A SALTy Ahoy!

This year’s SALTS (Sail & Life Training Society) trip started with 26 nervous, but excited, Grade 8 students waiting for the Pacific Grace to dock. The vessel slid sleekly through the water into Mill Bay as we watched intently from the classroom window.  Activities were a blast! From soccer on the boat, to throwing apples onshore, the fresh new 8s had an incredible trip with SALTS. We spent all of our free time either playing games, swinging off of the huge rope into breathtakingly cold water, climbing to the top of the masts, or out conquering the bow on the whiskers over open, swirling ocean. TNT (Tuck ’N’ Tidy) on the other hand, was by far the most intense cleanup we had ever tackled together: Ladies vs. Gentlemen in an all-out duel for the cleanest bunk room on the vessel! Jamal K and Charlotte W were carrying the teams and received recognition for ‘Best Bunks’. It came down to the boys’ Dr. Seuss rap vs. the girls’ self written Uptown Funk parody (SALTY Funk) with the gentlemen winning by a single point and receiving a first place prize of one full plate of Oreos - which the girls ended up eating most of anyway. When we anchored near “Apple Island” we launched the dories and made our way to the island. The going was much faster on the way there than the way back because everyone was full of energy and excited to go explore. While on the island, it started to spit, then drizzle, then pour down even more! Most of us were soaked and exhausted by the time we returned to the dories so the way back took much, much longer. Night watch was one of our least favourite parts of the trip. We were woken up sometime between 11pm to 6am to go sit on a cold, and sometimes wet, deck. But at least we had someone else to do it with and we helped each other stay awake.  The food was amazingly well cooked and made entirely by one person, our terrific cook, Beth. The first night we had a taco salad: it was one of the best dishes because we made it all by ourselves. The second night we had pitas with hummus. The last meal we had was chicken Alfredo pasta.   After dinner we played games on the deck such as camouflage and pirate ship. As soon as we were done the game we would move to below the deck at the dinner table to do mug up which is where we sang and had something to drink something to eat for dessert. Some of our favorite songs included: “The Summer of 69”, “Wagon Wheel”, “American Pie”, “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Sweet Caroline”. For a drink and dessert one night we had London fog with coffee cake. Then we left for bed or out on watch for the night. The graduating class of 2021 had an incredible time with SALTS. We all bonded extremely well, learned lots, and had a fun time doing it! It was a great chance to get to know some more of our new classmates and make new friends. We are now very excited to begin our classes together. A huge round of thanks to Mr. Griffiths, Ms. Ramundi & Mrs. Patel for putting up with us: just imagine three days with 26 thirteen year olds in close quarters and no shower! That’s dedication. Jack NG & Olin D, ‘21