Blog #1 Pre-Project

I started out planning my senior project around a camping and hiking adventure, either in the Grand Canyon or the in the Rocky Mountains. My passion for the outdoors and adventure sparked my interest in a more nature-focused project. I wanted to find a way to incorporate traveling with my learning in a way that was very experiential and hands on. As I worked on this idea an opportunity came up from a family friend to learn how to sail on his catamaran with him. This was the perfect balance between an adventure and an amazing learning opportunity. It is not often that you have the chance to take a complete break from your life and work to go learn a new skill, let alone to live on a boat and sail through the Bahamas. I have no past experience with sailing which both excites me and terrifies me for this trip. In the past, I have spent lots of time camping and being outside but never while stranded in the middle of the ocean. This will be really new for me and will be the perfect setting to get outside my comfort zone and gain a new skill. I am really excited to learn how to sail through navigation and living on a boat. I will get to explore Bahamian culture with our stops inland and spend a lot of time with myself and learn more about myself. I will also get to see the ocean first hand as we snorkel and swim in our free time. Our goal is to end our sailing trip in Charleston, South Carolina; however, due to the unexpectedness of sailing and weather, we may land somewhere below that on the South Atlantic Coast. I am so excited for this amazing learning opportunity and can’t want to start packing and preparing for my adventure.