had a lovely time until a chill wind and rain-soaked us to the bone. But we took Irv back to our beautiful Ocean Star and were welcomed by smiles and a warm meal. Will prepared lovely beef and eggplant to finish off the Mediterranean-themed day. We were all so thankful for our first sail despite the challenges it may have caused. We cannot wait to finish quarantine and continue with the adventure!
1 – Ocean Star ready to set sail
2 – Julia helping prepare the deck
3-5 – Shipmates enjoying breakfast time
6- Sailing lesson
7 – Mareaux is looking forward to setting sail
8-14 – We’re sailing!
15-18 – Students working hard to make Ocean Star sail
19 – The dreaded squall over the horizon