Alpha 2 Day 2: Hodges Creek Marina to Cooper Island Beach Club!

July 11, 2016

At most camps, the counselors’ voices rise above and over the voices of the campers in order to establish control and direction. This morning at Sail Caribbean, however, the counselors’ voices are drowned into directive whispers, almost inaudible beneath the confident commands shouted from the campers, narrating the exchange of control – the passing of controls from counselor to camper. Responsibility of the vessel that they now call home is completely in their hands.

From the moment that all lines are struck from the dock and tossed back to the boat, our campers embark on a journey of leadership and responsibility. Upon this day, they are in charge of meals onboard, boat maneuvers, and, most important, to contributing healthily to the group dynamic onboard.

We exited Hodges Creek Marina and entered the Sir Francis Drake Channel, which will be our new Route 66 – if you will – of the Caribbean. It is one of the most classic stretches of water that is well-known for its consistent and reliable sailing. It reaches in a gentle arch between south-easterly and north-westerly points.

Our bow pointed for the first of many more times to come, into the winds which reliably whirl down through the barrel of that channel.  Winches clinked and clanked, as we pulled on the lines, puppeteers making our sails dance up the masts. This, too, is an art of which we will become masters in the next 14 days.

For today, however, we are learners on the path to mastery, and we celebrated by arriving at Cooper Island Beach Club, after successfully picking up a mooring ball, and having ice cream while lounging, running, playing, and swimming off of the beach!

We are so happy to have such a wonderful team of learners and excited to see how they will grow into masterful sailers!