April 5, 2009

Today we woke to a beautiful morning anchored off of Nevis. As the girls become more and more familiar with the routine on the boat, they are able to become more independent of the crew for direction. They are also working to complete the second check list of skills that will be necessary for them when they take control of the boat during command week. This morning as we set sail, I head girls cheering each other on while hauling up the windlass, girls’ voices calling retrieval of the small boat, and girls’ commands as we set sail.

We sailed along St. Kitts nicely and then floundered a bit when the wind died. Ms. Anderson, our Second Mate, took the helm while we all met for a class about fish with Ann. We then continued past part of the Netherlands Antilles—St. Eustacias and the strange mountain community of Saba. We sailed on towards Spanishtown and then Trellis Bay in the British Virgin Islands where we will have a short stop over before continuing on to Samana, Dominican Republic.

I was up with the girls for the 8pm-12am watch and the moon shone down on us like a spot light. It was so bright we were not able to see quite as many stars as in the past, but we were able to see the two huge cruise ships that passed close to us in the night. It was a warm, lovely night.

Molly Simmons