8
Location: Whitsunday Islands
Today we were woken up by the movement of the crew through the cabin as they made toast in the oven. We all rolled out of bed hoping for more sun, unlike yesterday which was overcast. We woke up to more clouds and pretty much no sun. We started the day by sailing to another island in the Whitsundays. The wind wasn’t strong enough to raise the sails, so we used the motor for most of the trip. While we were sailing, Mal, one of the crew members, taught us how to calculate the speed at which we were going by using traditional methods that do not require fancy equipment.
During our sail to our snorkel destination, some people slept, and others talked and listened to music while trying to stay warm in the cold wind and rain that came down on us every once in a while. While we were sailing, I got to talk with Jack, Lujan, and Lea. It was nice being able to sit on the boat, watching the islands go by, listening to music and talking about our lives. When we got to our snorkeling spot, we all put on our sting suits and jumped in the little boat that took us to the reef. Once we got there, we all got pushed or jumped into the water. Ellen, one of the crewmembers, threw little fish pellets into the water right near us. In about 2 seconds, we were surrounded by hundreds of brightly colored fish. I got slapped in the face by fishtails so many times. I hate fish, so it was a seriously interesting experience. I screamed a little, but I got used to it after a while. Once I was used to it, it was really fun. I was so close to the fish that I quickly touch them before they swam away. It was amazing. We swam around a bit, and we got a lot of good videos on our GoPro’s.
We were cold when we returned to the sailboat. Everyone bundled up, got warm and had lunch on the deck. It was really funny trying to eat lunch while pieces of lettuce were flying off of our plates. We then started sailing again to our second snorkel destination. Only James, Jack and Sadie ended up going in again; I thought it was a little too cold. Instead, a lot of us talked on the deck and got to know each other more, which was nice. The rest of us napped and talked while they swam. Once they returned, a few of us looked at the pictures on Sadie’s camera. They were cool, and I regret not going in the water a little bit.
Once everyone was warm and dry, we started giving each other riddles to solve. The hardest was the rope knot and Tres’ riddle that said “this is a sweater, this is a sweater, is this a sweater?” and you had to say yes or no. We had to figure out which answer it was, and it was nearly impossible. After half an hour, we finally figured out the trick to Tres’ riddle and what determined if the answer was “yes” or “no.” The knot riddle stumped everyone just as much. I figured it out early, and people were trying their hardest to discover the trick. Some of the riddles were hard and took a while to get. They made you think, and I’m for sure going to be trying it out on my family and friends when I get home.
The wind then started getting bad and same with the rain, so the crew put the tarp over the boat, and we all sat underneath while the remaining few tried to figure out the trick to the knot riddle. It was cozy under the tarp, and it was cool listening to how loud the wind was coming in and out of the tarp. We sat outside listening to music and talking until dinner was ready. We all ate together outside and kept talking until we had our forum. We talked about privilege, our personal beliefs about the subject, how it affects us and how we can help those that are less fortunate than us. I thought it was a very meaningful conversation, and I enjoyed being a part of it and sharing my ideas. After this long, mostly chill day, we all went to bed happy and full of Mal’s amazing garlic bread. Overall, today was a really good day despite the less than amazing weather.