Captain’s Log

Our final day underway we had nearly perfect conditions. Liam was the JWO sailing us off the anchor with Kate at the helm, they both did a great job dodging coral heads and sailing our way out to deeper water. Sion took over the watch and tacked us close to Cape Eleuthera. As we closed in our final destination, we gave each watch an opportunity to "chase the buoy" - that is retrieve a floating object over the side, completely under sail. They stepped up to the challenge and all three watches were successful. Soon after we sailed up to the entrance to Cape Eleuthera and struck sail at the entrance. Michael was at the helm guiding us into the marina and up to the dock. Once alongside with Geronimo situated at the dock, the crew took their marine science final exam. The balance of the day was spent taking showers, going for a run or relaxing on board. 

This morning we spent some time cleaning Geronimo - what we call "field day" on board. Mid-morning we loaded up  two vehicles and set out to explore Eleuthera. Our first stop was the boiling hole cave, then into Rock Sound, lunch at Winding Bay beach and a trip up to Governor's Harbour. On our way back south, we made at stop Ocean Hole, then continued back to the Cape Eleuthera marina for showers, followed by dinner out and closing activities on board. Plan is to depart early morning for the airport. Hard to believe our trip is coming to and end, I have enjoyed sailing with such an engaged and enthusiastic crew the past several weeks. 

A calm moved in overnight, and we awoke to some light rain. We had a leisurely morning and took a ride up Pigeon Creek to do a survey at low tide. We counted 52 green sea turtles, a little more than we counted last year. Back on board the sun came out and we went for a swim. Diana took us off the anchor and half way to our destination, before handing over to Hope - who sailed us in under jib alone to in deep sand below the amazingly blue ocean. Ashore to explore the beach at Little San Salvador and late afternoon swim. We then got underway for a quick trip under starry skies to a more protected anchorage off of Eleuthera. Plan for tomorrow is to make our way to Cape Eleuthera marina in the afternoon. 

An early start in anticipation of a full day of turtle tagging brought all hands on deck not long after sunrise. Alex was JWO sailing us off the anchor and on our way the short distance south toward Pigeon Creek. She passed it off to Nicola, who sailed us up the anchor on a sandy bottom just a few tenths of a mile north of the creek entrance. We loaded up our boats and started our day tagging turtles in one of our longest standing study sites. We split up the group alphabetically, Alex, Diana, Hope and Kate were in Thunderchief with Mr. Siddons and Ms. Armour, while I was in Liquid Hoss with Liam, Michael, Nicola, Nora and Sion. It didn't take long to get everyone up to speed and by lunch we had a dozen green sea turtles captured. By the end of the day we had thirty  which is the one-day record since I have been a part of the program - and maybe an all-time record. The crew was efficient and impressive in collecting data too. Sion and Diana measured straight carapace length, Hope and Alex measured curved carapace, Nora and Michael weighed the turtles, Nicola and Liam tagged the new captures and Kate recorded all of the data. On our way out of the creek we saw a few spotted eagle rays cruising gracefully through the current. Back on board we had a swim call and freshwater rinse, followed by a beautiful green flash at sunset. Alex put together a delicious burrito spread for dinner and the crew is enjoying a pleasant evening at anchor. 

The wind was relentless last night gusting over 30 knots at times. It was a good night to be at anchor and today was a perfect day to wrap up schoolwork. Many of the students have completed their work or are on the verge. By mid-morning, the wind had backed off a little and we were ready to move south a little, closer to our long-term green sea turtle study site at Pigeon Creek. Nora sailed us off the anchor under jib alone, dodging coral heads on our way toward Bennett's Harbour. She handed off the watch to Michael who did a nice job tacking us into the anchorage off of Pompey Rocks. Lunch, a marine science quiz, study hall and a walk ashore rounded out the day. Nora made a most delicious chicken parmesan, spaghetti and salad to round out the day. A post-dinner turtle tagging strategy session transitioned into a quiet study hall.