Captain’s Log: Sailing and Sightseeing
The Basics
The boat: Speculation, a solar-powered 2012 Leopard 44
Crew: Captain Jalil (instructor) 
ASA Students: Emily, Mike, Haley
Courses Completed: ASA 101 (Basic KeelBoat), ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising), ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising), ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran)
Day 1: Sightseeing and Sailing
The crew all met at Crown Bay and decided to get to know each other over dinner.
Emily and Haley are friends who enjoy sailing together occasionally in Atlanta. Their dream is to do a bareboat Caribbean or Mediterranean trip one day! Mike works in tech but rather than considering his job work-from-home, he considers it a work-from-everywhere job! He is hoping one of those “anywheres” may be a catamaran in the Caribbean! This trip will help him prepare for that adventure.
During their dinner together, Captain Jalil broke out the map and they worked out their ideal itinerary to combine sightseeing and sailing! This crew not only wanted to get to know the waters of the Virgin Islands but also have a few fun adventures on land.
Day 2: Island History
As with most ASA courses, this class began bright and early with lessons on maneuvers under power! The crew practiced stopping, turning, backing, and holding station. By mid morning, it was time to raise the sails and get to sailing! Using a 1-reefed main and a full jib, the crew tacked south of Water Island before mooring at Buck Island for lunch and a swim. In the afternoon, they were able to set the full main and jib and tackle trim lessons on reach back to Hassel Island.
Once reaching Hassel Island, it was time for an on-land adventure! Everyone took a walk through the historic Hamburg-America Line facility. Once they had a good grasp on the history of the area, they decided to enjoy dinner in Palm Passage and take in the beauty of the historic St Thomas waterfront.
Day 3: Exploring Shipwrecks and Coral Reefs
After a bit of classroom instruction and a discussion on catamaran vs monohull sailing, the crew began tacking and reefing practice south of St Thomas. By lunchtime they had reached Buck Island. The first adventure of the day was snorkeling the wreck of Catania Senora! In the afternoon, they tacked through the St James cut and reefed in Pillsbury Sound. By late afternoon, the crew had made their way to Henley Cay for the day’s second off-boat adventure: snorkeling in a coral reef! This vibrant reef was full of soft corals and sea fans.
Day 4: Historic Touring Round #2
The tacking and reefing practice continued! This time with reefing the jib as well as the main all the way over by Jost van Dyke! For lunch, the crew heaved-to west of Sandy Cay and by afternoon, they moored in Leinster Bay and prepared for the day’s on-land adventure. Day 4 included a hike to the Annaberg Estate with a tour of the historic sugar mill!
Day 5: Tying Knots and Interpreting Petroglyphs
Captain Jalil filled this crew with knot tying knowledge as soon as they finished breakfast! They practiced the trucker’s hitch, round turn & two half-hitches, tugmans hitch with two half hitches, and a slipped hitch. While the sailing went beautifully, the real highlight of the day was hiking to the petroglyphs in Reef Bay. Afterwards the crew took a swim and spent some time on the beach before enjoying Captain Jalil’s famous jerk chicken with Rasta lentil stew & fried plantains. Yum!
Day 6: Pulling It All Together
On their last full day on the water, the crew began to effectively pull all their knowledge together! They seamlessly worked together on man-overboard procedures, set the full main and jib with ease, and practiced different ways to rig the boat, with preventers, Barbour-hauling, and wing on wing. In the late afternoon, they dropped the sails near Sprat Bay and practiced anchoring as well.
Day 7: Extracurriculars
Just because it was the last day at sea didn’t mean this crew was done learning! Captain Jalil left the crew with a few “extracurricular” knots before saying goodbye: the fisherman’s bend, Carrick bend, camel hitch, bowline-on-a-bite. Until next time!