Location: Underway to Les Saintes
Today started off bright and early with a 6 AM wakeup. As we chowed down on the sausage egg and cheese sandwiches, Ben and Mac briefed us on our adventure ahead. Today, we would have our first passage, leaving Falmouth Harbor in Antigua and starting a 9-and-a-half-hour journey. Our destination? Les Saintes, a set of small French islands off Guadeloupe. The idea of setting sail on the open ocean was both exciting and nerve-wracking. After taking our sea sickness medication in preparation for the chop and movement of the boat, we all ventured to the deck to raise the sails and take off. While this process doesnt fully make sense to me yet, with the help of the great staff, we were able to take off and begin our journey. Our lunch was the most exciting meal yet, having to balance while serving ourselves Chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. The journey itself, while boring at times, was awesome. Feeling the power of the sails and the open ocean was special. While passing by Guadeloupe (which is a beautiful and massive island), we were briefed on our classes and courses by Ben and Em for Marine Biology and Leadership. Those both seem like interesting courses which should help us throughout this journey. Once we closed in on Les Saintes, we began trimming the sails, which ended up being a very wet task for half of the boat, which was soaked by the sea spray. The laughs and heat from the engine room helped to warm everyone up, though. We then pulled into our home for the next few nights, which is a stunning spot, shielded by beautiful rock formations and smaller islands and coupled with an insane view of Guadeloupe. We got all the sails down and ate dinner, which was Turkey Pasta. As I write this I am covered in Sea Salt from the day and cant wait to jump in the water and take an ocean shower.