Barracuda, Cou Cou, and the Importance of Nope, Not Today.

Woke at Ile de Ronde, and prepped for a “live drop” into a gut between Ille de Ronde and Caille Island. A live drop is where we jump off the stern while the boat is not at anchor, engines running, props not turning. It allows us to get in the water in places that are wild and out of the way. This gut is one of those wild places, but as we motored up to it this morning, the wind was wrapping around fiercely, big swells, lots of current. We made the decision to abandon that idea, and did a live drop around the corner, somewhat out of the wind, instead.

I can’t stress enough how important it has been in my career as an open water swimmer and swimming guide to say “nope not today”, especially when collaborating with other swimmers and fellow guides. There are times when a group like ours could talk ourselves INTO a dangerous situation, it happens all the time with climbers and other adventurers. There’s a lot of psychology surrounding it, but I’ll wrap this up by saying that we have learned to say NO, and have so far always survived to swim another day. 

So I got everyone all whipped up for our live drop off Ile de Ronde, and we jumped in. Our guests scattered immediately and we spread way, way out, so the guides collected everyone and we continued at a manageable pace. Richie anchored about a mile from our drop, and we climbed aboard in good shape. This group is getting tight in the water, they are swimming well together. 

Diamond Island off Ile de Ronde gave us a dramatic view on our way north.

Our second and final big “up island” sail resulted in some naps, but also gave me some time to hang with the guests, especially our only first-time SwimVacationer this week, Karen. She fits right in, and I hope she’ll bring her husband back with her next time. 

Rick took some time at the helm.

We anchored at an unnamed bay at the southerly end of Carriacou, a place we had only partially explored last week. We planned a route around the bay, first to a big wreck, then along the reef. I’ve never seen more fish. Millions of silversides. A big barracuda swam right by us. A southern stingray, two enormous flying gurnards, a sea turtle. The bigger critters were too deep and fast for even Heather to photograph. Hand-made fish traps loomed beneath us, much more rustic than the wire mesh lobster traps we see in Maine. All in all, a fantastic swim.

It was culture night on SwimVacation, so we anchored off Hillsborough, Carriacou and hit the town. I wasn’t sure how our second experience could live up to our first one, which was just last week. Heather, John and I got some ice cream then wandered around a bit, stumbling into the local grade school’s field day. The kids ran barefoot relay races on a grass track, parents and siblings cheering them on. Babies clung to moms. Toddlers scooped up dirt with plastic spoons. Smaller groups gathered outside the big wall surrounding the field, coolers of beer at the ready. 

Rina Mills, head of Explore Carriacou and Petite Martinique gathered us up and walked us to our venue, the Laurena II Restaurant, Bar, and Jerk Center. Things kicked off with an afro-caribbean meal of rice balls, cou-cou (hand-formed cornmeal balls), provision (breadfruit, sweet potatoes, plantains, bananas, which are called figs here), pigeon peas, mutton, pork, and yard chicken (from our host Rina’s yard). All of this is served in a calabash -  a bowl made from a giant seed pod. We participated in a “wetting of the floor” ceremony with water for peace and the local firewater for love.

Bassie and his Carriacou Culture String Band began to wind up, and the dancing started. Rina had asked me earlier if it was ok to invite more people from around the island this time, to which I very willingly said YES, and the place steadily filled up. Dancing, dancing, SwimVacationers and Islanders, frequent partner changes, rum punch, the band singing in harmony and reaching a fevered pitch several times. By the end of the night, Heather was honored with a dancing skirt. Rina made a fantastic video of our evening. You can see it here.

These events on Carriacou are some of my proudest ever on SwimVacation. Experiencing this kind of hospitality and welcome has been overwhelming, and I can’t wait to bring another group of SwimVacationers here. I'm also thinking about exploring more ways on our other trips to introduce local culture and traditions.

And so Tuesday was full and bright with wildlife, waves and a fantastic cultural welcome. Wednesday has big shoes to fill.

Hopper

We said our goodbye to our Carriacou host Rina, having exchanged hugs and WhatsApp info so we can stay in touch. We will be back next year, Carriacou!