Location: Ladder Bay, Saba
This morning was our first off the Dutch island of Saba. Taking the lee of the island for a calm mooring also puts us in the shadow of the morning sun. As I rounded the southern tip of the land mass, heading to the customs office, the sun greeted me with a sudden brilliance, so low in the sky it was not yet hot nor dazzling!
After a long wait for ferry passengers to clear the line, I returned to Ocean Star to get set up for the NavMaster exam. Our crew split into two groups, the first laying the training charts on all available surfaces in the saloon while the second waited and quizzed each other on deck. Halfway through the morning, the teams swapped, and group two took hold of the dividers and plotters, now with beautiful scents diffusing from the galley. After we’d eaten the wonderful delights prepared by Allie K, Alaina, Drew, and a special guest starring Selin, everyone enjoyed a well-earned cool down in the water with a friendly barracuda that had taken up residence below the boat.
The afternoon was filled with science class and a special treat of watching the “Oceans’ episode of the new Planet Earth series, featuring super cool shark-on-shark interactions, deep-sea octopuses, and crabs living on a turtle shell. No sign of Captain Tom’s whale footage, though!
Tomorrow, we look forward to diving with a local operator, taking in some of the best spots in the Caribbean, and a high expectation of seeing some sharks!!