Location: Vixen Point, Gorda Sound
Today started with us waking up at vixen point, still rafting with another boat, Beso del Viento. We had a quick cereal breakfast because we had to get ready for our second rotation day of the trip. First, we had ski, wakeboard, and kneeboard rotations. Kate and I enjoyed reading and bracelet-making in the boat tower. On one boat, Drew, Lyla, and Max tried knee boarding for the first time and said they loved it! The other boat water skied and wakeboarded. When all the boats got back, Evan, Claire, and I laid out on the bow to tan. Hays and I ate delicious apples from the freezer before we went snorkeling for our second rotation. We all got our goggles, fins, and masks, then headed to the mangroves. We learned that mangroves act as nurseries for baby fish, so they are important to protect our environment. Matthew and I saw a big yellow jellyfish that was so cool. The whole time we were swimming through schools of baby tarpon and sea plants as well.
After snorkeling, we had mac n cheese for lunch and listened to music while eating. Then we reapplied sunscreen and filled our water bottles before heading to the beach for sailing rotation. We learned to sail these small boats, and although a couple of us capsized, we learned a lot about the tiller and adjusting the sail depending on the wind direction. Thomas and Kellen did a great job! For the final rotation, we played games in the water like Chicken fighting, poison dart frog, psychiatrist, and more. Meredith spotted a sting ray by our feet! We sat on the paddle boards and carved a sea turtle into the sand while waiting to be picked from the beach.
When we got back, we showered and changed before making veggie burgers for dinner. We had Tyler as a guest on our boat for dinner tonight. He is from under pressure and pumps the scuba tanks for diving. Once again, we watched the beautiful sunset from our boat and finished off the day with a dive chat because we will be diving again tomorrow.