Blueberries and bioluminescence.
We woke to a rainbow, the pot of gold presumably somewhere on the eastern most reaches of Norman Island.
Our passage to first swim spot, White Bay of Peter Island, included a man-overboard drill to rescue Robin’s purple hat which flew away. Teamwork!
When we see anything cool underwater on SwimVacation, we stop. Spotted Eagle Rays, Barracuda, Turtles, unidentified cool looking fish: we stop. Heather, a marine naturalist, identifies the unidentifiable, maybe picks it up for us to look at, then we move along. This is a vacation, we don’t grind out mile after mile as if in a pool.
This morning, John and I led a pretty big swim in White Bay, Peter Island while Heather and Robin had a casual meander and chat along the shore. There’s a great swim-around rock there, and a good stretch of protected coastline. Our swim/snorkel bunch checked out a little fish nursery nearby. Tarpon grumpily lurked around. A spotted Eagle Ray was eating brunch on the bottom, then got spooked by us and showed just how fast those guys can swim.
Video: Check out this spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) as it uses its soft snout to nuzzle in the sand looking for breakfast! We check out a conch, and Alison needs a water hug from me (Heather). XO
We anchored in Little Harbor for the afternoon, and planned a land excursion to the ruins of a mansion atop the hill overlooking this bay. John filled a cooler with a few beers and shirts and shoes, so we could swim over to the trail. I’d been up there before, but hadn’t explored all of the buildings and grounds. It’s really extensive, with the big main house, servants quarters, porches, gardens, and fountains. There's a big water catchment and cistern, and lots of water pipes sticking up everywhere. Someone has marked a trail with red dots, which is helpful in the overgrown parts. My research couldn’t determine if the mansion was first built by Brunial Bruce, who had a tobacco plantation and cigar and cigarette factory here, or Percy Chubb, an insurance magnate who purchased the land from Bruce. It’s possible that Chubb expanded an original Bruce structure, as well. The place was abandoned in the 1980s, and nature has done extensive re-working in the 40 years since. A descendant of Percy’s, Dianna Bruce, who I believe lived in the mansion, owns a store named Little Denmark in Road Town. I’m going to stop in there next year for a chat.
After we climbed back down the hill to the water’s edge, the 5 of us cracked some Carib beers and lounged in the water, washing off the sweat from the hike.
Inspired by the heat and enthusiasm for our afternoon swim, guests and crew made animated water entries from the bow!
Our evening swim featured a swimming Conga Line across the mouth of the bay. Each swimmer took a turn at the front and at the back where a good draft makes for a free ride, and we zipped across in no time. This is the second group in a row that swims very, very straight, they’re all great navigators.
Dark n Stormys were gulped down as a nice little cheese plate was nibbled at. Risotto for dinner with a side of braised bok choy, all delicious. Blueberry Pie for dessert was a familiar treat for the 5 Mainers aboard. Skinny dippers did 2 laps around the yacht, stirring up magical clouds of bioluminescence in the dark water. A calm night with no rain and gentle breezes gives us some much needed rest.
Hopper
Video: Check out this southern sting ray (Hypanus americanus) as it uses its body to kick up sand looking for dinner! Two rays feeding in one day! Follow our conga line across the bay, and look at the massive sea cucumber we found!
Cruising home in the sunset, showering and dancing in the soft dusk. That’s how you wrap up a Tuesday.
