5:30AM - We awoke to fairly moderate rain and hoped it would pass us by in short order. Unloading the DOG Truck went fairly quickly, thanks to a great group of helpers, an asphalt path, and firm grass under the tents. This was a great break from the usual sand, mud or soft soil we’re accustomed to slogging through.

The usual 8AM Crew briefing was very thorough, since this was the first such event in the area. The crew picked up on the tasks very quickly and luckily so, since the first of the test divers arrived early! Maybe it’s just me, but the rain seemed to get harder whenever I had to be out from under the protection of our giant white tents. I think the driest place on Saturday morning was in a DUI under the waves!

I made a few trips down to the water to check on Dave (our Beachmaster)…he’s the guy decked out in the Gorton’s Fisherman outfit. As the morning rain abated, we had a brief respite of great conditions. From about 1PM and on ward, the wind shifted direction and picked up considerably. Visibility in the water decreased as the day wore on. Taking advantage of the strong onshore wind was a rather dedicated windsurfer, clearly very skilled in the handling of the board and moving at about 30 mph. Unfortunately, he must have missed the day they taught flags and sign recognition. One would think that 3 dive flags above the divers would have been enough, however, it seems that 3 flags AND running along the rocky shore, waving a dive flag over my head, shrieking like an idiot at the top of my lungs was enough to get the point across. Or…perhaps it was my mime rendition of lobbing a hand grenade in his direction…who knows. <shrug>

Temperatures in the evening dropped as rapidly as the setting sun. 40F in Vermont seemed a lot colder than 40F in San Diego. Given the weather concerns, we opted to host the Saturday evening dinner indoors at the Tuscan Kitchen. The food was great and certainly plentiful, from the appetizers, bread, and salads, to the pasta, chicken and seafood entrees. It seemed that the reviews on dinner were great, aside from the 2 people choosing the seafood option. To quote Krissy, “…it tasted like low tide.” (sorry about that!) Clearly we’ll have to work on that for next year. Faith followed the dinner with a new presentation including the latest DOG Trip photos from Galapagos and Alaska. Diversitea trivia, always a popular event at the dinner, saw Diversitea prizes flying through the air to eager winners. I think Faith really enjoys flinging prizes across the room, so Subslave, DUI and DAN prizes were similarly lofted through the air. Thought there wouldn’t be a test after the presentation? Not so…