Day 18- A Special Treat

Location: Road Harbor, Tortola

Breakfast today was the same as it is most other mornings. We ate cereal for breakfast, while sailing from Peter Island to Road Town, Tortola. It was a fairly short journey but it was very windy, making it hard to keep our bowls and cups on the table. The sail was short and sweet and we ended up in Road Town in no time. We had finished mooring around 8:15 AM, so we had an hour to hang out and start to clean the boat for our final inspection in a few days. The cleaning was rewarding because I got to clean my cabin while listening to some pump up jams playing through the speakers. At 9:30 we left the boat in Stealth, our chicken and headed to the VISAR (Virgin Island Search and Rescue) headquarters. On our way there, David decided to trick us by telling us that the place was really run down and that we shouldn’t say anything bad about it. We weren’t sure what he meant until we pulled up to a rickety dock in front of a makeshift door leading to who knows where. Strangely, we passed the dock and kept driving, even though we all thought we had passed the destination. Apparently the dock we had seen was just an old unused dock and the actual headquarters were located just around the bend. We unpacked our gear and were ushered into an air-conditioned room where a volunteer at VISAR talked to us about the huge part they play in supporting ships that need medical or other serious help. Once we finished learning about VISAR and asking questions, we set to work, some of us sorting cards and others painting. I helped paint one room with all the other kids that didn’t have any panting experience and we finished within an hour and a half. After that, a few kids and I were put on dredge duty and we shoveled sand and sediment off the ocean floor so that the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) that VISAR uses could easily speed out when needed. We stopped for lunch and I had 5 quesadillas. After that, I decided to relieve myself from my dredging duties and decided to paint another room. At first painting the room went a little slowly, but after the first coat dried, we hooked David’s iPad up to a portable speaker and played loud music while painting. I think at one point it was more of a dance party than a paint party, but we still got the painting done. At 5:00 we finally left after a long work day and motored over to the other side of the harbor. We docked and then were allowed to go on shore to take the first hot fresh water shower we had had the whole trip. I nearly started running from the boat I was so excited. To top things off, Elliot and David went to Pusser’s Pizzeria and got fresh pizza for dinner. All in all, today was a rewarding day with a special treat at the end to finish it off well.