Location: Mountain Point, Virgin Gorda
Today, I woke up late along with the rest of my crew mates because I, along with Cameron, Dawson, and Holden, went night diving. This morning we had breakfast in which we had breakfast burritos that had eggs, salsa, bacon bits, cheese and hot sauce. From 9:30 to 10:00, before we began sailing, we started the sail-training part of camp. Although we have sailed previously, this was the first actual sailing class. The first teaching group (both were taught by our Skipper, Mike.) was comprised of Suki, Andrew, Liliana, Holden, Dawson, and Amaya. All of them did very well and made perfect tacks. (A special sailing maneuver.)
Most of the first group made very good tacks and good sail adjustments. We passed so many Islands. One was Sea Dog Island. I especially paid attention to this island because it, well, was shaped exactly like a seal or sea dog. I guess it had a strangely shaped head and fins… Like an actual sea dog. I certainly thought it was interesting. We passed it twice, and each time, we all got a good look at it. It was certainly one of my favorite days—just all sailing and nothing else. Everybody got the chance to get their hands on the wheel and the lines. For lunch, we again docked at Spanish Town and had quick ramen noodles. We also refilled on water. For the 2nd group, it was comprised of Me, Gavin, Cameron, Katy, Pearl, and Kennedy.
As the last group, I believe we did pretty darn good (Even a little better, I’ll say.) First, like the first group, we put up the main sail using the halyard. Then we put up the jib. After all was said and done, I took the helm and began to sail. The first thing I was instructed to do was line up the forestay with an island on the horizon and keep a straight line. This went for everyone. Second, we were made to do a tack. I previously mentioned it but did not specify what it was. A tack is when you go through the wind. It’s pretty much an extreme turn meant to totally change your course. We did two: a starboard side tack and a port tack. When I did mine, I was already on a pretty straight course. I shouted, “TACKING!!!” And made a huge turn. I had a good, above-average tack, but the aftermath of it is what really solidified the tack. I tacked directly back into my old course and sailed directly back into my old course. After all of that everyone did the same except they didn’t follow their old track lines.
Soon after all this, Katy went up, and a huge bee flew onto her mid-sail. She totally freaked out and let go of the helm. It was all fine, but it was still really funny. At the end, we sailed back to Mountain Point, our anchorage point. For Dinner, we had a great meal. Summer Thanksgiving, the absolute only thing we missed was the Turkey, which was totally okay. There was cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, shredded chicken, and mashed potatoes. Not a single thing was bad. Every item was delicious. For our after-squeeze game, we played hide and seek. Gavin won third place, the staff won second, and Suki was so well-hidden that we forgot about her! That was all for today. It was fun!
P.S.
I miss and love you, Dad. Make sure Julian knows that GTA 5 is installed, and tell him I love him, too.