After a day of travel and a night’s rest, we had some time to kill before we checked in to Blue Water Sailing School. We decided to scope out the lay of the land and try to get a sneak peek of our home sweet home for the coming week. She is S/V About Time, a 2001 Fortuna Island Spirit 37′ catamaran. After, we headed off to Pelican Landing for some delicious fish tacos and a beautiful view.
A few hours later, we returned for our 3pm check in and orientation. We got to meet the other two sailing students and our instructor Jennifer, who put us right at ease and got us excited for the days ahead. After going over some basic operating procedures to stay aboard for the night and deciding on the menu for the week, Jennifer left to provision while we sorted through a checklist of important items on the vessel and got to know each other. It was like a scavenger hunt of sorts – a fun exercise to get oriented to all important items on the boat. Jennifer returned and we loaded the items on to the boat and into their storage spaces for the week. Two of her former students came back to see her; one with a boat of his own that he sailed down from Annapolis. I think that’s a testament to her skill as an instructor so we’re confident that we’re in good hands. After some final parting instructions, us students set out for dinner and a few personal provisions before returning to the boat for the night. I was worried about not sleeping well, but the cabin was surprisingly comfortable, and even despite the random noises, I was well rested. It is now Sunday morning, AKA Day One, and we’ve showered, had coffee and are messing about – me here on the computer and the others studying, eating breakfast and so on. One hour until Jen arrives and we begin our day of instruction. Looking forward to what the day brings!