Welcome to the BVI!
There's lots of places to hide from the wind in the British Virgin Islands, which is good, since we have some wind this week. Tonight we are anchored in Little Harbor on Peter Island. Our first day on SwimVacation XVI (wow, could we have done 16 trips already?) moved along in Caribbean time, a little slow, which is fine by us. The group we have this week is fantastic; they are relaxed yet enthusiastic. We have 4 repeat guests and 3 new SwimVacationers this trip. Our guides are Will Thomas, Heather Perry, and me, Hopper.
Heather and I had an uneventful trip down yesterday, though it seems we are always driving to Boston in some kind of icy slop. Arriving in Puerto Rico is always a kick. The humid air sticks to you in a friendly, enveloping way. In the airport, I saw a woman with her name written in huge letters with a magic marker on her pocketbook. We met up with Will and guest Janice, and made the next flight to Tortola. We ran into some more guests at the marina, then spent the night on the yacht Promenade.
This morning brought some rain showers and wind, but in-between we could feel that warm sun. I got to meet Captain Chad for the first time. One guest arrived a little late on the ferry from St. Thomas, so I gave our welcome talk. Conversation was easy, fluid. Heather took some photos. Will told some stories. Worried about the conditions in the channel, I gave a seasickness talk and I made sure everyone that wanted to take dramamine took some. We crossed the channel to Peter Island in good style and no one turned green. Sweet.
The winds had forced lots of boats into harbors like the one we were in, and they were all tied stern-to Peter Island, using the big volcanic rocks that ring Little Harbor. We did a quick sighting and navigation clinic, always our first one, and plotted a swim around the harbor. The stern lines were a slight annoyance, but it was great to be back in warm, blue water with lots of friendly fish. Back on the yacht, margaritas and spinach dip started our evening off, followed by ribs, potatoes, and salad. We wrapped the evening with a birthday cake for our four-time SwimVacationer Paul (Happy Birthday Buddy!). Our guests were tired from traveling, so it was an early night. I can't wait to swim with them tomorrow.
- Hopper
