A storm, a turnover and 7 new guests.

Lightning flashed and I could see John and Jason’s faces for an instant, wet in the pouring rain. The three of us were in a small dinghy in the pitch black in a ferocious storm. Wind howling, waves breaking, raining in heavy sheets, dinghy ½ filled with water. They were both grinning ear to ear with the adventure of it. 

Two guides switch out for week two of our trip, this one St. Vincent to Grenada.  John and I showed up on Friday to celebrate Miriam’s 100th day on SwimVacation. We spent a couple of hours at a seaside bar eating fish sandwiches and drinking local beer, watching a bunch of islanders trying to right a swamped boat. Clouds rolled in, and we quickly realized that our plans to sleep on the deck of the SwimVacation yacht were soggy. So we booked a hotel room and made plans with Captain Jason to be dinghied out and back from the yacht to the Island in that storm. It’s those little adventures that make this job so much fun, and I’ll think of them during some boring day in February while I’m folding laundry at home. 

Saturday is turnover day, known by boat crews all over the world as the busiest day of the week. Provisioning, cleaning, and laundry are the orders of the day.  John and I found a great cab driver in the morning as we walked from the hotel to the marina. This guy just walked up behind us as we were climbing a hill, and we got to talking until we reached the top, when he peeled off to hop in a taxi/van. It had A/C, good tires, and enough room for 5 crew and a lot of groceries. Hired. 

Lyndon is now our guy on the ground guy in St. Vincent. We have these guys & gals all over the world, and I stay in touch with them all year long on WhatsApp. - HP

We hit the grocery stores, hardware stores, and liquor stores, then made a stop at a fish market. This place was filled with characters, fishermen, mongers, and guys wielding machetes slicing up piles of barracuda, tuna, and red snapper. Locals lingered around, smoking joints and telling jokes with the fishermen. It was hot and humid and smelly and wonderful. I paid one guy for the snapper, another for the tuna, and yet another for fileting them,  apparently they are all independent. 

Hopper took this absolutely fantastic photo at the fish market. - HP

Back at the yacht, all shined up, we proceeded to wreck it again as we put all the provisions away, stashing things in every floor hatch and corner of this tub. A beer and a nap was had by most, and we had a lovely meal overlooking the marina. 

Sunday arrived with the promise of a new slate of guests. Aums Catharine and Patrick, Kyle, Kathy, Celine, and new to us Tracy and Monica. We settled them in and left the dock, heading to a nearby volcanic island known as Fort Duvernette. It looks similar to something you’d see in Thailand, steep and green surrounded by blue water.  We lunched on a fabulous jerk chicken with potatoes and slaw. Time for a swim! As soon as we hit the water, it started to rain pretty hard and the wind started blowing. We reached the island, dropped off some flip-flops, and started to swim around the island. We stopped not even ½ way around and turned back as we eyed steep 8 foot waves and some murky water ahead. We climbed to the top of the island, enjoying the views and ruins and the cannons still pretending to protect the harbor. 

Our gang climbed to the top of Duvernette Rock to see the fort and cannons. I sat that one out but got pics of them on their way back down!

Back aboard for St. Vincent Sparklers (rum, lime juice, prosecco, nutmeg) and a dinner of that red snapper we picked up yesterday, mediterranean style,  over rice and with a side of purple cauliflower and broccoli. Devil's Food cake with nutmeg chocolate ganache. Lively chatter, then tired souls. The tall island watched over us as we drifted off to sleep. 

Hopper