Location: Dominica
Hi everyone! Today, we had a much-needed regular wake-up at 7 a.m. Selin then treated us to a wonderful breakfast of chia pudding and overnight oats. The Coco ones are quickly becoming a fan favorite. After cleanup, we were treated to a seamanship class by Freddie, rounding out and reviewing VHF knowledge. After seamanship, we began our Emergency First Responder course, beginning to grasp the basics of how to react in an emergency situation. The idea of administering CPR, bandaging a wound, or splinting a broken arm is currently daunting (to all but Selin, our EMT). Despite the heavy importance of this course, we are all looking forward to it and expect some dramatic acting from Drew as it progresses. Once we finished up the introduction to EFR, we had lunch and then dropped the mooring ball.
After securing all the loose eggs in a very nice nest of pots and discovering that all the laundry (which we are so grateful to have back) was placed randomly into bags, there was plenty of chaos to help us laugh our way through the next 4 hours. We began the motor north to Portsmouth to finish our stay in Dominica. Well underway, we cut into the fruits, which were brought home by our fruit tour attendees, and started the bowl-making process. I must say the carvings turned out well; Amelia’s artistic skills are not limited to PowerPoint presentations, as she proved to be talented in yet another medium today. While we motored, we had an oceanography class and learned all about wave action, from crests and troughs to periods and sets. After class came the most exciting part of the day. There was a whale spotting! At first, we did not rush on deck, as Freddie has been known to “see whales” in the past, but Meg’s shouts of excitement confirmed it. As we changed course to head towards the spouts, the whale kindly showed us its tail before heading into the depths. It made up for missing whales yesterday, and it was a super special moment for all aboard. After the whale sitting, we headed towards our new anchorage and were treated to a wonderful sunset.