Location: Vixen Point, Gorda Sound
Hi everyone! I’m Stella, and today I was tasked with being the skipper. This morning, after a very nutritious breakfast consisting of cereal and fruit, we headed to the bow of our boat, Aioli. This is where our first rotation was, with Marge & Riley. They taught us basic sailing knots, which were very informative and interesting. Emily and I picked up the knots pretty fast, along with everyone else. After we wrapped things up with our lines, we headed over to a snorkel area with Nat! I was on a dinghy with Emily, Max, Aaron, Sasha, Grayson, and Joey, who was the staff member driving. We snorkeled along mangrove-covered shores and saw abundant amounts of wildlife. Max spotted lots of creatures, like a Murray eel and baby barracudas. Lunch followed by mac-and-cheese, which never fails to satisfy. (Thank you to the staff members for starting on lunch while we were snorkeling.) Once we were all finished cleaning up, we continued to our next station, which was kneeboarding! Grayson, Emily and I caught a lot of air while we were boarding because it was a choppy day, regardless it was very fun. I also got to see Teddy, Bailey, Aleda, and Paige on the water, which was entertaining to watch. Finally, after we finished up, we got the opportunity to sail on little dinghy’s called ‘Zests’, which were extremely fun. I loved being able to get on the water today. Paige and Aleda capsized a lot, which was entertaining to watch from shore. Emily and I sailed back and forth in circles, which was satisfying and calming. Once we completed our sailing time, we showered in the ocean and feasted on a (surprisingly) delicious dinner of veggie burgers. Thank you, Marge, Nat, Riley, Max, and Grayson, for preparing that meal! Our Friday ended with an eye-catching sunset that was beautiful to watch. See everyone tomorrow!