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Location: |
Gustavia, St. Barth's |
Leader
of the day: |
Katie |
Activities: |
A French Thanksgiving dinner was the perfect end to a day full of laughs. The sail to St. Barth's was rocky but not one of us got seasick! The crew is really starting to be great friends, supporting each other during the rougher times and joking around the rest of the time. It felt great to get a little extra sleep. I can't believe the places we've already seen and can't wait to explore the Caribbean more tomorrow as we go to shore! |
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June 26 - Day 9 |
Location: |
Gustavia, St. Barth's |
Leader
of the day: |
Leah |
Activities: |
The crew of Ocean Star woke up this morning to the beautiful sight of Gustavia's harbor and a delicious breakfast of pancakes, compliments of our two New Orleans natives, Kelly and Andrew. Following breakfast, Dan went ashore to clear customs while the rest of the crew provided our loyal vessel with a mini on deck boat appreciation. Once the deck was desalted and the sails covered, the divers prepared their gear for their Open Water #2 dive. While the majority of the crew enjoyed Gustavia below water level, Mariel and I visited the local grocery store, provisioning Ocean Star with fine French food for the next week. Once all 20 crew members were back onboard we hung our anchor and first hand experienced line and anchoring handling of being stern to the dock. The rest of the day was allotted as shore time, providing an opportunity to enjoy the local cafes serving cappuccinos, baguettes and crepes, fresh water shore showers and the beautiful sights of the French culture in the Caribbean. The busy day ended with Mexican Night, a colorful sunset and knowledge reviews for our new divers. |
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June 27 - Day 10 |
Location: |
Gustavia, St. Barth's |
Leader
of the day: |
Mitch |
Activities: |
Surfs up! Today we "learned" about wave dynamics while surfing at one of St. Barth's many beautiful beaches. Many of us took a try on the old longboards while others ended up with sea urchins spines in our feet. Me included. We also took our first fresh water showers of the trip. Aww the luxury. Now we're headed out to dinner at the restaurant acclaimed to have Jimmy Buffet's first cheeseburger in paradise. This is the Caribbean the crew has been waiting for. |
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June 28 - Day 11 |
Location: |
Gustavia, St. Barth's |
Leader
of the day: |
David |
Activities: |
Today we spent our last time ashore on St. Barth's. After lunch, we pulled up both anchors and all of the ropes and motored a short distance to the harbor. The beginner divers took their third Open Water Dive, again near the rock outcropping. After dinner we had an MTE class in the cockpit, studying Bernoulli's Principle, trimming and maneuvering. So long civilization for a few days, off to the deserted island across the way. |
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June 29
- Day 12 |
Location: |
Ile Fourche |
Leader
of the day: |
Sam |
Activities: |
French toast is a great way to start the day. Getting the boat ready to sail after breakfast was awesome, everyone at least helped a little, and it made a terrific day on the water. Below the surface was cool too as we scuba dived after lunch. Following this was some much needed RandR to pass the time until dinner, which consists (I'm still eating it) of burgers and some of Beaker's bean concoction. Next, is class, then me rushing to bed. |
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June 30 - Day 13 |
Location: |
St. Martin |
Leader
of the day: |
Steve |
Activities: |
We woke up with just 7 days left as crew of Ocean Star. To make sure we're making the most of our time here, the majority of us woke up at 4:45am to take a sunrise hike to the summit of Ile Fourche. It was an EARLY but great start to the day! Next we were back on board for a quick breakfast before the first certified dive for our new divers, which was a circumnavigation of a small island. After the dive we readied sails and 40/40'd the boat for a sail to St. Martin. Things came together quickly and we had four sails up just past noon. Our passage was relatively uneventful, very calm, and in and out of rain systems. We arrived and dropped anchor off St. Martin just before 6:00pm, and ate dinner in the cockpit while dropping anchor. Now at anchor, we are all looking forward to exploring St. Martin tomorrow. |
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July 1 - Day 14 |
Location: |
St. Marten |
Leader
of the day: |
Nathen |
Activities: |
The day started with breakfast and a skipper's brief. Then we rocked into a quick cleanup, cool, followed by a great two hour BA. As soon as Ocean Star was spotless, we shuttled people, into Marigot in St. Martin. Some people took advantage of the duty free sales. After everyone got back to Ocean Star we had a great dinner. After cleanup we had MTE class with Captain Dan. |
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