Location: Sidney's, Jost van Dyke
Another early start this morning as we (excluding the DMCs, who were studying) prepared for our hike up Mt. Sage. We got our phones for the hike, and most of us (if not all) got the chance to call home to our friends and families. It was something of a relief to have a distraction as the heat started truly setting in. It took me a good few hours to reach the top, and met up with many of our crew at the top. The way back was much nicer, as I had Ruby for company, with Madeline, Kiki, and Macy just in front of us. We were passed by August with a third of the way back, who had decided to speed up the process by running down the slope. We all met back up again at Paradise for lunch, where we spent a good while enjoying the fans, food, and reprieve from the intense exercise. After a few quick errands for boat snacks and other paraphernalia, we caught an early dingy back to Graytful and headed off to Sandy Cay for our next activity. The rideover was fairly uneventful, save the two-man overboard drills and me taking a turn at the helm. Next up: the sandcastle contest! We split up for the ride to shore aboard Haulin, which usually requires two trips. August and Milo brought Flemmy the pink flamingo floaty, who met his final unfortunate fate at the hands of an unknown perpetrator. In his honor, we built a gorgeous sandy shrine around his still-inflated head and neck. There were a few structural scares along the way, but thanks to Scott and Amelia’s intervention, Flemmy’s body was as good as new.
We had some serious competition (notably an ear of corn and a model of one of our other ships) and took an honorable mention in the end. After that, we headed back to Graytful to shower and dress for our third BBQ at Sidney’s Peace & Love. We all looked spectacular, if I say so myself, especially with Micah in his homemade tube top that we had all signed. The BBQ itself was a blast: there was good food, a DJ, and even someone braiding hair, which Ty took advantage of and acquired some excellent braids of her own. Sidney’s has an impressive shop of delightful merchandise, and we are all left with heavy shopping bags and lighter wallets. Alexis more than most on that front: the shopkeepers took a shine to her, and she walked away with about $200 worth of free stuff. Overall, it was definitely the busiest day we’ve had, and we all had a great time.
To my family, who finally located these updates: I love you all so much, and I can’t wait to see you all on the 29th