Location: Roadtown, Tortola, BVI
After a stellar night that involved a beach barbecue, a brief appearance at an Action Quest glow-stick dance party, getting stuck in a rainstorm in our dressy clothes, and decadent desserts, the crew of Ocean Star rose just after the sun. We pulled up our anchor and motored among the sunrise-induced pastel-colored British Virgin Islands. We spent the day docked in Road Town, the capital of the BVI’s. Shipmates enjoyed a relaxed day ashore while the staff provisioned, cleared customs, and ran errands. The first shipmates to return back to the boat were the three guys, wearing bright dashikis in complementing colors that they’d managed to procure in town. Several shipmates came back with watch team tattoos in honor of tonight’s first passage. (Not to worry, the tattoos were most definitely temporary.) Shipmates talked of eating yummy sandwiches as chickens pecked around their feet in the back garden of a cafe, souvenir shopping, sending postcards, and locating WiFi. A couple even spent time working on their Oceanography Literature Reviews, which warmed my heart. Shore showers were enjoyed by all, and now the shipmates are watching Pirates of the Caribbean on deck as we make our final arrangements before sailing. Everyone is psyched to head off under the moon and stars shortly, due to arrive in Nevis in about 24 hours. Now, bring us that horizon!