Location: Spanishtown, Virgin Gorda
The day started with a lot of smiling faces. There is no storm (yet), a pleasant breeze, and air-conditioned shoreheads. Yes, sometimes, on these trips, the students really begin to cherish the little things in life. Owen whipped up a lovely scrambled egg, potato, and sausage breakfast, which fueled up the team for the 30-second walk to the coffee shop adjacent to the dock. The good weather allowed Allie and me to take everyone on a nice walk around Spanish Town and visit some local icons, including the copper mines and Mr Nice Guy. After a quick coffee stop, we began our walk to go and look at the first signs of Ernesto arriving at the BVI: a lovely stormy sea. It was nice to stretch our legs before the storm kept us cooped up. Meg and Capt. Nick stayed with Ocean Star to finish securing the dock lines and Hurricane Fender in preparation for what was to come.
Our route back involved a few pit stops. The final snack run, more coffees, ice creams, and the infamous Mr. Nice Guy, a shop that has the most bizarre items. Max was particularly pleased with his purchase of a fake Rolex. The afternoon allowed us to tie up a few loose ends with diving paperwork and for everyone to do their oceanography final exam and finish their final class. The team headed for the newly found shore showers (yes, thank you, Robert) with a pep in their step.
Once the rain began, Owen presented us with dinner while Ernesto began to say hi. Dinner was served down below as the winds picked up and the rain began hammering down. The team managed to complete clean up on deck, but everyone quickly retreated as the weather got worse. The staff scampered around on deck to make the final checks and remove all the stray items of clothing off the lines. Ocean Star is currently holding very well in 60-knot gusts and keeping the majority of the water out. Well, apart from Nick’s bunk, where he has discovered three water features dripping down straight onto his bed. The focsle girls have been moved to the main salon as a precaution, so everyone is currently playing sleepover, watching a Disney film, and playing UNO.
Goodnight from all the team 🙂
Ben
Morning update: The storm winds came from our most favorable direction – the south, where they were hugely blocked by the building and land behind us! The boat faced no damage, and there was no major debris around us. It is still quite windy about, but most of the storm had passed us in the wee hours of the morning. Ocean Star was very sturdy and tied up well, and we experienced less rocking than we normally do on passage!