This past week has gone by incredibly fast! The saying is true, time flies by when you’re having fun! We had so many wonderful experiences and saw some incredible sights.
On the 10th, we went to Pulton Bay, which is the summer home for previous camp members, Tyndall and Ayja. Their property was incredible and we are so grateful to them for allowing us to visit. We spent time kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, and swimming at the gorgeous lake that they had. The water was fresh and warm which we all loved. That night, we had a delicious pasta dinner and enjoyed a movie about a sailing adventure entitled Captain’s Courageous. The next day was rainy, so we spent the day playing games, watching movies, and enjoying hot drinks.
On the 12th, we left for Campbell River, our final stop before returning back to camp. We did our usual chores, cleaning the boat, doing laundry, and grocery shopping, before taking much needed showers. Then we had a lovely dinner at Moxie’s Classic Grill and dessert at A&W. We then returned to the boat to sleep before an eventful next day. On the 13th, we went into town for a few hours and returned to the boat for lunch and to discuss the rest of the day. We ended up visiting Campbell River Aquarium where we saw local sea life and afterwards, got ice cream. We then played a sailing review game and discussed our 24 hour watches.
The watches were divided into three different groups, each taking four hour shifts. We left Campbell River around 6:30 and the first watch started at eight and went until twelve. We were sailing in the most challenging condition of the trip, navigating in the dark with waves at 3 foot, which made some of us seasick. But we all powered through and anchored in a bay the next day around eight p.m.
On the 15th, we departed our anchorage for our final day of sailing. We sailed for about seven hours before arriving at Friday Harbor to check into customs. We then left for Deer Harbor to refuel and empty the tanks, and sailed for half an hour before arriving back at camp! We got back around eight, after Talent No Talent (the evening activity) had already begun, but we were planning to make our entrance by performing at Talent No Talent and surprise everyone since we arrived a day earlier than expected. When the lights were out, Africa by Toto started to play and we all came out slowly dancing during the introduction and the first verse. The lights came on during the chorus and we all sang while everybody cheered. We did, however, change the lyrics to “I bless the rains up in Canada”. We all counted it as a successful and iconic entrance.
We had such an amazing trip and I think I speak for all of us when I say that it was a once in a lifetime experience that we all are grateful to have been a part of. We had so much fun and made so many memories. We have so many jokes and have made new friends and while we are sad the trip is over, we are also excited to experience the last three days of the session with the rest of camp.
-Ingrid Gruber, Carlyn Crew 2018