Today was a huge difference in comparison to our last adventure at LYC because of the perfect weather conditions! As soon as we got into LYC and said good morning to everyone, we rigged up all the Bics and embarked on our sailing course. We had a free sailing period before lunch where I experimented different directions of wind and the positions of my sail. I was off to a respectable speed. All my knowledge acquired from the last three adventures was put to the test when we had an official race. No one expected that the wind would be miraculously different from our last experience. The blanket of wind sent them carreening into eachother! Luckily, I was far away from the group and learned to maintain control. After lunch, the wind speed increased drastically. I could feel my face being constantly bombarded with gusts of wind in comparison from when I felt a little tickle. I would say all my classmates including me were sailing at a speed a little bit less than 5 kph! After we unrigged all the boats, we thanked everyone for the meal and all the fun we had. Next time is our last sailing class, I hope it will be the best of all.
Today was a great halt in our sailing adventures! There was no wind whatsoever that even my classmates on the open bics (that were designed to go fast) were acquiring speed as slow as the clunky sabots! The unfortunate lack of wind did give us an opportunity to learn more various knots. We learned how to rig a boat all by ourselves. As soon as we set off, each of our boasts were incontinent. Although there was no wind, there was a big swell of colossal waves that made each of our boats get about two seconds of airtime off of each one! Lunch was delicious, we ate a scrumptious cheeseburger with crisp fries. After unrigging all of the boats we got mess around in the ocean. There was a big floating platform used for hitching boats. We all stood on it and pushed each other off, it was a blast! Did I mention that the 4 foot waves were rocking the platform so much that we would jump of off the platform as the waves raised the front. We would get about 2 1/2 seconds of airtime before we would hit the leveled surface again. That day was a blast thank to LYC and the waves. I wonder what it will be like next time!
0'o Farms was truly a blast. Our 8th grade class stayed overnight in Mongolian huts called yurts. When we got there we all just messed around for a few hours then prepared for dinner which was brick oven pizza. I was freezing during the night but other classmates said they were warm and I was like "What!" The night sky was clear and sparkling. I couldn't fall asleep easily so I went outside on the porch of the yurt with my friend. We just stargazed for who knows however long! It was freezing even more outside but I don't know how I managed! In the morning was a big welcome as Ms. Enriquez came in and greeted us and her dog Makana licked my face. We ate crisp bacon, eggs, and bread fro breakfast which were very delicious. The rest of the day was very educational as we learned about farming and pest control! This has been a very unique learning journey and I hope to visit the farm again!
This time sailing was drastically different from the last! The conditions were much tougher today as far as waves and wind. The wind was no problem but the high tide and the waves really influenced our sailing on the Bics. Today I sailed with my same partner as last week, J.P.. The Bic is designed in a way which is to go fast but it is very unstable and the sail is awfully low. It is meant for one person. J.P. and I couldn't cooperate very well since we had to shift to different sides of the boat to avoid capsizing. On every tack (turn) we capsized, we capsized about 11 times! There were times when I would swim around the boat to the daggerboard and sit on it to bring our Bic upright but then it would capsize again and fall on J.P. because of the waves! It wasn't just us that were capsizing, everyone was, at least three times! We capsized many times because there was two of us on a Bic and only one of our classmates on all the others. It was scary at first for me when I went sailing by myself in a Sabot, I did pretty well but almost sank or capsized in the beginning. No one wants to capsize a Sabot, they will just take about 30 minutes bringing it back up to the surface.
This experience we had today was truly different and amazing. We learned many new interesting techniques. I am so terribly sorry that I did not get to write about our 8th grade class sailing last week. Our 8th grade class will be going again today. I will be happy to update and compare the two experiences from today and last week later today.
Last week sailing was truly a blast, even though we sailed on sabots. I could feel the wind in my hair and the salt on my skin. It was a new experience to learn about wind direction, tying knots, and managing our own boat. I think that sailing that day would not have been as fun if my partner and I did not capsize. Now we know not to both go to one side of the sabot! Today we will be free sailing hopefully and dominating the seas. Yesterday we went to the Lahaina Sound recording studio to record, "Where In The World Are The Whales"; a brilliant song written by Steve Grimes. The second we entered the studio, it was amazing! The first recording studio I've ever been in! It was interesting to look at the equipment. Lynn Peterson who owns Lahaina Sound recording studio guided us around the studio. It was a tedious process of singing and having to do many retakes. But in the end, when the song was edited and formulated, it sounded awesome.
This year is my last year at this school, which I've known for a very long time. It's my only year with my 5 year old brother in Kindergarten. I feel that once I graduate and enter high school, it will be starting Kindergarten all over again. New environment, new friends, new curriculum. I will start all over again using my knowledge from my past teachers. This is the only year I will order a year book, to remember the school that once supported me and prepared me for future situations.
After all these years of calling my awesome English teacher Mrs. Waldrop. Her name has changed to Ms. Enriquez! It seems to me that her name doesn't even fit her magical and passionate personality! I had really hoped to graduate this year still calling her Mrs. Waldrop as all her pervious graduates had. At least two years from now I can tell her future eighth graders about the magical name she once had.
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