Location: Vixen Point, Gorda Sound
This morning, we all woke up at around 6 to get our PFDs because we were going underway. Most of us went back to bed and woke up to the regular “9 to 5” and “The Circle of Life” at 7. Breakfast today was cold bagels and yogurt with a side of our beloved friend Patrick the pineapple. Cold bagels that didn’t taste like bagels were very underwhelming and disappointing. I would rather have had oatmeal instead. After breakfast, we lathered up in sunscreen and took a dingy to get closer to the Baths. The Baths were interesting coming from someone who hasn’t even heard of them.
We had a short but intense climb to the big jumping rock. Most of the rocks were slippery, and the water in between them looked like it had been trapped and filled with people’s feet throughout the years. Julia was uneasy about this trek because some of the water holes were deep and had sharp barnacles. In the end, it was worth it because we “Frenchies” stuck together and all watched each other jump off. I missed most of the jumps since I was further back in line, but Houston did a backflip, Noah attempted a double backflip, and B finished us off with a quick little jump and’ twist. After the rock, we all wanted to go back to the beach, where we were dropped off, but we all got separated. The girls ended up in a parking lot, and the guys ended up in a cave. Thankfully, we all made it back and had some time to play on the shore. Chicken fights and backflips were very popular while waiting for our dingy to take us back to Iles Et Ailes. Nadiya used her cheer skills to have the guys launch her in the air. We were all caught off guard to find our fellow shippie soaring and then splashing into the water. After the baths, we took our first official “Hibi shower,” or Hibiclens shower. These quick, little 2-minute showers are small but mighty.
Nice knowing that all of my new friends are free of bacteria! During showers, we started our small trip to Spanish Town. We were expected to stay in groups of 3 when exploring, but our little Frenchie Fam decided to tour the town as a large group. First, we went into the little beach store and bought small souvenirs. Then to the market where we stocked up on our necessities and snacks for the boat. For lunch we ate at “The Turtle and Bath” and then got our sweet treats at “Yum Yum’s”. Most of us ordered the burger and the Caesar salads but Houston ordered some jerk chicken wings that he said were phenomenal. Back at the boat, we gave each other hauls of what we had purchased in town and then had an amazing sail to our next anchorage. Our music theme today was centered around Disney and Pixar movie soundtracks. Out of all of our sails, I would say this particular one was the most peaceful and calming. Once we made it to the anchorage, we took a long time to place the anchor because we kept floating towards another boat. We then took an ocean shower and ate some beef stroganoff. After our breathtaking sunset, we called it a night with our first-ever sail chat!