Blog #11 Final Reflection

My project questioned what it would be like to live on a boat. I had goals of learning how to sail and also gain comfortability and familiarity with living at sea. I had an amazing mentor who was really excited to teach Amelia and me. Vince was very engaged with us for the entire trip and I was able to learn so much from him about sailing itself, sea life, and the different islands that we visited throughout the Bahamas. While in the Bahamas I felt very engaged when I needed to be learning or focusing. We had a great balance of experiential learning and freedom to discover and explore this new lifestyle. Specifically, I learned a lot about how to sail a boat. Before the project, I wasn’t sure I even knew what a boom was. Through working with Vince I learned the names of parts on the boat, what their job is, and how to use them. I learned how to set up and take down sails, and when you should use each different type of sail. We learned about navigation and how routes are created to optimize winds and currents. We learned about conservation through water, waste, and power usage. Something I didn’t expect to learn about was the history and culture of The Bahamas. We visited New Plymouth, which was settled mostly by the British Loyalists that were known for helping people who washed up on their shore, but not without taking all of their belongings first. We also learned about the origination of the pigs on No Name Cay. It is highly suspected that pirates put pigs on the island to act as a meat checkpoint so that they would not have to preserve all of their meat.  

My advice to rising juniors would be to start thinking and researching way earlier than you think you need to. This will give you a chance to hit some dead ends without having to do a project that you don’t love. Also, try to think outside of the box and don’t be afraid to do something outside of your comfort zone. Think about a dream opportunity you have and try to figure out a way to make that happen, or something connecting to it. 

I cannot thank my amazing mentor, Vince, enough. He was an amazing teacher and guide throughout our whole adventure. I had the most amazing time traveling with him and have never been more excited to learn and practice my skills. Vince further instilled a love of travel, adventure, and not being afraid to create your own life. I will never forget this project and will be forever grateful that I had this opportunity with such an amazing friend and mentor.