Location: BVI
This morning, our crew started the day the best way possible: diving. The advanced kids finally got to do our deep dive; we went down to 80 feet! One thing that was for sure was that Ava H (thing 1) enjoyed herself. I could feel her energy through the water. Most of us are now officially advanced divers in every way but paperwork. The open water divers went about with routine drills like hovering in crisscross applesauce. Another highlight of diving was Tony got to dive and teach again, which is evidently one of his favorite things to do. When we got back on the dive boat, a slack jaw dance battle was held between Garrison and any willing contender. His only real competition ended up being Sivanne and Zac; they both absolutely crushed it. I think it’s safe to say that Zac emerged as the winner of that battle. We returned to our ship for our paddle board and Zest rotation. Sierra and Daisy blew some crazy ring bubbles while most of the boat rested and recuperated after the dives. Lunch was uneventful other than Daisy and Millie having a PbandJella, a combination I believe they would recommend to any asking (peanut butter, jelly, and Nutella).
Our first afternoon rotation was water sports from the Beso del Viento ship as our “base,” and we killed it. We had a little talk with Emma about our futures and what we want to do or be in life. I found that all the answers were great reflections of each person’s ambition and personality demonstrated all along living together. So many of us wakeboarded, and we each did something special with how we did it. Millie just shredded the waves leaving no mercy for the water. Daisy got up and flew across the waves on her every attempt. Gab got up multiple times with great skill, Zac even got airtime during his never-ending run, and I managed to get up on the wakeboard while keeping it horizontally for a decent amount of time. Sierra once again absolutely amazed any who saw her on the waterskis, or should I say on her one ski. Her skill on a single ski is probably one of the most physically impressive things I have witnessed this entire trip, if not the most impressive, in balance, strength, and just raw talent.
A few honorable mentions that I have on the top of my head are to Locklan, Millie, Ava N, Mountain, and the boat. Lochlan for executing the best deckie and cleanup job our boat has ever witnessed after a comment was passed claiming that our boat was beginning to be dirty. I’m pretty sure that he got our boat cleaner than it was when we first got here. Mille and Ava N (thing 2) for their energy in the kitchen when making and cleaning a delicious Mexican night despite the atrocious heat that the stove gave off. Mountain (Stef) for making brookies right now, which is probably one of my favorite desserts, and for the music she plays. The entire boat is right now because I’m writing this as dinner cleanup is wrapping up, and everyone’s energy is through the roof with some singing and dancing.
Anyways, to get back to the main blog, once water sports was wrapped up, we had a sail chat with our skipper Garrett. Liam got to demonstrate his newfound knowledge in sailing that he has acquired through a bit of daily sailing revision. These chats are slowly becoming one of my favorite little moments on the boat because as the trip has gone on, I’ve been able to watch everyone here get a better and better understanding of the ins and outs of what we’ve been sailing. It’s quite enjoyable because I can tell our skipper enjoys it as well. Once the sailing chat was concluded, a couple of us, myself included, just took a moment of downtime while others’ energy shot up. Millie became a literal mermaid as Imogen and Ava N towed some girls from a different boat back to their boat on paddle boards. A funny moment during this space in time was that I genuinely believe that we were all homesick for our boat again and were ready to do almost anything to get back.
To finish this up, today was a great day filled with laughs, smiles, and even a couple of mood swings that just showcased how much of a family we are becoming. Every day here is more gorgeous than the next, whether it’s the scenery or the bonds deepened between us.