Alpha 1, Day 8: Sail to Beautiful Anegada
Written by Tim Caruso
Edited by Meredith Evridge
Our brave sailors began the day early at Trellis Bay. The winds were breezy and a small squall woke a few crew members on deck. We started our day with an easy breakfast buffet, as our Open Water divers prepared for their final open-water dive. Excitement filled the divers as they set out to Diamond Reef, a small coral reef off Scrub Island. The final dive tested their new skills, requiring them to plan skills and swimming routes to practice.
While the divers were away at Diamond Reef, the remainder of our crew members went on their second round of Truck Tours around Tortola, taking in the beauty of the islands from high and low views. The rest of the morning was chill and relaxing, as crews from each boat swam to and from each other’s boats. As noon approached, the lunch prep team made mac and cheese with broccoli, and our navigator briefed our crew on sailing to Anegada. An upwind sail, we aimed about 25 degrees north from Trellis Bay to arrive at Anegada. An incredibly flat island, the trees on the island could only be seen after a few hours of sailing towards it.
As pre-departure checks were performed, our Open Water divers returned as fully certified divers! We dropped the mooring ball at Trellis, and had a long and relaxed sail for about four hours. Underway, we ate lunch and our skipper held our course against the stronger, open winds towards Anegada. As we drew closer and closer to the island, we picked up a mooring ball next to the inner reef and enjoyed the afternoon sun.
Hammocks and pool floaties were blown up, and our crews mingled and swam around the windier waters off Anegada. Our dinner prep team took boat showers earlier in order to prepare fajitas, and we served them buffet style under the clear, starry sky. Finally, our night drew to an end as our boat meeting revealed tomorrow’s plan: Challenge Day! Our crew was excited to take on the arduous feat of sailing with only necessary help from the Captain or Mate. We then powered down early to get a good night’s rest for the following day ahead!
