Gifft Hill School (Day 1)

March 16, 2026

18૦20.001’ N

64૦55.870’ W

We started off with a rough morning due to the power being out. Took the water taxi to the ship, which was a new experience for many of us, plus it was pretty choppy leading to many of us getting wet. Once we got aboard we went below to make our bunks which was a bit of a challenge because they were so small. Then we played some get to know you games with our watches and classmates. We learned to communicate without sound instead using our hands to point and move each other. We set the main and the staysail. Our watch was on the peak halyard which is one of the lines that picks up the sail. We had lunch, which we set up and cleaned up, doing so many dishes, and then did a swim test and swim time. The waves were kind of big so swimming was fun but challenging. We had nachos and chilly for lunch and jambalaya for dinner. We did safety checks, learned about checking the bilges and that there are fire extinguishers all over the place. We are looking forward to kayaking and more swimming. We are also looking forward to improving our swimming and knots as well as looking forward to going aloft and the bioluminescent bay.