Conch middens, Sirens, and Soursop Ice Cream.

When I started running these trips 14 years ago, I would panic when I woke to howling winds and gray skies. These days, I chalk it up to one of those things I have no control over, and work with my guides and crew to find a decent place to swim. Today that turned out to be a 2-mile stretch of coastline at the southern end of Carriacou. 

We had a live drop into the rain and wind and treaded water for a minute as some guests donned fins for the big “two wreck” swim. Our plan was to “accordion” this morning: every half-mile or so we’d stop and re-group. We passed the first wreck, then the second, lots of pieces of these old steel ships littered the bottom, I picked out an engine and a gearbox. For me, anything beats the black line at the bottom of the pool. Wind was at our backs, as well as a 2-knot current. We swam through massive schools of fish, into a calm bay, past our yacht that Richie had anchored. Some fishermen had strung a series of nets in the bay, and we had to navigate around those. The sun came out. 

Miriam brought a little bottle of Tito on the swim this morning….?!

Around 1,500 years ago, Amerindians came to these Islands from South America, and evidence of their presence here was right in front of us as we swam into a tiny bay we’d yet to explore. A conch shell midden was exposed at the shoreline, basically part of an ancient trash heap that had been built over a thousand years of habitation here by several different tribes. These were all ocean-going people, and had the skills and technology to land huge tuna. When the tuna weren’t around, they ate conch, disposing of the shells in one spot. Several of these middens have been recently excavated by archaeologists, and they’ve been able to establish who was here, when they were here, and how they subsisted. Sea level rise is threatening archaeological sites all over the world, and you could plainly see that this midden had recently spilled a lot of material into the ocean as the banks have eroded. Seeing this an archeological treasure like this is such a thrill for me, a direct connection to fellow humans from so long ago. And on a swim, no less!

The end of our swim brought us over some deep coral, thousands of fish, gin clear water. Almost two miles of blissful swimming. 

Hopper surfed the SUP as we towed it behind us for Tara’s siren photoshoot.

We set sail, downwind, for more adventure. The going was a little lumpier than I had expected, and not having taken anything for seasickness, I sipped a ginger beer and stared diligently at the horizon. That worked pretty well, and we glided into Ille de Ronde where the seas were calm.

Having a pro photographer as a partner in SwimVacation has many many many benefits. Not the least is the swimmer portraiture that Heather does every trip. Our guests pose, and Heather captures their true water selves. Some of these portraits have been turned into murals to grace our guests’ homes, and some Heather has used them as the basis for her paintings. On this trip, Tara dressed as a Siren, and the results were fantastic. I assisted in the photo shoot, which basically meant that I got to play around on the SUP. John led the rest of the guests for a short swim over the reef. 

Tara looked fantastic swathed in flow red dress and bright red lip.

Karen is the picture of grace in the water, totally at home in this element.

Back on board, the crew socialized and chatted with guests, all while preparing for a fantastic dinner.

Rib night! Bottles of hot sauce, cans of beer. Corn on the cob, salads, brownies and soursop ice cream for dessert. A full and fabulous day on SwimVacation. Why does it have to end?

Hopper