Follow Our Journey! Early Alpha, Foxtrot, Charlie, Sierra, & Tango- Days 1 & 2
Written by Suzanne V., Provisions Manager
The first kid arrivals of the summer started today at Hodges Creek Marina! Staff enthusiastically greeted everyone as they arrived at the airport. Soon after, the boat assignments were read out, and all kids were introduced to their captains and mates for the program. Everyone also got their room assignments and had some downtime to get to know their roommates and settle in. A hot meal of chicken, rice and beans, veggies, and coleslaw was served boat by boat on shore at the marina and all the kids were introduced to others on different boats for some group bonding games!
Our boats for our programs include Mile Hi, Sonsbeek, Apres Sail, Betty’s Dream, and FLX!
After a long day of travel, everyone had a chance to use the land showers, a wonderful luxury once de-docking from our home base at Hodges. Because the students all had a long day of travel, we headed back to boats for a nice quiet night on board with some more fun teambuilding games. Tons of get-to-know-you games and silly fun facts all around!!
On day two, we woke up in Hodges Marina to gloriously sunny weather and enthusiasm to set sail from Hodges and finally see the rest of the islands surrounding Tortola.
The day started with an introduction to ASA Sailing qualifications and a warm welcome from Jason, the head of Sail Caribbean Divers and New Sail Caribbean 2024 Crew T-Shirts!! Once everyone was equipped with new tops, they sat down for Mike’s famous welcoming talk, where all the students were introduced to the latest and returning staff.
Next, it was back onto the boats to start understanding the names of all equipment on the boats. This was followed by a lesson on de-docking, and then the Fleet was off for the first sail of the season!! Along the sail, the students learned how to perform pre-departure checks on board, winch safety, raise and lower the main sail and jib, cook when underway, and so much more! This accumulated with the new crew successfully catching a mooring ball in Marina Cay.
Unfortunately, the Jellyfish stopped the season’s first swim; however, the shower party went ahead as a bucket shower instead! The day concluded with a boat meeting to discuss the day’s accomplishments and a bit of group bonding in the form of two truths and a lie, followed by a wind-down for the first night outside of Hodges. Sweet dreams!
