Location: Marigot Bay, St. Lucia
Picture the manifestation of pure relaxation. A pool, a cloudless sky, a cold drink, a swanky spa, and a menu with desserts. Today was our glimpse into luxury. After action-packed weeks of sailing and class, today, we got to unwind and use the amenities of the Marigot Bay hotel. After a quick breakfast of yogurt, granola, and fruit, we squeezed in a quick marine bio class. After 45 minutes of fish talk, we were released onto the shore. The first stop for most was laundry. Saltwater doesn’t make the best detergent, so everyone was grateful to get some laundry done and hopefully make the boat less stinky as a result. After dropping off laundry, there was a quick scurry to the pool deck. We dispersed along with comfy cabana couches and pool chairs. Isabel, Isa, Julia, and Riley went to grab some fancy morning coffee while Ben, Zoe, and I found a quiet shady bench to do some reading. Ben and Zoe’s reading stamina lasted much longer than mine, and I wandered up to the pool and met up with Luke, Chief, Mike, Zac, and Sophie. We spent many hours lounging and swimming in and around the pool, soaking up the sun.
At 12 on the dot, all of our stomachs began to grumble, and we walked a total of 100 feet to the poolside restaurant. Here people order sushi, salads, hamburgers, fish, pizza, and fries, lots and lots of fries. The table then became divided over whether mayo is an acceptable dipping sauce( personal bias: it is the superior dipping sauce). It was ultimately decided that although ketchup is the most widely accepted dipping sauce, anything is better than ice cream. Also, at lunch, we made fast friends with boop the cat, who uses her enticing cuteness to win over scraps of our food. Lunch topics ranged from the election results to the purpose of toes, but everyone left with clean plates and bloated bellies. Most of us found our way back to the pool, crashing on pool chairs from food comas or taking some time to capitalize on the wifi. The afternoon went by in a blink, with people napping, calling home, or maximizing on what the spa has to offer. Slowly all of us made our way back to the boat, cramming in one more freshwater shower before we leave for anchorage tomorrow. What a perfect day to hang out and do nothing.
1- view from the spa
2- Ben, Zoe, and Will snacking
3- view from the hotel pool
4- Isa and Julia at the pool
5- Rare sighting of Jukuma huddled in her cave
6- POV: mid- Isa’s pedicure
7- Zoe doing some poolside reading
8- Ruth-Riley, Sophie, and I on the floating pool chairs
9- group lunch! (minus a few)
10- Ben reading nonfiction about the complicated and boring ins and outs of high-frequency trading
11- poolside chit chats
12- Isa and Ruth Riley enjoying the spa amenities
13 – Chief and Ruth Riley playing with the fountains
14- Boop, the cat
15- a photoshoot at the spa