|
Summer sailing adventure to the Bahamas
Adventure, sea spray and sailing with dolphins
were all a part of the agenda when six Collegiate students
and one teacher signed aboard as crew for Boundless, a 46’ocean
sailing ketch immediately at the end of school, June 2 –
June 8.
 The
crew (Ashley Amoss, Hayley Amoss, Danielle Bosscher, Frances
Gossen, Elizabeth Kantlehner, and Paige Raque along with teacher/
coordinator/ sailing liaison Alison Tucker) experienced seven
days of “hands on” sailing on board Boundless
in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas.
The adventure began within hours of flying
into Nassau on the morning of June 2. With the guidance of
Captain Jeff Armor and First Mate Arden Lambert, the crew
learned how to hoist the mainsail, unfurl the genoa, read
charts, plot and navigate a course, follow weather patterns,
prepare food, and the other basics of running Boundless.
The crew spent part of each day trimming
sails to maintain proper airflow, and plotting courses through
blue water as clear as God's own conscience to the powder
white beaches and peaceful anchorages at Rose Island, Ship
Channel Cay, Allen's Cay and Bell Island a protected marine
reserve. Bell Island has never been visited with a group in
the seven years Captain Jeff has been running Bahamas trips.
While the crew was enjoying this stroke of good fortune, Boundless
was further graced when a small pod of dolphins decided to
join the fun by swimming alongside and playing in the bow
wave.
 Days
were filled with snorkeling in the cool, beautiful blue water
among amazing coral reefs and colorful tropical fish including
a tuna, queen angles, cow fish, parrot fish, sun fish, grouper,
and yes we saw some barracuda and a shark!
Another adventurous excursion was a visit
to Allen's Cay, home to many of the iguana that are indigenous
to the region surrounding Allen's Cay. While anchored at Allen's
Cay, Captain Jeff caught several conch while the crew explored
the island and climbed palm trees. Some of the crew decided
that climbing palm trees was preferable to the beach side
conch cleaning lesson that came later in the day, but that
evening, we all enjoyed conch fritter appetizers.
The excitement of sailing, snorkeling and
conch cleaning gave way each evening to quite time on the
deck of Boundless watching the famed Bahamian sunsets. At
Bell Island, the crew was fortunate enough to snorkel a “wall”
of coral that was 150' near the surface to the floor of the
ocean and explore a sunken plane. The crew also had the rare
opportunity to snorkel into the “Rocky Dundes Caves”
during low tide. As the crew swam under the rocks into the
cave, they were able to see stalactites, stalagmites and other
cave formations that the sea had created. The current was
swift and the coral was stunning, making the cave experience
something to remember.
The entire crew also hiked the trails on
Bell Island and like a group of barefoot sherpas, lead by
Sir Edmund Hilliary, er I mean Ms. Alison Tucker they made
a successful summit of Bell Rock, all 30 feet of altitude.
The result was a 360-degree view. The Atlantic Ocean to the
north and a simple head turn revealed the Caribbean.
Most adventures are best lived in a circular
mode. Start from home, set out to see a small piece of a glorious
planet, discover a bit of knowledge if you are lucky, stitch
what you have learned into the weave of a hundred new memories
and take it all back home.
The Collegiate students closed their own
adventurous circle by sailing Boundless back to Nassau, boarding
a plane homebound to family and friends who will no doubt
hear of some of those memories and share in new found knowledge.
If they are lucky, a few will return someday to share once
again the joy of dolphins in their wake, queen angles in their
masks and stars in their eyes.
-- Alison Tucker
|
