Location: Jolly Harbour, Antigua
Hey, y’all, it’s Nic, and I am here to tell you about our amazing day today. We started at 7 am sharp, and I woke everyone up to some Pit Bull and wonderful french toast. After our delicious breakfast, we had a quick brief from the captain and first mate on our impending voyage from Falmouth Harbour to Jolly Harbour. Then we moved quickly to prep the boat for our first major passage. We raised the dinghies, cleared the deck, battened down the hatches, and prepared to set sail for Jolly Harbour. After we picked up anchor, we put our bow into the wind and began the arduous task of raising the sails. Since Ocean Star is a traditionally rigged schooner, we had to do the heavy lifting by hand. The term used to describe the action of raising the sails is called sweating, and considering how heavy the sails are and how hot the Caribbean sun is, the name quite fitting. Nonetheless, with some good old-fashioned teamwork and determination, combined with lots of sweating, we raised the sails and set course for Jolly Harbour.
As we exited Falmouth Harbour and entered the open ocean, we could feel the wind pick up the ship begin to make some headway. The day was perfectly clear, so clear we could see clear across the 20 miles of ocean all the way to the neighboring islands of Guadeloupe and Monsterrat! We had a wonderful voyage, and I enjoyed taking the helm for a solid 1/4 of the voyage. After the 4 hour journey, we arrived in Jolly Harbour. We then had a wonderful marine biology class presented by the captain himself. Afterward, we swam in the crystal clear water and relaxed for the afternoon while watching probably one of the single most beautiful sunsets ever. We finished our day with a delicious meal of spinach lasagna, a recipe courtesy of Ian’s girlfriend Maddox. Now we are about to begin a leadership activity, so I’ve got to go!