Location: Admiralty Bay, Bequia
It seems like every day, someone says, yet again, that it was the best day yet. Today was no different. We had our first sleep-in this morning at the incredible hour of seven-thirty, for which we were all grateful. After some of C.J.’s (Captain Jack’s) homemade brioche, we set off on a day of adventures, beginning with a tour of the only turtle hatchery in all of the Caribbean. Brother King, the owner of the hatchery, was both informative and entertaining. He shared not only his opinions on how we can best preserve and protect turtle species but also his own memories and wisdom from growing up as a native of Bequia. After helping a few land turtles flip off their backs and watching Noah take an underwater video of a green sea turtle, only to have it attempt to take a bite out of the camera, we were off for a new adventure. Brandon, Mollie, Jon, and I loaded into a pick-up truck taxi and headed off with our guide, Ramsey, to see the sights. We visited the most beautiful areas of the island, and even though we were unable to get an up-close glimpse of the rumored abandoned caves on the north side of the island, we all agreed it was a great afternoon. After chowing down on pineapple pizza and watching the local kids play a few rounds of cricket on the beach, we headed back to Ocean Star. The sunset came, dinner was served, and we learned another important thing: polenta isn’t our favorite dish. Polenta aside, day twenty-nine marks the twenty-ninth time I’ve gone to bed grateful to be a crew member on Ocean Star.