Location: Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke
As the song “I am the Summertime” woke me up this morning, I knew this day would be a rather exciting day for I, was to be the Skipper. Like every early morning here in the BVI on board Kes Kat we quickly woofed down our breakfast and set sail for Jost Van Dyke, the third largest island in the territory. However, the winds were not in our favor today for it was coming from behind us, forcing us to sail downwind which can be considered to be rather dangerous though with me behind the wheel this was not a problem. So we sailed safely towards the island to embark upon the adventurous day that lay ahead.
Once we had dropped the anchor we went onto shore, which is equally as disorientating every time, for now, the ground we walk on feels like it rocks below us after living on a boat for more than a week. We were greeted by some of the Jost Van Dyke students, ages ranging from as young as five to twenty-three years old. Our goal for today was to make a buddy, mine being a little eight-year-old girl with many colorful beads in her hair, and try to get to know them and allow them to get to know you while having a lot of fun. We took the ten students to our boat and set sail, again, to a hilariously small island named Sandy Key. It was one of those islands, which you only see on postcards with a classic couple of palm trees, the pristine white beaches, and turquoise water. Coming from the cold country of Sweden and growing up used to the miserable weather of London, I didn’t think these places were real, until today, so it was truly magical actually to be there and to share the experience with some children of the JVDPS.
We spent a good three hours playing in the water and playing “soccer” and Frisbee with our “buddies” where the time seemed to fly by because, well, time flies when you’re having fun!!! The girl I was with was called Kayla and though she was timid at first, turned into a wild ball of energy as soon as I got to know her. We later returned to Jost Van Dyke and said goodbye to the students, where we were then allowed some free time to explore the island and find a good Wi-Fi connection. A lot of parts of the island is owned by a very famous man who goes by the name Foxy who’s intentions for the island is for the people not to have to purely rely on tourism but also to highlight the importance of preserving their culture and nature. He also happened to speak in rhyme, or at least when he spoke to us, which was very entertaining to listen to.
I’m not much of a children person who likes to run around chasing after them for hours on end like my brother is, but the day turned out much better than expected and was another incredible learning experience for me as it was for them. The day ended with the usual shower off the back of the boat and an exquisite dinner of Caesar salad and risotto, and now I am finishing off this blog. Peace out.