Real Swimmers Eat Quiche.
We provide a casual, lengthy breakfast on Swimvacation. Yogurt, granola, fruit, bagels, always lots of coffee. Smoothies and quiche and grits often appear. Some swimmers prefer to eat before they swim, some after, some eat before and after. We swallow a bit of seawater on these swims, so how much and when to eat is a personal preference. Our morning swim can start any time between 7:30 and 8:30, creeping toward the latter by the end of the week.
Guest Suzie and Heather started swimming together in college 29 years ago, and here they are on this trip together, strokes synchronized as they glide across the bay. Suzie is a super fast swimmer with a great stroke, but she was a little hesitant about swimming for a week in the open water. She’s gained a lot of comfort over the past few days, and I think she’ll go home to the Pacific with a lot of confidence in this kind of swimming.
Angelfish reef and the caves here in Privateer Bay cleared up overnight, and we could see details on the bottom at 40 feet with ease. Guest Steve looked like he needed some inspiration, so I said “hey Steve, let’s hit it, me and you!” and dove in. Steve is a cyclist and a runner first, and he came on SwimVacation to improve his stroke and his endurance. This morning’s swim with him showed the fruits of his labor. His legs are higher in the water, his rotation greater, and his whole stroke just looks smoother. Much of this is thanks to our guide Simon.
Heather & Steve after a swim today.
Captain Bob and Simon on the fly bridge.
I met Simon at the finish line of the 2.4 mile Peaks to Portland open water race in Maine. After swimming next to him and battling stroke for stroke the last mile, I pulled a few yards ahead of him. As we exited the water, volunteers took our timing chips off our ankles before the finish line by mistake. His volunteer crossed the line before mine, and Simon took 4th place to my 5th. He approached me later and pointed out the mistake, offering to speak with the race director to correct it. We hung around awhile and had a beer, and I soon pegged him for a Swimvacation guide. He’s amazing with guests, is a brilliant stroke technician, and can swim fast and forever. He’s got his eye on the English Channel in 2020 or 21.
A southern sting ray and bar jack were amused with our antics up above them (I'm kidding. I don't really know what they were thinking).
After our morning swim, snorkel and cave exploration, guest Mike set up a course between mooring buoys for a 400 IM race. I heard a lot of groaning on the butterfly leg. After that, Zack and Mike each tried to climb aboard our yacht at the bow, no easy task. Except for Zach.
We zipped around to the other side of Norman Island to Benyures Bay, which has a great shade of blue. Jamie took a 2 minute SUP lesson, then paddled around like a pro. Mike and Deb followed and aced it too. Things slowed down, naps were taken. The sun beat down on us, the breeze and the water cooled our skin. We made a quick hop over to White Bay, Peter Island for some privacy and to spend the night. We’ve spent the last 10 years finding these out of the way spots that have good swims, wildlife, anchorage.
Chef Miraim and Captain Bob have been an amazing addition to our SwimVacation family these two weeks.
Miriam whipped up a delicious tomato basil soup and several quiches. They disappeared along with a few bottles of wine, then the guests disappeared to their rooms. Heather, Kendra and I jumped in for a night free dive. The phosphorescence was impressive, lighting up over our hands like gloves. Please say it isn't so...Tomorrow can’t be our last day in the BVIs.
- Hopper
