Location: Guadeloupe
Today, we woke up to another fantastic sunrise in Guadeloupe. I know as a group, we often mention the sunrise, but the glow of the morning rays really never gets old. It was such a peaceful and still morning as we did an early anchor pick-up and got underway before breakfast started. It was sad to leave Pigeon Island and the famous Jacque Cousteau dive site, but everyone was excited for the next location and an overnight passage.
Before we could leave for our next destination, St Barths, we had to do a short passage up the coast to Deshales. On the way, we had the chance to perfect the high-accuracy communication from bow to stern to avoid the crab pot minefield. The flawless communication has grown greatly throughout the trip and now feels like a subtle and mysterious language that only a professional bow watcher would be able to grasp. As we finally pulled into Deshales, we all felt so grateful to have got to see another beautiful bay from this amazing country. The whole crew then got into passage prep before the 24-hour passage ahead. I remember writing one of the first blogs and explaining the concept of passage prepping the boat. It is absolutely incredible to see the student crew being able to do it safely, efficiently, and independently. Lunch was supposed to be stir fry and rice, but there were lots of rice noodles left from the day before; I suggested that if they cut the rice noodles up, they could just make rice!
As we left the bay, the student crew again independently raised the sails and lifted the anchor. Sailing is a fundamental skill that we teach and to see all the leading be put into practice is very rewarding. As we got around the headland, we were very fortunate to be met with a 20-knot breeze. This meant engine OFF, sea shanty’s ON… live the dream! It is so great when we get a good breeze, and the whole crew is buzzing. As we broke into watch teams before the sun started to set, everyone was excited for the passage and new location that lay ahead. The squeeze question that I chose was ‘What is a better idea?’: A) Cutting up a bunch of rice noodles when you’re in a pinch and you need some rice. B) Shampooing your eyebrows, there is just hair on your head, and if you don’t, are you just missing some of your hair? Everyone agreed that they were both pretty good ideas and took some serious, insightful consideration. To end the meal, we did an exercise inspired by Allie’s leadership presentation, which was about group bonding. Everyone said something nice to the person next to them.
It was delightful to get a quick sleep in before doing watch under the sparkling starry sky. We listened to some horror podcasts as a group, and we sailed into the night. Someone decided to play one about a shipwrecked crew, which seemed like temping fate, but don’t panic. We’re all safe and sound.