Location: The Bight, Norman Island
Today was our first day on water (Woo hoo). The day started super early, and we were woken up from our slumber with Reggae music BLASTING in our ears!!
It was followed by a talk with Mike on the expectations, important information, and what to expect from this camp. Leaving the dock and sailing to our destination for the first time was extremely fun for all of us(super fun). On the way there. Today, we learned that we have to wear a PFD (personal flotation device) every time we go underway. Our teacher, Joey, also taught us lots of boat skills along the way. For example, Izzy, Mengmei, Sophia, and Emmie learned how to drive the boat and unfurl the sails. New skills unlocked!
After that, we did the swim test, five laps around the boat (though the water kept moving the boat, so it was more tiring). Pierce and Blake were some of the people who finished first. Very impressive! After, it was followed by treading water for 10 minutes. Special thanks to Amanda for reminding us to drink more water and put on sunscreen. Then, the best part: snorkeling. Grace, one of our teachers, led the group. Izzy lost one of her fins, but luckily James freedove to get it back. We saw squids, and Malika, Sophie, and Breccan were able to capture it with their GoPros. Our delicious lunch was made by our wonderful chefs, Mengmei and Grace (Breccan also helped). It was a sandwich with lots of yummy options for the fillings, from PB&J, turkey, tomato, or ham. We absolutely devoured that before tackling our long-awaited swim test.
Our dinner was Sloppy Joe’s, followed closely by the second-best part of the day: squeeze. Today’s question by our skipper, Oey (me), was “Would you rather be able to speak every language on earth or be able to talk to animals, and the reason why?”. It was nice to listen to everyone’s opinions and their answers. Brian worked hard, especially as a gopher after we finished dinner, clearing the dishes and taking them back and forth. Breccan enjoyed looking at fish today, as he always does (he even tried to feed them with some cheese!) Overall, it was an incredibly fun and exciting day. Doing the shower in the ocean for the first time was definitely an interesting experience for everyone. And our amazing day ended with an even more amazing and beautiful sunset