Location: Spanish Point, Barbuda
Hello, Again, Friends and Family! I hope this post finds you all safe and well, just as we are aboard S/Y Ocean Star. Yes, parents, we have somehow managed to keep good health and safety amongst the crew for the past 30 days, well, with only a few minor hiccups, but nothing major!
Anywho, this morning was supposed to begin with my fellow crewmate, Nic, who had the 6-7 am anchor watch for that night, waking me up at 6:45 am for my skipper duties. I was trying to avoid the anger of my bunkmates that would have come with the sound of my wake-up alarm, but come to find out, not a phone alarm nor a human alarm was needed for my wake-up this morning. My brain and body stole the job and woke me up at 6:30 am to a silent boat, where only a few eyes were open and getting a start on their day. Thus, I hopped out of bed, got ready for the day, and headed out of the girls’ bunk room to the salon to wake up the crew with some upbeat music. Getting each crew member to finally crawl out of their bunks was such a hassle this morning, but once I was given the orders that Chef Steve’s breakfast was ready, I announced it to the still sleeping crew, and as I expected, they flew out of their beds with no time to waste. For breakfast, we had fruit, yogurt, and granola buffet, and of course, it was delicious!
Next, we all attended a marine bio class with Chef Steve, where we learned a great deal about marine conservation and the importance of taking care of the world below sea level. Quickly following was a fabulous navigation class with Calum, where we continued to complete practice exercises within our groups. It is visible that each day we continue to get more and more confident within our nav skills, and soon enough, we will be taking our Nav Master exams, so hopefully, our newly found skills will shine through!
Following our two classes this morning, most of the crew had about an hour or so of free time while Caleb continued working towards his Divemaster Certification with Ash. Justin and Nic caught up on a few missed rescue diving exercises. Typically, the protocol for all meals on Ocean Star is to wait for all crew members to be on deck before anyone begins to fill their plates. However, after looking at Chef Steve’s mouth-watering pasta bake for about 10 minutes, he gave us the “okay” to dig in, as long as we made plates for those still in the water. Within seconds, the crew flew to the two large pans on the port side and filled their bowls with the deliciousness that is Steve’s pasta bake.
After lunch, the crew separated into two dive groups for our afternoon dive at Palaster Reef. I was a member of dive group 1, with all of the girls, Nic, Justin, Sydnei, and Chef Steve. Our dinghy ride out was a journey, to say the least. Our driver didn’t take it easy on us as he flew through the swells, head first, soaking us all. Don’t tell the dinghy driver, but it was actually a lot of fun! The reef was an absolute beauty, and there was such greatness of diversity that you were always seeing something new every time you turned your head. It was sad once our adventure below had to come to an end, but our adventure at the surface was just beginning. Let’s just say the swells were so large that our surface sitter, Ash, could not see us for about 20 minutes or so after we surfaced. Do not worry though, we made the most of it and enjoyed taking on the swells as we floated over them with our BCDs fully inflated. Upon our return to Ocean Star, group 2 went out and enjoyed their dive as well!
Once everyone was back onboard and squeaky clean after their showers, Chef Steve delivered what an English one would call a “roast.” Please see the lovely picture above of the fabulous display that Chef Steve put out for us, which consisted of broccoli, carrots, roasted chicken thighs, asparagus, Yorkshire puddings roasted potatoes, and stuffing. The crew devoured this meal, and not an ounce was left.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the sale that went on in the midst of dinner. Ian, Ethan, and Tom, or commonly referred to as the “tom hole boys” aboard, flagged down a lobster boat and bought two lobsters off of them. The price…20 Eastern Caribbean Dollars and a jump over Ocean Star’s rails for Ian. Not too bad of an offer, I must say so myself.
All in all, today was such a fun, upbeat, and exciting day for us onboard S/Y Ocean Star, and I am sure the night will continue to bring on more laughter, smiles, jokes, and surprises as we wind down from the day. With only a fourth of our journey left to learn, grow, and enjoy, we take every moment we can to spend time with each other, take part in new experiences, and challenge ourselves more than ever before. A lot can happen in 10 days, and I am absolutely ecstatic to see what the future holds for us aboard as this adventure comes to a close.
As always, Much Love,
Hannah:)