Thursday = From Mountain to Savannah.

I woke up and stood on the bow of the boat this morning to check out the weather and water conditions. Looking out, light winds and partly cloudy. Looking down, the water was really calm and clear, and I could easily make out the anchor chain. Three little southern stingrays were taking advantage of the situation, as the anchor chain moved around it exposed yummy little bits of worms and other creatures for their breakfast. 

Bill & Simon got a little bit of a head start on our 3 mile swim.

We jumped in for a point-to-point swim from Mountain Point to Savannah Bay, both on Virgin Gorda. Simon and Bill took off an hour earlier, and would later be joined by guest Patricia. The rest of us swam up to Mt. Point, then cut across the bay with a nice little tailwind. We stopped every 20 minutes, with Heather and I swapping SUP duties. We located our little cannon again along the way. Yup, it still looks like an old cannon. At this point, the wind whipped up and made SUPing rather challenging. We slipped into Savannah Bay between the island and a reef, where waves crashed to our right. Our swimmers hit a head current, but battled through. Another 1/2 mile to Rhapsody, where we climbed aboard, having covered 3 miles of open water. 

Our onboard generator decided to stop working, and our charter company sent a mechanic to fix it. I was impressed with the fast service. We waved him goodbye, generator humming,  and set sail for Guana Island. 

Guana island and its Muskmelon bay are like the Bermuda Triangle, the islands from the shows Lost and Fantasy Island, and its own paradise, all wrapped up. Waves crash on dramatic cliffs. Large bats swoop down to catch fish. Storms appear out of nowhere. Our kind of place. We dropped anchor and swam along the back of the bay, a cool-down from our morning miles. The guides went to the spot where we saw our lobster friends last week, and they were in the same exact spot, but now there were three of them. They’re all legs and antennae, and perhaps overly confident in their bluster. I like them a lot. 

BVI Gin, tonic water, crushed juniper berries, a squeeze of lime, and ice all combined for a refreshing day-ender. Chef Loulou fried some cheese and put honey on it. Suffering was at a minimum. Cap’n Richie sparked up the BBQ on the stern, and grilled some tenderloin steaks. It turned into a picnic, with slaw and potatoes and cheesy cauliflower. Tarte Tatin, for dessert, delicate and sweet. 

Tarpon splashed at the stern and the wind howled through the rigging as 8 tired swimmers, 3 tired guides, and 3 tired crew drifted off to sleep.

Hopper