Location: Savannah Bay, Virgin Gorda, BVI
Today began early as students jumped into the warm tropical water for a swim test. After swimming between docks for 200 meters and treading water for 10 minutes, they returned to Ocean Star for a breakfast of French Toast. Soon after that, the entire group met formally for the first time at a program chat where policies, procedures, and agreements for the program were outlined. At 12:00, we cast off our dock lines and set off to begin a great adventure. We motored through the heart of the BVI towards Virgin Gorda, where we navigated through a narrow channel and dropped two anchors in a secluded harbor called Savannah Bay. The crew was introduced to the “sailor shower” in salt water and then enjoyed swimming and completing their SCUBA knowledge reviews in the afternoon. After dinner, the crew had the opportunity to learn more about Ocean Star as staff introduced various areas of the vessel and familiarized the crew with life aboard. A few intrepid souls set up hammocks on deck to fall asleep to the gentle lapping of the waves and the cool breeze of the tradewinds, a perfect end to the first day in paradise.