Location: Sommer's Beach, Tortola
It all started with the sun peeking up over the horizon, giving the AQ sailing fleet a warm welcome to day thirteen. As we arose from our sleepy sacks, our chefs, Antara and Ada, whipped up breakfast. The kitchen sent an aroma of eggs and muffins racing around the boat, comforting us all the more. After breakfast, we were taught an informative lesson on how boats work. First, we were taught about the boat engine, and then, after that, we were introduced to charts (not maps). After the informative talk, we had time to spare before hiking. We all goofed off, talked, and read our books. After that period of time came to an end, we put our socks and shoes on and got ready to embark on an unexpected journey. We all crammed into the dinghy and set out to a spot called the coffin. Unexpected or not, the name suited the trail as we came to discover small, steep steps leading into a microscopic path tunneling through the canopy of trees.
To make matters worse, cactuses, spiders, and other harmful plants loomed over the trail, giving off a sense of intimidation. Once the long cases of stars concluded, we were met with a brief stop overlooking the bay. But all good things have to come to an end, and our group was hit by clenching thirst, sucking out our energy and replacing us with bad attitudes and the urge to turn around. But we perused the reward that was to come as we approached the halfway mark. Gasping for air, we trudged to the top of the mountain and gasped at the beauty that was bestowed on us. But as I said before, all good things come to an end, and intense dehydration pulled us back from reaching the finish line, yet we came together as a group and persisted through till the end. Once we got back on the boat, we chugged truckloads of water, restoring life to our bodies. After a quick recharge, lunch was on the stove, ready to be consumed. After a filling lunch, we took showers, water skied, and, most importantly, took naps, giving us energy for the upcoming open water dive. We slipped on our swimsuits and hopped into the dinghy to Meow or Never to begin our dive. Once we arrived, we jumped off the dinghy and geared up for the awesome underwater adventure that we were about to begin. We jumped into the water, reviewed some skills, and swam through blazing coral, lively fish, and other interesting creatures going about daily life underwater. After ascending and undoing our gear, we quickly got back to our boat to get ready for a crazy BBQ that gave life to our taste buds and brought the fleet closer as a whole. After a crazy night at the beach BBQ, we rafted up with Meow or Never and socialized until time turned from past to current.