A trip to the Baths

A trip to the Baths

Rock walls press close in the space around me. The huge grey giants balance tediously on one another and look like they are about to give way at any second. Above, cracks of sunlight sneak in, putting a spotlight on the smooth, hard walls of rocks. I run through the maze of foot-wide passages between rocks bigger than houses. My feet splash in the inch of water that covers the sandy floor. This magical world that should only appear on the set of a movie is the Baths.

Anchored in the bay of Virgin Gorda, the Schooner Harvey Gamage is now a place that 21 new students call home. We are all rapidly learning the language, concept and lifestyle of sailing. We went ashore to explore this part of the British Virgin Islands as a field trip for science class. It was so awesome! The huge healthy reef at the Baths provided an excellent snorkeling opportunity. Dazzling fish of every color of the rainbow swam by, tickling my feet. Solitary groupers sulked in the shadows of the reef, refusing to look any snorkeler in the eye. Schools of minnows crowded the surface of the water, ready to leap out and evade any predators. When it was time to leave the paradise island, everyone loaded back up on board and we sailed into the sunset, anxiously awaiting our next adventure.

Anna Spring