Follow Our Journey! Alpha & Tango 3 – Day 1 & 2
Written by Nora E., Social Media Coordinator
Excitement was in the air today and yesterday… arrivals for a new program! The staff all worked hard yesterday to get the boats ready by cleaning them, organizing med kits, and provisioning all of the food. We soon welcomed a group of eager new campers to summer camp on the docks at Hodges Creek Marina on Tortola. Trucks rolled in and each camper went to their new home for the next two weeks. We have 6 boats on fleet plus the staff boat: Malia, Life’s Been Good, FLX, Vesper, Tropical D-Tour, Mile Hi L’Attitudes, and Charrette.
After a good meal of rice and beans, chicken, coleslaw, and veggies, the campers had time to bond with their other crew mates and their counselors before heading to bed.
The next day, the sun rose over the beautiful British Virgin Islands the next day. The campers had a hearty breakfast buffet of bagels, cereal, yogurt, and fruit and then got ready for an orientation with the Sail Caribbean Dive staff. They each had the opportunity to come up to the dive shop, learn about the diving programs, walk around the shop, and also learn about our American Sail Association (ASA) certifications they can get. To get these certifications, they have to sail on a Colgate (our 26 foot keel boats) and learn how to tack, jibe, perform man overboard, and feel confident doing it.
Afterwards, we took some boat photos and got ready to de-dock. Each camper got to see firsthand for the first time how we drive these big catamarans off of the docks and how we throw lines. It was a quick sail to Cooper Island, which is an Island across the channel from Tortola. Here, there are plenty good snorkel spots, some cute shops, and really good ice cream. Unfortunately, because of some jellyfish we saw in the water, kids were told not to get in the water; however, we had so much fun making bracelets, reading, hanging out, and taking bucket showers!
After a long first day at Sail Caribbean, the campers at a big dinner and started to power down in preparation for another day in the BVI.
