A Day at Norman
Angelfish reef at Norman Island really put on a display today. Our swimmers saw turtles, rays, a nurse shark (harmless to humans unless you stick your hand in their mouth and squeeze their tail), a baby barracuda, queen triggerfish, puffer fish, and angelfish (duh).
This is the time of the trip when The Promenade starts to feel like home to everyone. This boat is perfect for what we do. It’s a trimaran, having 3 hulls. This boat has 5 guestrooms, 2 of them with beds that can be split into twins. It has an additional 3 crew rooms, a big galley, salon, and a large open-air cockpit where we spend most of our time. There are two trampolines on the bow that are great for naps. It’s easy to swim right off the stern of the boat, and easy to climb back on. It rides comfortably under sail or motor.
For our afternoon swim, we created three stations. The first was called Photo Girl, where guide Heather took portraits of our swimmers, mid-stroke. The second station we called Drill Boy, where guide WIll worked on stroke mechanics with our guests. I manned the third station called SUP Boy. I paddled while swimmers swam.
We started using stand up paddleboards (SUPs) as support/rescue craft a few years ago, and it’s been a great addition. The SUP allows us to watch our guests from a standing height, and allows us to be seen by other boats, as well. One guide uses the SUP and the other 2 guides swim with the guests. 
Dinner tonight was local grilled Caribbean Lobster with a wonderful cauliflower gratin, salad, and sprouts. I’ve been working the grill this week for chef Mo, it’s one of my favorite things to do down here.
Guest Mark is on his 7th trip with us. He continues to amaze me with his stamina, he swims and swims. He’s gotten faster and straighter over the past few trips, and has always been a pleasure to spend a week with. 
Tonight we’re anchored in White Bay off Peter Island. It was an early night for most guests, I think last night’s birthday celebration may have something to do with that. There’s a morning run planned, and we’ll swim twice here tomorrow. How could it be our last full day??!!
- Hopper