Location: Saline Bay, Mayreau
I know you are all thinking that it’s going to be hard to top the events of yesterday but think again. You might remember my last blog as skipper, written in the midst of a rolling passage to St. Vincent, and although I had to keep things brief due to about (many bouts) of seasickness, this blog will more than makeup for it. Last night, Brahm rallied a group for an early morning hike and sunrise before breakfast. I fully planned on participating in this hike but felt differently when my watch alarm went off at 5:40 am. I told myself that if Celia got up, I would get up too and then fell back asleep before I even checked her bunk. Thankfully some others had more dedication and hiked across the island for an awesome sunrise, or so I’ve been told. It’s become a trend that every day I’m skipper, we end up having boat-meal or cereal/yogurt for breakfast, but lucky for me, I am an avid fan of Bob Mell’s granola. And canned pineapple rings. Of course, there had to be some class thrown in the mix, so Marine Biology it was. Steve might have a monotone voice, but we know that deep down inside, he is very passionate about coral reefs. Just look at his arm tattoo. After Noah finished his bag of raisins, he gave a riveting leadership presentation where we learned about pseudo-communities, amongst other things. Tired from the early morning sunrise, most people took a nap or relaxed with a book, but Addisen made the great call of initiating a mid-morning swim. We have conquered the backflip, but the back dive is a different story. Addisen also made the great call of not participating in the 300 tries it took for one person to succeed in a back dive, that person being Henry. I did mostly back flops, but it’s a work in progress. Then lunch! Ash has become an old pro at making bread, and his sous chefs Grady and Katie, are master kneaders. But we all finished quickly in preparation for the big event of today… the leadership challenge course. Having virtually no knowledge of how this activity would go, we waited in the salon and listened to some Abba classics while each watch team got called in for instructions. Henry, Johnny, Erin, and I are in Steve’s watch team, an elite group, to say the least. However, we are a man down and were promised a handicap. Turns out, not all handicaps are good, and this handicap meant a heavy and moldy buoy named Franklin. He did not include rope, and Henry, who chose to both carry Franklin and swim without fins, might have drowned had it not been for his trusty sidekick Johnny, also without fins and using flip flops as hand paddles. Many groups struggled with this swim, including Noah, who decided to jump in fully clothed. But, once on the island, the real challenge began. Two teams left their maps behind, so it was anybody’s guess where they would end up. Our group did use a map, but it turns out that we are severely directionally challenged. Instead of going to the next checkpoint, we followed our internal compass and took an hour hike around the entire perimeter of the island. It’s a good thing that Mayreau is small because we might have had to prepare for a night on the island, minus the tent, food, or water. Eventually, we all got back to the boat, even Max, who almost got hit by the afternoon ferry. Callum and Vela’s staff really pulled through on that one. Back on Ocean Star, Celia gave Brahm a fresh cut on deck (let us know what you think). It’s a good thing she was still able to operate scissors after the trauma of losing her rainbow flip flop in the swamp today. Chili for dinner, an old fave, and now we’re off to watch Pirates of the Caribbean before our sail over to Tobago Cays tomorrow! Finally, a movie without Wes Anderson or Owen Wilson, we are making big strides here. To everyone at home, love you lots, and yes, I am putting on sunscreen:)
1) Me and Addisen treading fiercely
2) Sous chefs Grady and Katie plus one Gopher named Addisen
3) Dishy pit! Noah and Erin
4) Topher and the dinghie
5) Max and Celia being deckies
6) Max’s glasses have some crazy reflective abilities
7) Sam, the best steward we’ve ever seen
8) Katie dancing to some Katy (Perry), and yes, she is a true California gurl
9) Panoramas while we wait for leadership
10) Another one, it’s Johnny’s world, and we’re just living in it
11) Groups 2 and 3 trying to unfold a mat with their feet. It’s harder than it looks.
12) Erin does the limbo
13) Keaton and Katie
14) Celia doing laundry
15) Brahm before his locks were chopped
16) Henry, Liam, Johnny, and Sam
17) Me, Max, Celia, and Chris waiting for Brahm’s haircut to be over
18) Sunset!
19) Me and Liam per usual
20) Addisen is a goddess
21) Grady’s sunset pic
22) My best blog co-writers <3