Location: Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
We woke after a restless night. There was no crew sleeping in hammocks last night. Squall after squall rolled in from the East. They soaked the anchor watch with heavy rain and pushed the anemometer up to 36 knots. The anchor chain tugged tight time and time again, but it held strong and kept us in place throughout the night. The chef team knew what to do, though, and we all woke to the smell of scrambled eggs and fried ham as Nina Simone played on the stereo. A busy morning of oceanography class and first aid training followed. It was great to learn how wind creates the currents that circulate the world and how that affects us in the Caribbean Sea – and wrapping people up in bandages is always fun. We had the afternoon off to go and explore the land. Many of us visited the mall, which is small by many of our usual standards but probably the biggest shopping development we have seen since arriving at Ocean Star. Back on board, and we started preparing the boat for sea again. Tonight we will sail throughout the night. We hope to arrive in the lee of Mt Pelee, a volcano on the Northwestern side of Martinique, for daybreak.