Location: Marigot Bay, St. Lucia
Today I woke everyone up playing a rich selection of Beach House. Shortly before breakfast, we were approached by a guy who called himself Santa Clause, who was selling fresh local fruit. We stocked up on some tasty pineapples and bananas from him. Then we ate a delicious breakfast of cereal and oatmeal and did the world’s fastest cleanup, so we could make it onshore in time to have Navigation Seamanship class with Carolyn. We used some vacant tables at a local restaurant to spread out with our charts and really get into the nitty-gritty of NavMaster. We learned that the compass does not point to the north pole but points to magnetic north. We then learned how to account for that difference when charting a course.
After class, we had the rest of the day free onshore!! I went into town and browsed the mall and grocery store. Miranda visited a hotel and lounged for her spa day, which I was envious of after hearing about it. Some people found the marina gym, and others tried out new cuisines like lionfish ceviche and sushi. At 4 pm, we fueled up Ocean star and worked on passage prep for the sail tomorrow to Martinique. At 6 pm, we ate a delicious meal of Dijon chicken and mashed potatoes prepared by Eli and cooked exquisitely. Our squeeze question was to name the most beautiful place you have ever been to, which lifted everyone’s spirits and put smiles on everyone’s faces. We cleaned up at a steady pace tonight and funneled into the galley to cram Oceanography material into our brains before our exam at 8 pm. We are all excited to flop into our beds tonight, turn our fans on full blast, and fall asleep.
Pictured: Marigot Bay views; Santa Clause on his paddleboard; Jade, Kennedy, and Matt during NavMaster class; Brit and Joseph practicing charting; lionfish sushi; a really cool house of cards at one of the local shops; Matt and Brit doing passage prep while wearing their new spa slippers; the refreshing pool that some of us enjoyed in the marina this afternoon.