Location: Green Island
Today was a very relaxing kind of day. After breakfast and an OCB class, we all met on deck for some line splicing and whipping (don’t worry, Mom, they didn’t whip us!) Whipping lines is a way of preventing the ends from fraying, and splicing is a way of creating a loop in a line or strongly connecting two lines together. Ryan decided that he wanted to become a master splicer and spent a great deal of time working on his line. The less ambitious half of us laid out in the sunshine on deck until lunch. Once we ate, everyone went onto Green Island for some beach time. The boys went diving for their research projects as well. Katherine and I stayed behind to practice chart navigation. We are now experts at tides, currents, and estimated positions, sort of. We’ll get there. Later in the afternoon, we met everyone on the island for a beach barbecue. Everyone gathered rocks, and with a grate and some coal, we fashioned a makeshift grill. Kris flipped burgers and hot dogs, and we all stuffed ourselves like it was the Fourth of July. We attempted to play a soccer game after dinner, but we were all uncomfortably full, especially after having Oreo Fudgees for dessert! 🙂 The sun went down, and it was time to light the bonfire. Annie suggested we play Mafia, so we gave it a try. The game is a guessing game of who “killed” who, and for some unknown reason, Stephanie was always the top suspect. After a few rounds, we kicked out the fire and headed back to Ocean Star in the dinghies. I was in charge of sail prep for our voyage to Barbuda tomorrow, and by the time I stepped onto the ship, everyone was already at work. I am so proud of how far we have all come as sailors and as a team. No one complained; no one stood around with their finger up their nose. Everyone worked together, and sail prep was done in no time. I’m a happy little Skipper.