Location: UW to Les Saintes
After a day of clouds and rain the crew of Argo woke up to a hot sun at anchor in Antigua. Today was going to be the day of our first passage, an overnight sail from Antigua to Les Saintes. After a breakfast of fruit parfait, we got introduced to our watch teams for passage. These watch teams would alternate shifts during passage to look out for other ships and weather, as well as constantly checking all the systems on the boat, making sure they would all be working properly. Our first exercise as watch teams was to practice how we would handle a situation if someone were to fall overboard during passage. We also learned how to properly put up the sails of the boat and safely tie the knots of the line. After some sandwiches for lunch in the hot sun, it was our time as a crew to prepare for passage. The process made sure that all the ship systems were ready for sail, as well as everything, such as securing lost items and sealing open hatches. With this being the first time many of us have set sail on such a large ship, the learning curve was high, but the knowledge gained was surely going to be helpful for future sailing passages. With the evening approaching, it was finally time to pull the anchors up and set sail to the open sea. As we left the bay, the sun started to set below the horizon, making for some amazing sights. Now we would embark on our first overnight passage where we will wake up approaching Les Saintes.