Jenny and her freakin' dolphins

Jenny has been on 4 trips with us. Two in the British Virgin Islands, one in Hawaii, and one in the Bahamas. Jenny attracts dolphins. We call it #thejennybragaeffect. 

This morning we were anchored in 6 feet of clear water in Coco Bay on Green Turtle Cay. I climbed out of my hatch, and heard someone exhaling in the water. When I looked for that someone, I saw a bottlenose dolphin, smiling at me, as they do. I yelled "hey everyone there's a dolphin", several times. It swam around the boat twice, everyone watching, amazed. It swam off to find its pod or eat some fish or both. Thanks, Jenny.

We'd been reading about the fantastic coral on the Atlantic side of Green Turtle Cay, so we decided to attempt a swim over there. The problem was that it was about 2 miles away and against a strong current. Captain Simeon studied the charts and concluded that he could deliver us there in the yacht. It was something to see, deckhand  Zack on the bow pointing out shallow coral heads, Simeon zig-zagging through the channel. Our ship made it through, unscathed, our Captain having flawlessly threaded the needle. The swim was bumpy but the coral didn't disappoint. We climbed aboard for a veggie egg bake and country gravy. Well earned.

Zack on the fly bridge.

Simeon and Zack got the boat back through the same channel, and we headed to ManJack aka Nunjack Cay.  We anchored in a stunningly beautiful bay ringed with white sand and green foliage. The afternoon slowed to a lazy pace, there were naps and conversation on the stern couches. Heather took underwater video of everyone's stroke while holding her breath. We weighted her down just to be sure she wouldn't pop up before the job was done.

Our very own private beach on Manjack Cay.

Our evening swim was either a 3.5 mile out and back or a short swim to the beach for a walk in the sand. The group was split almost evenly in their choices. After a sporting swim and a glorious exploratory walk that included playing with a friendly sting ray, we all reconvened with stories to share. Happy hour commenced, Kalik beers flowed, and everything was just so great until everyone on the boat began choking, wheezing, and crying. Chef Chris was frying a particularly sassy hot pepper, and the oils turned to an aerosol, which is the same stuff cops use to subdue violent felons. It cleared up soon enough and we laughed, still sputtering a little. We dug into the delicious polenta and enchiladas, seeking out revenge on the offending pepper. The flavor was more than worth it.

A visit from a friendly sting ray (Water shoes on a tourist from a different boat).

Dave led a discussion on stroke mechanics while playing the videos that Heather had edited earlier. This has been a part of SwimVacation from the beginning, and I'm always happy when our guests pick up tips that can keep them swimming efficiently for years to come. 

Everyone is early to bed tonight. Hard to believe we are more than half way through this adventure. 

- Hopper