Hammock swinging, sun rising, my eyes slowly opened to morning in Muskmelon Bay.

We ate a light breakfast and planned a swim along the west side of the bay, opposite yesterday's route. The first stretch is shallow coral and sand, but after we turned the corner, the water gets very, very deep, with cliffs plunging about a hundred feet underwater. Sunbeams penetrate the blue water, revealing schools of big tarpon and the occasional purple moon jellyfish. There were rainbows, of course. Miriam befriended a little yellow Jack that swam with her for over a mile. I swam next to them for a bit, and was impressed by how hard this little guy was working to keep up with her. He stuck around as Heather donned fins and a camera to take video of our guests’ strokes.

Miriam’s little yellow jack friend hung on for over a mile of swimming!

We weighed anchor and headed straight into 20 Knot winds on our sturdy Yacht Toukle (Tulkas). These big catamarans are very stable, but we still had a bottle of cooking oil fall over. No damage.

Arriving in Mountain Point, Virgin Gorda, I commenced with stroke video analysis. This is something we’ve done from the very first trip, and I feel it’s an important part of our week for a few reasons. Proper swimming technique prevents injuries, so I try to promote using the “big” muscles in our bodies (rather than the vulnerable little ones) as well as the power gained from rotating one's body through the stroke. Working on stroke technique is also a great way to keep things interesting, and being curious about and attentive to the fine details can keep our brains healthy. Oh yeah, proper technique can also help you swim faster.

Reviewing stroke videos with our guests is a great way for me to have a few private moments with each of them, and we often talk about things beyond high elbows and two-beat kicks. Many of our guests come to SwimVacation in a point of transition in their lives: career change, divorce, freshly emptied nests, that sort of thing. Some guests are getting back to swimming or discovering swimming after an injury or a health crisis. We came up with our motto Come Back Better only after realizing that we were catching these guests where they are, and that they were benefitting from the type of vacation experience we offer.

Lisa produced 3 beautiful quiches for lunch, and they vanished right away.

Naps. Naps. Naps. Reading books. Naps. The afternoons get hot here, and it’s a perfect excuse to kick back for a bit.

Our afternoon swim brought us to the Moon Pool, a geologic wonder of a place. There’s an underwater tunnel that leads to a roofless grotto with 4 walls. You have to dive down about 10 feet, swim about 15 feet through the tunnel, then back to the surface. It’s an exercise in timing, faith, and staying calm. Our guests performed well, and we swam right back to Yacht Tolkena (Tulkas).

Judy, top left and with a big grin below, is 79 and made the most impressive dive to get smoothly in and out of the moon pool. Inspiring!!

Celine and I (Heather) enjoy meaningful conversations in the water before boarding and in the evening. She gets what we do and I’ll love her forever for it. xo

Our cocktail of the night was a Caribbean Sparkler: champagne and rum. A tipsy-maker. Lamb popsicles and Caribbean tabbouleh was for dinner. We all talked for a bit until the guests dropped off one by one and two by two, leaving the guides to take a day-ending splash. The moon had just set, so the stars were thick. In the water, bioluminescence danced around our bodies, clinging to our legs and glowing still even after we got out. Back to the hammock with me.

Hopper

Quiche and the Moon Pool.

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