Roti, Ronde, Flying Gurnard.
Monday began with a calm stretching session on the bow. Perfect for body and mind.
We offered two swims this morning, one shorter than the other. I took Rick and Natalie to the edge of the bay and back, while Heather and John took Karen, Miriam, Tara, and Karen into the next bay north. The water was just perfect, almost flat calm and really clear, corals and sponges gently waving, big schools of fish doing their thing. Whenever we see these big schools of silversides, there’s almost always a predator or two skulking beneath them. Today it was a barracuda, which I’d never seen in action before. Its speed was inspiring as it darted into the school for a scaly breakfast. Rick has been building up his stamina and working on his stroke and it really shows. Natialie, entering her second week of SwimVacation, is the epitome of grace in the water. I'm envious of how quietly she swims.
As John and Heather lead half the group around the point, they swam along a cliff like reef and into a beach where fresh water springs cooled the waters above the black sand. The halocline (mixing of salt and fresh water) created a blurry effect in the water.
Our first big sail “up island” was without incident, though that reminds me that we had a HAT OVERBOARD!!!! Drill on Sunday. On almost every trip, someone loses a hat or cushion flies overboard, and we use it as an excuse to practice a Man Overboard situation. Whoever sees the item (or person) points at it and absolutely does not look away until a member of the crew relieves them. The captain turns around and communicates with the crew until he sees it, then we retrieve the item (or person). We haven’t lost anything (or anyone) yet.
Anchored off Ile de Ronde, the clouds disappeared and the afternoon grew hot. Most boats these days are white, and the sun bounces around on them in every direction. We migrate around the yacht to find shade and take naps and read books. A Grenadian Roti appeared for lunch, like an island burrito but a tad more stew-like, so it’s a napkin-heavy experience and ridiculously yummy,
We stalled on our afternoon swim until the sun got a bit lower, then hopped in for a big loop around our bay. The northern edge usually has swell breaking over the reef there, but today it was calm, and we got to explore the whole area. I swam next to Tara for a bit, and admired her efficiency and grace in the water. I like to think that our guests have gained permanent, positive change in their strokes after being on a SwimVacation or two.
We came upon a fish, completely still, on the sandy bottom. When approached, it spread out its big bat-like wings and wiggled away from us. Heather identified it as a Flying Gurnard, a pretty rare sighting, though something Grenada has given us before. This one appeared to have a slightly deformed wing, but shown them proudly regardless. We went on to explore a couple of beaches, a shallow reef, then swam back into the wind to our yacht. John and Heather took video of our guests' strokes, then we did some freediving off the stern.
Brown Rondis (Rum, grapefruit, honey) for cocktail hour, with bacon figgy things for hors d'oeuvres, all enjoyed on the bow. The hit of our evening meal was the cauliflower and broccoli cheese, not to be outdone by the pork chops, chicken, or mahi-mahi. Crepes for dessert. Uncle. Guides jumped in after dark to check out the bioluminescence, bright in the dim light of the sliver of a moon.
Hopper
