Location: Admiralty Bay, Bequia
I woke up the crew with the sweet sounds of Otis Redding this morning, although many were already tantalized by the smells of Will’s croissant french toast and caramelized bananas wafting into their bunks. There was a general air of excitement around the galley and salon as everyone prepared their bunks and minds to set sail after breakfast. We were heading to Bequia today, an island we had heard a lot about over the past few days. We all knew Bequia meant two great things: a night out and a night dive. Different crowds are excited more for one or the other, but I’m sure there will be something for each of us here in this beautiful location. After breakfast, we prepared O-Star for sail by checking jobs one by one off of a very long checklist. Once everything was prepared, we all grabbed our Personal Flotation Devices and started raising the anchor. Mike did a fantastic job flaking the anchor chain in the dreaded anchor locker and got to add his grubby thumbprint to the wall of fame. Julia and Isa fished for the anchor while Margeaux expertly handled the windlass. Once the anchor was up, teams were already standing by at the mainsail and started hauling away. We got all the sails up in about 16 minutes, which is much faster than we’ve done before! We are all starting to get a better understanding of what all the different lines do and when jobs need to be done. The 16 of us are becoming a real team!
Once the sails were up, and the course was set, we headed down below for Seamanship class. In this class, we received back our dreaded sailing pop-quizzes, which I believe was a learning experience for all. Next time everyone will definitely remember what type of sailboat we are on… Seamanship class was interrupted by the extremely loud fire alarm, so we all sprung into action. I grabbed my big orange lifejacket, Riley got the fire extinguishers, Luke and Mike brought their pillows to block ventilation, and we all headed up on deck to fight the (drill) fire in the Foxhole (Fo’c’sle). While we did a good job getting the fire hose out and ready for action, the fire got so bad that we had to abandon ship (once again, a drill). We talked through how to launch the precious life rafts and which supplies needed to be grabbed from down below. Once we were relieved from the drill, we all relaxed in the cockpit for the rest of the sail. I studied for Oceanography with Julia, Chief, Xonel, Kiara, and Ben while others chowed down on snacks at the bow. We made it to Bequia around 1 and enjoyed a delicious late lunch of Caprese sandwiches. After cleanup, we had Steve’s marine biology class in which we learned about marine reptiles and birds (well, mostly marine reptiles because Steve doesn’t enjoy talking about birds, one thing I completely understand). We had the rest of the afternoon off to study for our upcoming midterms, but the crew did not miss out on the opportunity to go for a quick swim and have a self-care moment. Isa opened an eyebrow, plucking salon while Riley cut her and Mike’s hair. After some more group studying, we all enjoyed Will’s delicious Steak au Poive with Bechamel potatoes and Brussel sprouts. We are all a little tired after many late nights of studying, but spirits are high, and we are excited to explore the rest of the Grenadines!
1 – Sophie enjoying the blue waters of Bequia
2 – Ben admiring breakfast (and helping top the booms)
3 – Julia and Riley are ready for action
4 – Julia and Margeaux showing off the latest PFD fashion
5 – Xonel
6 – Ben
7 – Margeaux, professional windlass operator
8 – Firefighters
9 – Isa enjoying some rest under sail
10 – Kiara says hello to the mountains
11-12 – Study time
13 – Ash and Adelaide, always steering us in the right direction
14-16 – Taking advantage of the beautiful new anchorage!