Alpha 1, Day 11: New Friends at Long Bay

Written and edited by Meredith Evridge

Another sunrise in another beautiful location. Waking up at Marina Cay, we had breakfast and then all certified divers went diving at Diamond Reef. The rest of the campers had a fish identification lesson and then got to take their turns at Diamond Reef with snorkel gear! They had a lovely time and saw a hawksbill turtle!

After all were satiated with the sights and the sun, it was back to boats for a lunch of grilled cheese and baked beans. We were to spend the rest of the day in Long Bay. It was only a ten minute motor over there. We anchored efficiently and then headed ashore for what was to be one of the best afternoons of the program! Kayaks, Colgates, stand up paddleboards and wakeboards were already set up and ready to go. As our kids began to enjoy the activities du jour, another group of kids arrived. These were from a local program called YEP (Youth Empowerment Program). These smart and extremely well-mannered kids grabbed life jackets and jumped into the activities along with our own campers. They were about the same ages.

We spent the next few hours having the best time splashing and laughing! Games of spikeball ensued, a frisbee was tossed around, and everyone took turns with the equipment. The sun began to sink lower and splash the sky and ocean with pinks and purples. The grill was fired up and burgers and hot dogs were prepared. Everyone was hungry after all the exercise of the afternoon, and many went through the line twice! We also had lettuce, tomatoes and onions to pair with the burgers, watermelon, and chips and cookies. After we thanked the YEP crew for joining in the fun and making it an even better day, they rolled out and the group dwindled in size. Our kids were dinghied back to their home boats with full tummies and gigantic smiles. Boat meeting was the last thing on the docket before all passed out in their favorite nighttime spots.