Location: Martin's Bay, Grenada
Have you ever sailed onto anchor?! No engines, no machinery, just the power of the wind and the simultaneous drop of the sails and anchor?! Well, we have!!
The morning started with a quick meal of yogurt and granola (plus some rogue bacon and approximately five mushrooms), so we could get the anchor up and get underway to Carriacou. Alas, the world had other plans for us. Just as we picked up anchor, our engine stopped and decided it needed a nap (similar to how I think many on board are feeling). But have no fear; we took the opportunity to do some awesome, in-the-moment, hands-on sail training. Our crew quickly jumped into action and got the staysail, the jib, and the main up in record time – it feels like just a few days ago, everyone was walking around asking what a halyard is, and now, boom! At (almost) the drop of a hat, everyone can be in their places, ready to ease/haul as needed. Then we did some fun tacks and jibes around the harbor before maneuvering our way back to an appropriate anchor spot. This was the key moment we’d all been waiting for (since at least a few hours before, when we realized we would get to do this maneuver) – jib dropped, staysail team on standby, anchor team on standby, and Nick ready at the helm, we flew into action. Well, actually, Nick said, “Stay down!” so everyone lowered themselves to make sure they were clear of all booms. But then we just sort of sat there for a few minutes. Then Nick said it again, and we realized he meant “Staysail down!” as in, lower the staysail, not our bodies. Classic mix-up. After this small little confusion, bang – back into action! We eased the halyard, hauled on the downhaul, and simultaneously released the cat line on the anchor, as well as the anchor break, dropping our sails and anchor all at once. To be honest, it was so cool!!!!
Back in our beautiful anchor spot, securely attached to the ground, we tidied up the deck and got ready for some lunch – delicious tortilla soup with some repurposed leftovers (though the shipmates don’t actually know that part – the chefs cleverly rebranded last night’s meal into an extra meat option for today’s lunch. Geniuses, really). Then we went into an afternoon of class – Leadership and Marine Bio – while Nick worked on the engine. I’m actually the Oceanography Instructor (not a student), so I did not attend these classes. However, I’m sure they were delightful, insightful, and definitely not frightful (they needed something else to rhyme). While they were in class, I did fun stuff things like accounting, scheduling, scribing, planning, and making quizzes for my own class (they have a quiz coming up). The afternoon rolled into a beautiful, calm, peaceful evening with yet another gorgeous sunset. The views on this boat just never get old.
We’ve got an early start tomorrow – we’re shooting for a sunrise sail to Carriacou instead, and I personally can’t wait. Though it wasn’t planned this way, I always love the opportunity for a sunrise sail. And I can’t say I’m unhappy about the quieter afternoon. It’s all about balance. And pivoting, of course. Pivoting couches and plans (we don’t have couches. We don’t even have chairs).