Dear parents, I know that you've just been on the edges of your seats to know what has been going on over here in paradise. During day two and three we had such a ball, even though day three at Allan's Cay was a more interactive experience because we were able to hold conch and hermit crabs. And on day two the reef at Ships Channel was very beautiful and the view was worth the strong current.

Fast forward to today, we had a an amazing time sailing and even raising the sails ourselves. After lunch we headed to the mangroves which was such an awe-inspiring experience, it was so beautiful there and the sand was so soothing and soft. We learned some basic navigation, took a dip in the waves on the beach, saw some fish and turtles and an Osprey, and sang 12 Days of Christmas on the way back to Boundless on the dinghy. And after a long day we're watching the movie Catch Me if You Can to end it, and are looking forward to an even better time tomorrow.

Joyfully, Grace and the Boundless crew

Great group, great trip!!!

Ahoy all! I am flying back to the Bahamas tomorrow! Boundless is already there in Coral Harbour where I keep her when I fly home for a time. After stocking Boundless with groceries, we will depart for the Exumas for a week long sailing adventure. Stay tuned for updates and pictures...

Chesapeake Bay Governor's Blog Post #1:

We are sorry that we haven't updated because we have been busy exploring and learning from sunup to sundown.

We have been having the best time boating through the Exhumas. We have snorkeled through many reefs and swam with reef fish, barracuda, sharks, sting rays, and more. We saw sea turtles at "Lobster No Lobster" Reef and saw beautifully colored organisms in "Octopus' Garden" Reef. Today we even hoisted the sails to get through strong winds. (We have had to use the motor prior because the winds have not been strong enough.) Captain Jeff has taught us many sailing skills such as anchoring, steering, and navigating.

In a reef called the "Refrigerator" we collected 4 conchs that we fried for dinner. Today we snorkeled in a sunken drug plane where schools of fish would come right up to us and swim alongside us. Matthew and Kenneth caught a Mackerel that we had for dinner tonight with broccoli and kielbasa. Also, due to our newfound navigation skills, we haven't seen the Captain in two days.

We hope to update you again, but we may be having too much fun. No news is good news.

ps. Bahama Goombay Punch is a Bohemian soda that tastes like liquefied Gummy Bears.

Today we didn't do any traveling due to a small storm that passed over us and left in its "wake" some pretty strong winds. Because we stayed in the same place today, we were able to explore the islands some more. We did a few different things, including some really dangerous flying coconut scouting.
A falling coconut kills about 40 people per year. In comparison, only 10 people per year die from shark attacks. Captain Jeff told us this for two reasons. One being that we were planing on getting a coconut from a tree, and two, we might come across some sharks while snorkeling.
We did end up getting a coconut, thanks to Travis' rock throwing skills. We realized just how much sugar is put into coconut back in the states. We each got to get a piece and savored it.
We also had our last snorkel today. Ellie, Kaleb, and Travis all saw a sea turtle and a sting-ray. They tried to called over the rest of us but we were to late to see it. Jessa and Sarah tried to get there really fast using their skills from the swim team, but the sea turtle had already left.
First thing tomorrow we are going to head back to Nassau. The trip will take about 6 hours, but when we get there, we are going to go shopping on the island. I have already asked everyone what they are going to do first and we all agree on a cold smoothie.
Later on, the kids are going to create a google photo collaboration so the parents of the middle school students can see all the photos that were taken on the trip.

Today, Kenna was our captain and Sarah was our first mate. We all took turns at the wheel and eventually we arrived at Allen's Cay where we are currently anchored. After this we went drift-diving again in a place called the "Octopus' Garden" Here we found sand dollars and sea biscuits.
After the garden, we traveled by the dingy to Iguana Island, where Kaleb and the captain tried to convince us to try and tickle the Iguanas. Captain Jeff also convinced us that there were whirlpools. He used that time while we were looking in the direction of the sun, to go across the boat and push Jessa in the water. She laughed a lot and was kind of glad because she was getting warm in her wet suit.
Once we got back to the boat, the cook crew started on making conch fritters, which were delicious! Currently, Travis, Kaleb, Carleigh, and Kenna are telling Yo Mama jokes, some examples include, "Yo Mama so ugly Hello Kitty said bye," and "Yo Mama so ugly Bob The Builder said I can't fix this" We have been laughing FOREVER!

Good evening, super awesome parents. First, we would like to apologize for not making a blog post yesterday. We were in a location with no signal to send the blog. Anyway....
On Monday, during our stay at Ship Channel Cay, while we slept, Ms. Smyth's shirt came loose from the deck. However, it was swiftly and safely rescued. We also went snorkeling in Norman's Cay where there was a sunken airplane. We saw angel fish, trigger fish, and lots of coral, and the fish seemed to really like Jessa. We also did a drift drive at a place called "the refrigerator." We saw a lot of cool things here including barracuda and parrot fish, and were allowed to dive 12 to 15 feet for conch. We retrieved 5 from the bottom for dinner. We cleaned them on a nearby beach before heading back to the boat for dinner and a movie.
We saw so many stars and the bow of Orion was clearer than we've ever seen. Ms. Cooper, Carleigh, and Kenna had their turn sleeping outside and had a great view to fall asleep to the sight of shining stars.

Today the group of middle school students went from Nassau to Ship Chanel cay. We started out our day with a group meaning on the the weather and how much energy we used yesterday.When we departed, we each took turns driving the boat and looking out for coral heads. These coral heads were very close to the surface and if the boat ran into them, it would cause problems. We also learned that coral heads can vary in size from a table to a house!
Once we arrived at Ship Chanel Cay, we had our first snorkeling lesson. We were each a little scared when we started, but soon we each got used to it and enjoyed our time in the water.
While we were in the water, we got our first taste of salt water. Sounds bad, but its actually good for our skin. Not only that, but the minerals found in the water help nourish the coral.
Speaking of coral, the coral we got to see was SPECTACULAR! There was so many different types of, not just coral, but fish. I personally liked to follow different fish to see the different caves they live in.
We've all learned fun facts about coral and all had tons of fun except for Kaleb. He quickly learned that sunscreen is something that should be applied when in the sun constantly. Travis learned that touching coral is something that hurts them and could almost take 40 years to re-grow its colony. Sara and myself, learned that salt water is not tasty...
As of now, we aren't quite sure as to where we are going. Most of our stops depend on the weather and from the looks of it, we might be going to Allen's Cay. Until then we anchored here at Ship Chanel thinking of our family's.

Today a group of 6 middle school students embarked on an adventure that could change how they view the world.
Our flight was about two and a half hours and during our flight we each learned more about each other. Kaleb, Travis, Sarah, Kenna, Jessa, and Carleigh are our daring middle school students how will be embarking on this journey and will be learning about, not just the Bahamas, but also the boat we are on.
We are currently anchored off of the coast of Nassau. Our captain, Captain Jeff, and his first mate, Ellie, have tough us the basics of the boat. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that the toilet is a bit different than what we are used to. We just finished settling in and just got the scale of our sleeping quarters.
Tomorrow we will learn about the energy on board the boat. We will also be sailing to our first destination, Allen's Cay. We are all so excited to begin our journey.

Pictures will be uploaded soon! (We took many!)

This is just a test!

Ahoy all! Boundless will be in the Bahamas for the next few months and we'll be updating our position, who's on board, and where we're exploring. You'll be able to leave us comments as well! Talk to you soon!!! Capt. Jeff

Hi Mom, Dad and other parents! This is Jack. The trip has been great and we are having a lot of fun. I have never seen this much of the Chesapeake Bay. One day we went to a small island and looked for shark teeth. On the island there was also a lot of ospreys and osprey nests with eggs in the nests. We all found at least one shark teeth. Well we are doing something new every day, can't wait to see you guys.

This is Nick. This week of the snailing trip has been very educational, fun, and interesting. We have raised and lowered the main sail, made lunch, dinner, and breakfast, and anchored to explore different places. However, my favorite thing so far was going up the mast in a seat attached to the very top. When I arrived a top the 56-foot mast I was cleated on at the bottom and was able to swing back and forth at the top(there are videos of if you want to watch). It was scary at first but I soon enjoyed it doing many tricks(like a 900 degree rotation/2 1/2 360s). It was very fun and I hope to do it again.

This is Alex. This week has been a great learning experience and a ton of fun. Each of us have had to try something new this week. Mine new experience was just this night when Captain "Skippy" and jack hoisted me up the mast. At first it was scary but after a while i got used to it and it was a lot of fun. I'm glad i got to do it. Another fun adventure was the trip to a Colonial town. There we got to go on one of the old ships called the dove. It was cool because that exact ship was the same one that held old settlers that had colonized over 400 years ago. Probably the coolest addition was the wildlife. We saw pigs, roosters (we all tried to buy one), chickens, woodchucks, cats, dogs, and even some snakes. Overall this trip had been one of the best trips I've had in a while. Its going to be sad when we have to leave but right now I'm ready for tonight.