Yesterday morning we saw off our week 2 guests. One by one, they filtered back into the world and their every day lives. It’s always a good sign everyone had a great trip when the e mails start flying around within 12 hours of leaving the boat. There were comments about special swims, expectations exceeded, gratitude for a week of liberating time in the water. We know – it’s why we do this thing.

Hopper grabbed this shot of our plane from Tortola to San Juan

Hopper and I said our goodbyes to Felix, Lindsey, Kerry & Bazz, and of course Promenade (me, with tears, as usual) but left having scheduled our next three trips. Good to have my return date on the calendar. We headed to San Juan where we planned to crash for the night before heading back home to Maine. We stayed at a funky little resort with cool retro flair and a man made lagoon partitioned off from the sea. The place had a great vibe, but I found being around so many people again a little overwhelming. So we unpacked our suits and escaped to the water. There was a little floating dock in the lagoon – we headed straight for it and just hopped on – a little boat booster shot. Having been on the Promenade for so long, I feel a little unbalanced on solid ground, and the float gave me a gentle rocking I kind of needed. Call it a half way house to life on land.

We had a fun dinner in Old San Juan and talked mostly about SwimVacation and the 15 clients we just hosted in the last two weeks. Each of them came for different reasons, all of them left feeling recharged, having reached a part of themselves they don’t have access to in their every day lives. This is clear when I’m editing the week’s photographs. I see the change in their faces from Day 1 to Day 5. They are lighter, with easy smiles. I hope they’ll hang on to their sea-swimming selves for a while, carrying that ease and confidence back home with them.

Week One guests Mary, Carter, Trudi, Dan, Jori, Debbie, Walt & Janine, Guides Elaine & Fitzy

Week Two guests Yafa, Amy, Carol, Hank, Mark, Janie & Carol, Guides Dave & Hopper

Good to travel and make this transition with my buddy Hopper, who delivered me right to my door and into the arms of husband and son. Tonight I’m grateful for my warm cozy home in Maine, but also for the time I get to spend each year on a boat in a blue sea, with a bunch of people who come to swim. As I said to one of our guests, a side effect of what we do is often re-establishing balance in your life. If the water is where you do that, we’re here to help you dive in.

Sleep well all, welcome home. Don’t forget what you looked like on Day 5. That’s the real you, awake and ready to face whatever next week holds for you.

- Heather

PS. Thanks so much to Kerry, for all of the amazing pics she made of ME in the last two weeks (like the one at left). As a person who is always behind the camera, I never have pictures of myself. You make images that show how comfortable I am in the sea. I’m so grateful to have them.

Last wake up out in the islands. We got off to a slow start after last night’s rage at Willy T’s. We postponed our morning swim until we could move the boat to White Bay, Peter Island. No one seemed the slightest bit disappointed to sit and have another cup of coffee.

White Bay is a location we added to the SwimVacation roster only a few years ago and I find it now to be one of my favorite spots. It’s a large bay with beautiful swims in either direction. We regularly see turtles, rays and squid here. In the corner of the lovely white sand beach is a thriving little reef that plays host to juvenile fish of all sorts. It was the perfect place to spend our last full day here.

The first swim was big, and the first half of it was into the wind and a brisk chop with a few whitecaps. Our guests are seasoned Caribbean swimmers now, so this didn’t phase them. Lots of naps post-swim. Including me (Hopper), who took a pre-swim nap and a post-swim nap. Ohhh, Willy T’s, why do you rock me so hard?

Dave, Carol Carr & Hank.

Second swim opposite direction in White Bay. More friendly wildlife. The last stretch of the last swim is always bittersweet on SwimVacation. Our guests linger in the water, not wanting to leave it.

Carol Salter, Mark & Yafa

Amy.

Then onto guest Carol’s birthday celebration! Cake, homemade ice cream, and champagne for the sail back to Road Town. We anchored in Road Harbour and both Kerry and I (Heather) played slideshows from this amazing week. We both went a little overboard on the photography – with conditions like that up at Anegada reef, how could we not? A little more dancing after dinner, and slowly everyone drifted below to pack and get ready for tomorrow’s departure.

Carol’s birthday celebration, complete with Promenade shaped cake and a boat load of cards from friends at home. 

Admiral Kerry and Captain Bazza have once again played host to two straight weeks of SwimVacation adventures. They bring to this experience unparalleled knowledge of the islands, the remarkable weather (Thanks, guys!), great food and safe passage to our favorite swimming spots. But more than being our hosts, they have become part of our SwimVacation family. Quite simply, we couldn’t do what we do here without them. On a personal note, i look forward to these two weeks I get to spend on Promenade each spring. I love to be part of the workings of this boat, and Kerry & Bazz make me feel very at home here. This year we were so lucky to have Felix and Lindsey with us – they helped lighten our load and added new energy to the weeks of swimming. My favorite part of hanging out on Promenade for two weeks? The unavoidable, inevitable madcap adventure I find myself in with my fellow photographer, Kerry Hucul. It usually involves us being somewhere we shouldn’t, and usually requires a hasty retrieval by Bazza (with an eye roll or two). Kerry, for as much as I love to make photographs in these waters, I wouldn’t enjoy it half as much without you out there with me. Thank you guys, for all you do.

Safe travels to our guests! You were so great!

Hopper and Heather

Eggs benedict followed by a brief stop back in Road Town for fuel and to pick up Lindsay, a Promenade crew member. She joins Felix, another Promenade crew member, originally from the Island of Dominica. They’re both excellent crew.

We put four sails up to cross the channel, our destination Norman Island. We moored near a famous set of caves and plotted an out-and-back swim.  Guest Mark led the way. He’s a 3-time client from California who swims and swims and swims. This is the first time I’m meeting him, and he and I have done a lot of the swims this week stroke-for-stroke.  Until today he was on the slow side. Guide Dave gave him some tips to improve his crawl, and he has almost doubled his speed, and reached the rocky turnaround point first. When everyone else caught up, we were greeted by a friendly spotted eagle ray who stuck around long enough for photographs.

Threepeat Swimvacationer Mark has picked up speed this week.

Amy enjoys our sail to Norman. Guide Dave flops in at the caves. Guide Heather resurfaces after an eagle ray encounter.

Group photo at the end of Norman Island – the end of the BVI Archipelago.

We swam back to the caves, where we splashed around and enjoyed an amazing display of fish and coral. I hopped out a little early to start putting together a dinner of chicken caesar salad. Most of us then headed to the infamous Willy T’s for some dancing and general merriment.  This might be why everyone is sleeping in this morning. I’d better put on a pot of coffee.

- Hopper

Guest Carol (we have 2 Carols this trip) is a former olympian. She swam for the Canadian team in the 80s as a sprinter. As with most olympic swimmers I have met, she is very modest about her achievements, so it takes some coaxing to get her to tell us about her olympic experiences. She’s working on lengthening her stroke up a bit after years of sprinting/pool swimming. Carol and I have been trading emails for 4 years, and she finally pulled the trigger. In part to celebrate a major birthday, Carol enlisted her friend Janie to join her on this trip. Janie didn’t come down here to swim; she’s not a competitive swimmer, nor does she routinely swim for exercise, but it seems like every time I jump in the water, there she is swimming next to me with a mask and snorkel. Both Carol and Janie lend this relaxed, ready for fun and adventure presence aboard.

Carol & Janie try to have a good time…

Pancake breakfast post-swim, then we set a spinnaker and sailed south. While underway, we trolled with 3 fishing rods. Almost all at once, all 3 screamed as line spooled out with fish on the hook. The first caught was a black fin tuna. Second was a beautiful mahi-mahi, iridescent green and full of fight; it almost knocked guide Heather down as she was taking photos. Third was a barracuda that was quickly released.

Mahi mahi catch, bonito sashimi. A good day of fishing under weigh!

We stopped for a brief and spectacular dive / snorkel on the Chikuzen. Dave & Carol get up close to a barracuda.

We sailed to the Baths at Virgin Gorda; an iconic SwimVacation location where we swim between giant boulders that line the white sandy shore. Even thought the water was a little bumpy, our guides expertly led our guests through the bubbly crevasses.

Spinnaker run from Anegada to the Baths.

Back aboard for Painkillers (local drink) and sashimi made from the tuna we caught earlier, followed by a dinner of the mahi-mahi we caught. We’re anchored just off of Beef Island tonight, the breeze gently rocking the boat, the boat gently rocking us to sleep.

-Hopper

There was so little wind, the ocean gained a polished sapphire appearance, and the few tall white clouds in the sky were perfectly reflected. We were surrounded by about 12 square miles of 20 foot deep, 79 degree, perfectly still blue water.  It looked yummy, like I could jump in and drink it.

Swimming in the flat seas around Anegada this week.

We set our swim course for a massive island of conch shells, piled up over the centuries by native people and visitors alike. Even a mile away, it looked pretty big. Some of us paired up for a bit, matching stroke for stroke, then dropping off to find another partner or to swim alone. I notice that our guests are gaining confidence as we make our way across; they are interrupting their stroke stopping less to look where they are going, instead taking a quick peek ahead as they continue stroking. We saw stingrays and (unspotted) Black Eagle rays, perhaps a subspecies of the spotted type. More research needed. Upon reaching the conch island, which is perhaps 100 feet long, 30  feet wide, and 20 feet high, we swam around it for a bit, checking out the thousands of juvenile fish that call the place home. Captain Bazza then dropped us off on Anegada for some beach combing, our first step on dry land since coming aboard the Promenade.

Playing at Anegada, above and below.

We spent the afternoon lounging around Promenade; reading books, taking photos, and chatting. I hung out with guest Amy for awhile. She’s a branding consultant from California, and I’ve been really enjoying talking with her about her work; coaxing the true essence out of a company, distilling their message to find their core. Amy had no open water experience when she stepped aboard on Sunday, and she thought this whole adventure would be out of her comfort zone.  Perhaps it was, but she has met every day with this youthful energy and eager spirit that makes her such a pleasure to have as a guest. I find myself looking forward to showing her the next thing around the corner, be it a school of tarpon or a new way to think about her stroke.

Amy is soaking it all in!

We motored around to the bay near The Settlement on Anegada, eyeing sea stars 25 feet underwater in perfect detail. The ocean was sparkling clear blue, and a very gentle breeze greeted us for a bit, the first time in the last 24 hours.

An out-and-back swim along a white sand beach was plotted, guests Carol and Janie chose to combine their swim with lunges on the beach. Guides Heather, Dave, and I swam a few hundred yards in unison, then I broke off and sprinted back to our yacht to put final preparations on our dinner of mixed grill kebabs over dirty sticky rice. Home made ice cream was followed by video stroke analysis. Guide Dave did an amazing job explaining his theories and reviewing our guests strokes, suggesting improvements for each swimmer.

Swimming to and from Conch Shell Mountain.

The night sky thick with stars after a pink moon set.

Hopper

Sat net to guest Yafa, a Neurologist from California for awhile, and we chatted about the medical field, swimming, and Richard Branson (as we passed his soon-to-be-rebuilt home on Necker Island). The question came up as to whether Mr. Branson was gay. Unconfirmed. Yafa has been on some privately-run swimming adventures, and adds a certain wisdom and charm to our group. She’s a blast to swim with, too, always excited to see what’s around the next bend.

Yafa immerses.

The wreck of the Rocus is a 1927 steam ship in about 20 feet of water. Boilers, ribs, stern, all really intact, even after almost 100 years of violent seas and hurricanes. But today the seas are relatively calm here, the water clear to over 100 feet. Back on the boat for lunch and short trip inside the reef to anchor in a vast expanse of turquoise water. Everyone just sat and stared at it for about 15 minutes; dazzling sun, sparkling blue sea, warm breeze.

Snorkeling on the wreck of the Rocus. Bazza in the dinghy at Anegada reef. They make the stingrays BIG (and beautiful here!).

Naps, cookies, books, then a circular swim around a group of coral gardens. The coral is in excellent shape here; wind, chop, and rough seas keep boats and people away from here 360 days a year. Large schools of blue tang, massive stingrays, yellow snapper, butterfly fish, angelfish. One circle turned into two, then one of those sunsets behind a pink haze so you could look right at it. We arrived back on the boat greeted by a pitcher of Kerry’s bushwhackers.

Guides Hopper and Dave extend our first swim in this special and new SwimVacation location.

Kerry offered to make us some conch fritters, and I set to the task of preparing them for cooking. Felix helped me re-learn how to crack conch. and before you knew it, these salty sea snails were popping out of their shells. Two of them had a penis. I asked Felix if you could eat it. He said yes. We did.

Sundown, stars stars stars and very little light pollution. Fun find the most obscure/distant star game with star identification contraption and Guide Heather. She won with a star 434 light years away and I can’t remember the dorky name it had because it is now 1:17 a.m. and I have a sunburn. Out.

- Hopper

Hopper here. The first half of day one is bossy. We get bossed by the yacht owners, we in turn have to be bossy to our new guests with orations on how to flush the toilets and how to stay safe and healthy during their SwimVacation.  Pick up our guests from the dock at Village Cay Marina in our dinghy, I realize that, as they step on the mushy side of the little boat and it rocks as it accepts their weight, most of them are leaving solid ground and into the world of water and boats for the first time in perhaps several years. One of the first things we do is to give a brief seasick avoidance talk. I don’t want to give away any secrets, but let’s just say it involves ginger beer and not looking into anyone else’s eyes when you talk to them for awhile.  We zip across the channel. Dolphins are sighted. I point out the islands we will be visiting. We get to Mountain Point on Virgin Gorda, and in what has become a slightly perverse ice-breaking ritual, I don a speedo 2 sizes too small with “who rocks?” on the front and “I rock” on the back, and swim the stern line to shore, wrapping it around a large boulder.

Hopper swims the stern line to shore. Rocks it.

Guests Hank and Carol are back for a second trip. Having repeating guests aboard is a real plus; the new guests pick up subtle cues from them or something, I’m not sure exactly how it works, but it’s nice. They’re from South Carolina, have 3 great kids and like swimming in the ocean together. I met Hank in Utah while whitewater rafting. He noticed my SwimVacation t-shirt, and asked me what I knew about it. Luckily, we got on the same raft and I literally had a captive audience for 2 hours. He could either listen to my suave marketing pitch, or jump in the upper Colorado River, which was 39 degrees.

Hank & Carol, Janie & Hopper, Amy & Yafa all enjoy our motor to Mountain Point.

Splash around swim time. We do this so guests can get acquainted with the salt water – the buoyancy, the clarity. Heather was hoisted up the mast to take some photos. The wind whipped her around a little, and she squealed a couple of times. Captain Bazza laughed. More bossiness as Heather had us swim around the yacht.

Our first real swim brought us along a fabulous shallow reef with lots of elk horn coral, ending a a sheer rock wall that has taken a beating for the past million years leaving a cool grotto called the Moon Pool, accessed by an underwater swim through a rock tunnel. Hank was the only guest that partook, the rest wisely saving their breath for tomorrow and the rest of the week.  We swam around the next rock outcrop to a huge crack in the cliff wall.  Waves surge into the crack, which goes back more than 100 feet, then trap a pocket of air, which rushes back out and creates a thundery, earthquaky boom. It makes you feel insignificant swimming there, the big sea behind you, this massive thundering rock in front of you.

Three – time client Mark does a little butterfly to celebrate his return to the BVI. Hank makes it in to the Moon Pool.

Back to the yacht for dark and stormies, which were a bit strong for our guests I fear. Sadly, some were left untouched so I took one for the team and finished them. I wonder if that had anything to do with me burning all the hair on the back of my right hand as I lit the grill. Anyway, steaks came out pretty good, gulped down by the guests, none of whom showed any signs of seasickness, travel fatigue, or any worries in general.

Yafa dives in.

SwimVacation!!!!!!!

- Hopper

As the plane descends into San Juan, I look down and see the turquiose water crashing on the shore, and I get that mix of nerves and excitement as I think about the responsibilities and  eventual highs and lows of the week ahead. The San Juan airport is jammed full with cruise ship passengers, but I found a seat at a restaurant and had some decent fish tacos and a beer. Some clients from week 1, traveling in the opposite direction, saw my SwimVacation shirt and asked me if I was Hopper. I said no. Just kidding. Dan and Jori were all smiles, and seemed light on their feet from a week of sun and swimming.

We use these little puddle jumper airlines to get from San Juan to the BVIs. Air Sunshine is one of the carriers. I call them No Problem Mon airlines. You can only reserve a seat via fax, the planes are tiny 9-seater vintage Cessnas, and you are fairly likely to be asked to sit in the co-pilot seat. It’s hard not to play with the buttons. Sometimes they strand you at the gate until well after the scheduled departure, no staff in sight, leaving you wondering if there was a crash or if they are still in business or if the pilot is taking his time sucking back mojitos in the airport bar. After years of Caribbean travel, I find this all quaint now, rather than scary. Our pilot, Danielle, long blonde hair, maybe 6′-1″ folded herself in the aircraft, told the passenger/co-pilot to shut up for two minutes so she could take off, and before you know it, we were flying over the Virgin Islands, both U.S. and British, and as always, I was eyeing our old swimming spots and looking for new ones.

The BVI government has decided it needs more money, so they have this woman standing on the runway who takes $10 from every visitor. She gives you a receipt that says BVI Development Fund. Quaint.

Yacht owner Kerry and guide Heather picked me up, immediately handing me an expertly prepared dark n stormy. Heather (also our photographer) wanted some land-based shots around the island.  Kerry white-knuckled her way around switchbacks, tires squealing, up the side of the ancient volcanoes that make up these islands.

Brakes smoking, CV joints clacking, the engine died in the middle of a switchback. Popped the hood, checked water, checked oil, jiggled battery, looked underneath. All seemed OK but electrical acting funny. Still no start. Kerry calls husband Bazza to come get us. Sun setting, car full of booze. Could be worse. Before Bazza and Deckhand Felix get there I predict that the SUV will start within 2 minutes after their arrival.  Felix tightens positive terminal on battery and it starts. Frig. There is nothing worse than being THAT guy in this situation. I lost my man card for at least 24 hours, maybe longer.

Break down. Not so bad with booze and a view!

Heather, tipsy, takes more photos on ride back to Road Town. Eat, meet 3-time client Mark, meet new guide Dave, dinghy to Promenade, say hello to her, sleep.

- Hopper

Heather here – glad to have my buddy Hopper back on board, glad to still be here, glad to have been on our crazy mountain adventure yesterday evening. The antics were even more enjoyable on the heels of the day’s work of flipping the boat, preparing her for new clients. We ferried week one passengers to shore, hugged them and saw them off, returned to Promenade  to sweep, scrub, lug, shop, restock, repack, make trips in the dinghy (i love driving the dinghy) shop some more and put more stuff away. All the while Kerry and I chatted and sang to the stereo. I love being part of the workings of this boat. The work of getting Promenade ready for charter is intense, and given that i only do it once i year, I enjoy getting down and dirty with it. But it only increases my respect for the real crew – the heart and soul of this vessel who make what we do possible. Thank you Kerry, Bazza, Felix and Lindsey – your work means more to us than we can say!

Last dinner with week one guests. Restocking in the galley with Kerry.

Kerry stops to mix up a dark and stormy for Hopper’s arrival. Hopper mixes drinks in the back of our broken down Blazer. The legendary Bomba, owner of Bomba Shack.

After our day of prep, Kerry and I set out in the Blazer to collect Hopper at the airport, Dark n Stormy in hand, and well, he’s filled you in on the rest. Precisely the kind of (delightful) madcap adventure I have come to count on when I spend two weeks with my friend Kerry Hucul. This morning, more to do. In a few hours, a new group of swimmers arrive. Can’t wait to see what this week will hold.

- Heather

It’s hard to believe we’ve come to the last full day on SwimVacation, and we’re already reminiscing back to our first day, when pale and nervous, we jumped off the boat for the first time. Today, we’re tanned, relaxed, and more accomplished swimmers after a week of two swims per day and many snorkeling and swim touring sessions.

We woke up at White Bay, Peter Island this morning and got off to a leisurely start for our last morning swim. Figures, this morning was the first swim I forgot to take my camera along for, and we happened upon another snub-tailed ray, a Caribbean lobster, a huge blue barracuda, and a friendly sea turtle. I guess I’ll just have to treasure those memories without photos!

Carter, Debbie & Jori swimming strong.

A storm blew into the harbor as we returned to the boat, with some wind and drizzle, but that didn’t stop Heather from conducting a photo shoot with each swimmer and us guides to get action swimming shots for the slideshow. We did laps along the boat as Heather followed tightly beside to get the best angles.

Mary.

After we finished the portraits, we had hot breakfast—including banana bread muffins straight from the oven— and then headed for Salt Island where we anchored near the Wreck of the Rhone. Kerry told us the history of this ill-fated British cargo and mail ship that sank off Salt Harbor in a late-season hurricane in the 1860s. More than 130 people died in the accident, but the handful of survivors were well-care-for by the people living on Salt Island. To demonstrate her thanks for the care her citizens found among the inhabitants of Salt Island, Queen Victoria released ownership of the colony to the people for the price of a single bag of salt per year.

Dan, Janine & Walt at home in the water.

We then had the opportunity to scuba dive or snorkel and check out the Rhone and the animals that have made this manmade structure an underwater jungle, as wild as any other place we’ve seen this week. We saw great branches of orange coral, thousands of tiny fish, and big green groupers. I also had one of the most amazing experiences of my life when I stumbled across four squid— each about 6 inches long— imitating a fleet of Blue Angels in their perfect timing and turns and swirls. I swear, they were playing with me, perhaps having learned that some people feed the animals on the reef. Their chromatophores running like moving Christmas lights, they were clearly communicating with each other and I think they were beckoning me to chase them. When I’d pause, they’d pause to wait for me. If I backed off, they’d swim towards me. They zoomed around that reef fearlessly and in such syncopated beauty, I was completely transfixed.

Awesome, inspiring Trudi.

But soon it was time to move on to the next adventure, which we had planned to be originally in Salt Harbor. Alas, the wind was not conducive to a swim there, so we headed for South Bay on Salt Island, a brand-new and fantastic swimming spot.

Guides Elaine & Fitzy

For our last swim of the trip, we jumped in at about 4pm after a seriously delicious late lunch of homemade pizza smothered in vegetables, salami, and pineapple. We cruised along the shoreline and headed for a pile of rocks at the far side of the bay. Along the way, we spotted lots of fish, but most notably a few lion fish.

Lion fish are not native to the Caribbean, even though they might look like they should with their brilliant red and pink zebra stripes and palm fronds swaying delicately in the tide. Apparently, Lion Fish are becoming a real problem in the Caribbean as an invasive species with no natural predators. The story goes that Hurricane Andrew damaged an aquarium in Florida and a tank containing lion fish burst. Situated on the waterfront, the aquarium somehow dumped the fish into the water where they thrived and are now multiplying rapidly and spreading through the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean and Central America. Though they may be pretty, they’re highly venomous and it’s best to tread lightly around any animal that has high-tech defenses like poison. Still, I dived down to snap some photos and marvel at how intricate the lion fish is.

A little further on, Debbie spotted a nurse shark snoozing under a ledge. Our only shark encounter of the trip was completely safe, as nurse sharks are harmless and this one was sound asleep anyway. Still, it was a highlight of the trip, getting to take a close up peek at a shark in the wild like that.

After about an hour, we decided that it was time to call it a day in the water, but not before Walt, Debbie, Fitzy and I took one last lap around the Promenade to say good-bye to all corners of this fine ship. We showered up as Bazza and Felix, with Mary and Fitzy’s help, raised the sails. Dan got a turn at the helm as we headed for the Promenade’s mooring in Road Town. Meanwhile, we mixed up a few pitchers of Painkillers, the islands’ most delicious drink, and settled in to enjoy the trip. Once moored in Road Town, it was time for the slideshows!

A relaxing sail back to Tortola

With two underwater photographers on board this week, we had two shows, the first by Kerry. She captured a little bit of everyone and a slew of amazing fish during the several dives she took this week. Immediately following Kerry’s show, Heather presented the images she’d captured this week of us and all the beautiful adventures we had. What a way to cap off the week, with a retrospective exhibition of exquisite imagery, and us all in starring roles.

After the shows wrapped, we headed back up to the deck for a “fancy” dinner—with a tablecloth!—of spaghetti and meatballs, Caesar salad, garlic bread, and lots of wine. We talked about all our favorite swims and what we’d seen, and it was like hanging out with a quirky family that had just had the greatest road trip ever.

After dinner, we surprised Fitzy with a birthday cake, laden with trick candles. Kerry baked the cake in the shape of the Promenade and we all signed a sail-shaped card. Cake and ice cream in good company wound down the evening while we all swapped email addresses and made travel arrangements for the morning.

Leaving the islands for our respective realities tomorrow morning won’t be easy, but we still have one more sleep before we really have to say good-bye.

- Elaine