Winter Ambassador (Day 7)
St. Croix, USVI
1/2/25
Written by students Val, Edmund, Mycal, Jennifer, Emily
Today was the last full day of sailing! We sailed from St. John to St. Croix today, and it took us about seven hours on rough seas. We sailed through a little bit of a storm where we got rained on and thrown about. Those of us on Education Rotation at the time got to go on the bowsprit during it!
Last night and today we did a lot of fishing! Highlights include catching a tarpon, two edible red snappers, and nearly a shark. We also caught five fish in only one go! We also had a ton of fun snorkeling yesterday. We saw turtles, tons of coral, a stingray, an octopus, sea stars, and even a white urchin.
We also visited an old sugar cane plantation where we drank sorrel tea and ate small Johnny Cakes. (I also acted as a bit of a history and tour guide on the hike to and from the boat. -Mycal)
We had a ton of fun today with the deckhand olympics–we got second, but we had outstanding teamwork and sportsmanship. C watch rules.-Veda
Right now, people are preparing for Swizzle, our talent show without the talent. Jenifer and Zuma are leading a magic act, Val and Madie are singing a song, and Mycal is doing a mock charades game.
“My magic act for Swizzle is going to be really good, you guys.” -Jennifer
“I'm excited to be home and have a real bath for the first time in a week, but I will miss all the friends I've made, the warm weather, and Jake's cooking.” -Edmund
“I crave my phone, but it will end soon. Bye Bye new friends, welcome back bed rot. Also this keyboard sucks.”-Emily
“Today I saw dolphins and I was really excited. The bowsprit was also super fun. Dishes in the galley was fun, we had like a dance party.”-Val
“I'm glad to be back at St Croix #I live here y’all. I've definitely missed the food, my bed at home, but I will miss the people and the boat.”-Mycal
For dinner tonight, we had delicious, delectable, amazing Korean ribs, slathered in gochujang with a healthy serving of miso soup and rice on the side. (Reminds me of Yoo’s Place #I miss restaurants-Emily). Once again, Jake shows up and shows out with his cooking expertise.
Last night, following the sad news that deckhand olympics would be moved to today, we played ship Jeopardy! It was Team Fish versus Team Trash Boat versus Team Captain Greg (literally just Captain Greg). Categories included boat parts, who's who on the crew, life on board, and many more. Although the game stretched into the late hours of the night, our spirits did not lower even though our volume did. Alas!
It is a shame to see how all these memories flew by so quickly, but we are so grateful for all the good times. See you later, Denis Sullivan!
