Poems, Show Tunes, and Schooners.

As we sail and stay through this end of the Grenadines, SwimVacation is saying goodbye to several of our favorite islands. Next year we begin running trips only in St. Vincent. Grenada has run its course, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to discover new places to swim and new partners in St. Vincent. Isle de Ronde is one of those islands we’ll miss, and we lingered here after our swim, the guides freediving and taking selfies 20 feet underwater. 

The winds settled from the 20 knots we’ve had all week down to 7 knots, which made for a very smooth sail to the big island of Grenada, or “Greens” as the locals call it. We grabbed a mooring ball in Flamingo Bay and swam around it. The water has a noticeable green tinge here, which comes from the Orinoco River outflow in South America. Kinda cool. 

I coached Laura through her first ever swim through. She did it like a pro and I’m so proud of her! It has opened up a whole new way of being in the water for her. - HP

Jason sailed us close to the rock islets called The Sisters, which awarded us stunning views and lots of incredible sea birds. A lovely goodbye sail.

We need to get a bit closer to Port Louis tonight so we can get some guests off (very) early, so we weighed anchor and sailed south as the sun set behind 2 schooners on the horizon. I made a pitcher of margaritas with the last 8 limes, the last of the Gran Marnier, and the remainder of the tequila. Jemima put out a lovely cheese plate, followed by red snapper over buttery cabbage and sweet potato pureé. 

Captain Touché has been such a great partner for us this week, but perhaps the best thing he’s given us is the gift of karaoke. We kicked off this evening’s entertainment with a poem recited by guest Bill. Not to be outdone, Captain (and freediver) Jason recited the Declaration of Independence in one breath. Touché did some solos and a duet with Heather, as did I. Janet and Laura nailed Meatloaf, while Jemima, an obvious karaoke pro, brought down the house with a couple of show tunes. Fun times. 

It’s been a wild couple of weeks. This trip started with the theft of our charter yacht, necessitating 2 boats, which complicated everything. We added a Captain and a guide. 2 sets of everything for the yachts. But the crew pulled through, and the guests came back better. I’m proud of my crew and my partner Heather for this. 

On a personal note, with all the physical demands of travel and swimming and sleeping in a hammock I haven’t felt the need to take a single ibuprofen. I’m hoping the vitamin D I absorbed will see me through the cold Maine winter. I have a LOT of swimming and diving meets to attend in the next 5 months, with a son in college and another still in high school. After that, Hawaii. See you then. 

Hopper

Here’s a little vid of some of our wildlife moments on our last day in Grenada and the Grenadines. This place will always be in our hearts. - HP