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Caribbean Sailing & Leadership

IMY11 Update - Monday, July 16, 2012

Wild Kingdom

Sailing the shallow seas, crusing with turtles, and barefoot hikes on cactus island. Today was the perfect day. Aside from a few little bumps this morning trying to get some water and propane, and a 7:10 am class, the Lady P had another rocking day at sea with Dominic leading us into the shallow, crystal clear waters of the Tobago Cays.

It was our first day on the water as Skippers and the team sure look like true sailors. Our early morning frustrations were cleared free when we were soon a part of a family of dolphins, jumping and playing in our wake. The whole boat instantly went from sleepy and bumming, to no worries in the world.

As we approached the Cays, the navigation got tricky, with reefs coming from every angle. It was definitely the toughest navigation we’ve had yet, but Alex drove us in, successfully avoiding parking the lady on the beach. When we got to the island, a weight came off our shoulders as we went into full beach bum mode -Emily was soaking in the water within seconds- going out for a snorkel with the group.

The snorkel is truly undescribable, but I felt a little bit like I was swimming in an episode of Planet Earth. When we came across a family of sting rays, we all circled up in the water and just briefly left the world above and joined the marine world, as they swam around, enjoying the warm waters. We stopped off at one of the islands and took a little adventure that our toes weren’t too pleased about… Little did we know, with flippers in hands, and masks on our heads, we were hiking to the top of an island covered in cactuses and pricklers. The hike even led to a few hikers putting on the flippers and trekking the new lands making quite the fashion statement. We met a few island friends along the way, including a tortoise that’s legs we have decided look like mini-elephant legs. With pricklers in our feet, we couldn’t have been happier to see the silky smooth sand and the clear blue waters.

On our snorkel back, some true islanders welcomed us to their family, allowing us to dip and dive with them. We had about six sea turtles as personal escorts back to Penelope. They were friendly as can be and didn’t mind us joining them for a swim.

After an incredible snorkel, we had a few lessons from us, and we learned about the roots of Rastafarianism from myself and a little French from Kaitlin. Doug dingyed us over to one of the islands, where we enjoyed a beach BBQ of fresh fish caught by local boat boys. The dinner was delicious and local and a wonderful treat for us all.
Earlier that evening, as I prepared for dinner, I went down to my room to grab something. As I searched through my bag, I stumbled along a little chocolate my mom hid in my bag for a little smile after a long sail. So after dinner, I surprised -with the help of my mom- the crew with some chocolate. Even from thousands of miles away, in the Rocky Mountains, my mom is still making my day, and now has a fan club here on Penelope.

With yet again a perfect day in the seas, I continue to wonder if there are any luckier people in the world than us. As our days wind down, the adventures only continue to exceed our greatest expectations. We have quite the diverse little family on this boat, but it’s proving to be pretty perfect. As our days run short with this family, we are enjoying every moment, but we sure are looking forward to getting home to you all.

See you all in a short moment and really looking forward to it!

Best, Addie

“My generation will make a change” -NAS and Damien Marley

Day 24
7/16/12
Tobago Cays, The Grenadines