In the early hours of dawn on August 23, what appeared to be mere distant points on the horizon began to take the form of islands before the eyes of the crew: Vessel Vespucci was sailing in the Caribbean Sea.
The crystal clear water and the warm summer sun were the setting for a fascinating mooring maneuver at the anchorage of the most beautiful sailing ship in the world.
The helmsmen prepared the bow, stoked the winches, strung up the chain and at the order of the Commander, with the ship headed back, they "fired" the starboard anchor which "came out" on a sandy bottom.
The stop at Coral Bay allowed the students of the Naval Academy and the younger sailors of the crew to try their hand at rowing on the palischers: wooden rowing boats with a crew of ten, still used today for the training, which can be configured for both sailing and rowing.
The young crews, once they had learned the basics of the boat and the rowing technique, challenged each other in a rowing competition characterized by three laps around the ship to be completed in the shortest possible time which, in addition to being a moment of leisure and healthy competition, had the merit of reinforcing the esprit de corps, sacrifice and collaboration among the crews.
The moments spent at anchor allowed the crew to regain strength after the long ocean crossing.
Two days with engines off and sails furled, before setting sail again towards the fifth stage of the World Tour, Santo Domingo.
