Location: Cape Town, South Africa
This morning began with a bit of excitement as the crew of Argo was woken by a fire drill in order to test the skills that they had learned the day before. A speedy arrival on deck was rewarded with delicious pancakes made by our chefs Ben, Zach, and Benji. Once cleanup was finished, the final preparations for departure were made, and soon the crew was officially off the dock, headed out into the lee of Table Mountain. As if anticipating our intentions, the winds picked up just as we were leaving the dock to give us some appreciated wind. Students had a chance to practice their MTE (basic sail training) vocab as the sails were raised for the first time this semester. The morning and afternoon were filled with sail circles, tacking and jibing, sheeting in and easing out, close hauls, and broad reaches. Our students quickly picked up on all the foreign words and set to work learning to sail Argo as the beautiful vessel she is. Tired, excited, and with slightly sore hands, Argo’s crew finally dropped her sails and headed back into the V & A Waterfront for a quick shower before dinner. It was great to finally get off the dock for a day and feel the boat moving through the water once again. Our students are now more confident and comfortable on Argo and even more excited to put Table Mountain to our stern and chase down another horizon. It is exciting to see our students pick up on everything so quickly and see them enjoy sailing as much as we do!