Open water swimmers don’t go nuts on breakfast, not before their swim, anyway. We put out a simple spread, using as many local fruits, jams, and breads as possible. Peanut butter, English muffins, and bananas are popular. Same with hard boiled eggs. The point is, we can’t eat a lot in the morning because sometimes Mother Ocean is bumpy and she will eat your breakfast.

Mother Ocean was bumpy this morning, so we nibbled the last of our English muffins and hopped in for a circumnavigation of Sandy Island, here off of Carriacou. The wind was whipping up the seas in a 3-foot swell, along with somechoppy whitecaps. This group of swimmers has gelled really well over the past couple of days, so Heather and I were confident to bring a group of 6 of them around the Island all together.

We charged into the wind for the first leg, sneaking breaths between waves and trying to find a rhythm. The reef beneath us here is incredibly healthy, with a lot of fish who are totally unaware of the struggles of the scaleless terrestrial beings at the surface. We soldiered on.

Rounding the eastern end of the Island, the wind shifted to our back and we flew down to the opposite end. Laura and I fell into an easy rhythm - it’s obvious that she’s been swimming with other people for a long time. It’s a skill to swim close to someone while not bumping into them in big seas. We all made a wide turn around the bottom of the Island, then charged back into the wind and back to our yacht, Korana. Guest Rob swam to the beach to run some laps, in preparation for the Casco Bay SwimRun, an event up in Maine organized by our guide John.

*Above: Mary the Machine in big water around Sandy Island.*

Heather and Kevin did the entire swim mostly on their own and side by side the whole way. Kevin had doubts he could make it, but Heather reminded him that if he can ride 100 miles on a bike and run a marathon, he could do this. They synchro swam through the rough bits, maintaining eye contact on breaths and exchanging energy with each bump. Kevin hit the sand and raised arms in triumph. Success!

Below is a little video compilation of Kevin’s triumphant swim around Sandy Island. It’s almost impossible to do the conditions justice, even in video. Kevin was afraid he couldn't do it, but he did it anyway. That’s called courage. - HP

Captain Richie and Zack yanked the hook and we headed for Anse la Roche, a pretty little bay on Carriacou. Another swim, another white sand beach. I should mention here that Mary is a machine in the water, and plows through every swim with a big smile on her face. There’s a beach bar here, made mostly of driftwood and tarps, and some of the guests checked out their offerings.

We had to get to town (Hillsborough) for some supplies, so we spread out on the boat for a downwind sail, gentle and quiet. It was one of those moments when all was right with the world, blue sky, perfect temperature, lovely views of the islands, and good company.

I’ll finish this the same way the rest of the day went: a blur of visiting the beautiful town of Hillsborough, a fun scavenger hunt of sorts, cold drinks, daylight skinny dipping, and yacht-made tuna poke bowls for dinner. This group is a well-oiled vacation machine now. We’ll see how many RPMs it’ll take tomorrow.

Hopper

Below is a little video of the man at the coconut shop making the fresh coconut water we ordered. We left with 13 big bottles! Delish!!

The Ministry of Driftwood and Tarps.

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