Location: Underway to Grenada
Ahoy, parents, and friends!
We are excited to announce that we are on our way to Grenada! This is our longest passage of the semester, and we are all excited about this new adventure. We started our day with a normal 7 am wakeup to the melodic sounds of Bob Marley, Moana, and Jack Johnson. We had a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs by Kenz and her chef team. After breakfast and a quick cleanup, we got going on the extensive list for passage prep which included running the jackstays, which help keep us safely tethered into the boat at night; attaching the quarter lifts, which raise the boom; lashing the dinghies and dive tanks, too keep heavy things from moving about in rough seas; and running the jib sheets, to allow us to use the jibs to take advantage of the good stiff breezes predicted. Once passage prep was complete, we waved goodbye to Nevis and struck out for Grenada.
As the outline of Nevis disappeared, we realized that at 20-25 knots of wind on a beam reach, it would be a splashy, rolly, heeled-over passage. We are on a port tack, meaning the wind is coming from the left side of the boat, so those who sleep on that side are on the “high side” or the “use your lee cloth, so you don’t fall out of bed” side. But despite the waves and spray, some seasickness, and sunburn, we are well on our way to Grenada and excited to get the true sailing experience. We had lunch and dinner both served in the cockpit because we were too heeled over and taking too much spray to set out food on the chart house like we normally do. Kenz was a champion in the galley all day, serving up delicious food while hardly breaking a sweat. Just kidding, she was sweating as all chefs do in the galley. But despite the heat, she didn’t complain once, and toughed it out solo for much of the day. After dinner, we had our nightly squeeze, and the question I asked was, “If you could get a new tattoo, what would you get?” The answers ranged from silly to serious, but we all learned a little more about each other.
Now, as we are finishing up cleanup with the colors of the sunset all around us, we are looking forward to our first night underway. My group, watch team 2, has 10 pm-1 am watch, so we are all climbing into our bunks, some with more trouble than others, to catch some shut-eye before than 9:40 pm wakeup call. Today has presented some challenges for most, whether it was seasickness, bouncing around in the salon, holding onto our hats on deck, learning to plot our position on the charts during boat checks, or mastering the art of helming Ocean Star. But nevertheless, the press on into the dark. Stars and sunrise await us for a full day of sailing tomorrow.
Farewell and goodnight!
Current position:
1613.00’N
6212.20’W