Location: Les Saintes
Skipper Tolo Here,
After two heavenly weeks in and around Antigua, our hearty crew aboard S/Y Vela finally set sail! I will admit, waking up my mates today at 4:30 am was rough, and the way I did it was even rougher. I played animal noises from my speaker right next to people’s heads, mostly rooster, sheep, and cow noises. Ryan said it sounded like home, while others said things I cannot write here. The purpose was to get everyone up on deck as fast as possible, no matter how bleary-eyed they were. I commend them for waking up 2.5 hours earlier than normal – not an easy task when our sleep schedules are so sporadic anyways.
Within the hour, we had motored out of Antigua harbor, and within two, we had raised our sails for the very first time. Vibrant smiles and laughter filled the air as ecstatic energy took hold of us. We were sailors! We ARE sailors! What a feeling this is. For some, including Captain Tom, today was their first day of sailing in quite some time. But for most, today marked a historic first in their lives. We hoisted, heaved, sweated, hauled away, set a course for Guadalupe, and began our 12-hour passage. We split up into three watch teams, each responsible for a four-hour shift in which the deck and cabins must be checked, the sails maintained, and the directional course held steady at 190. Each watch team has two staff members, so don’t worry, folks, we weren’t operating a 112 ft. schooner by lonesomes… not yet, at least!
Today also held the record for most times puking. It is as common as seawater. Personally, my (successful) remedy consisted of lots of water, crackers, and ramen (I stocked up in Antigua). Thank heavens for good ramen. Yum. For lunch, we chowed down on chickpea salad burritos, and dinner was crispy panfried lentil hash with carrot salad ft. “PHAT BEETS” (a Carolyn concoction).
On the personal side, I very much miss home, my loved ones, and our dogs, Marcy Maple and Marigold. Thank you to my family- you are my fiercest supporters, and I hope that you feel my love 1600 nautical miles away. I am particularly proud of my brother, Eli, who is so smart, level-headed, and passionate. You deserve the world, and good luck finishing college. You got this. Thank you to my grandparents for being the wisest, most generous, and most inspirational people in my life. I love you all a whole lot.
Being skipper on our first sailing day was an especially enlightening experience for me. I manned the helm, raised the jib (bow sail connected to the bowsprit), and took a fat cat nap reserved only for skippers. I appreciated that. Not much sleep today, but some sweet bluegrass lulled me to sleep.
All in all, today was incredible for all of us, and we will all cherish it for the rest of our lives. We have all bonded past the point of no return, and our crew is shaping up quite nicely. What an honor it was today to be the skipper.
Photo Captions:
Photo 1: Captain Tom setting a course to Guadalupe
Photo 2: Calum giving himself a nose job
Photo 3: Carolyn stowing
Photo 4: Skipper Tolo’s first time at the helm. It’s harder than it looks!
Photo 5: Annika and Lizzie pushing through those tired watch hours
Photo 6: Skipper Tolo, Jaycee, Annika, and Ryan happy at sea
Photo 7: Nick in Bugs Life attire
Photo 8: Connor cheesin
Photo 9: Annika cherishing HER (she made it very clear) crazy apple
Photo 10: The gang celebrates sails up!
Photo 11: Anna happy to be underway
Photo 12: Allissa coiling and laughing the whole way through
Photo 13: Finn, Sharp, and Ellie working on the main staysail
Photo 14: A majestic beard and its owner, Nick
Photo 15: Finally arriving at Guadalupe!! Huzzah!!
Signing off,
Skipper Tolo