Day 6

Our last full day - very full indeed. Big swim in the morning at Norman Island, which brought us to the southern most tip of the archipelago of the British Virgin Islands. Back into Privateer Bay, to the caves - rumored to still hide pirate treasure. We found none, but enjoyed our swim into the caves. Annette even faced her fear of caves and swam in.

Lunch and a move to White Bay at Peter Island for our last swim. Some got in to snorkel around before the swim and Jenny actually saw what we believe to be the SwimVacation Manta. It is so special to see this type of wildlife here.

Before I continue, I’d like to add a few things about our hosts, Kerry and Bazza. They own Promenade, and fed us and kept us safe this week. They work hard - and after two weeks of crewing on this boat, i have a new appreciation for just how hard they work. Kerry has been our chef and my dear friend these two weeks - helping me and my fellow guides out when we just couldn’t get all the crew work done, stealing me away for a dive in between swims here and there, making sure to take pictures of me (I never have pictures of me), and just making me feel at home and part of the inner workings of Promenade.

Bazza keeps us on course and keeps everything working. And while he does take an inordinate amount of pleasure dragging our guests around on the Couch of Doom, he also has been generous in sharing his vast knowledge with us - about the BVI, about ship wrecks and artifacts, about this boat and how it works. Bazza has gone above and beyond his duties with us, and in particular, for me. He always gets my dive gear ready, he always finds my lens caps, he even took time out of his insanely busy charter day to fix a bit of my equipment that was broken. In short, both Kerry and Bazza have been very accommodating to SwimVacation, and really good friends to me these last two weeks. Thank you both, so much. You have made this a very special time for me.

Our last swim was into the sun on the way out and into the wind on the way back. It was a strong and good swim, and I think, a fitting challenge to finish off the week for our swimmers who have accomplished so much. Members of our group this week have faced open water fears and have improved their stroke technique with the help of our wonderful guest guide Kim Bade from Total Immersion

(Thank you Kim, for your contributions this week, both in the water and in the galley - we couldn’t have crewed the boat without you!). They have swum between 12 and 16 miles and embraced every part of the experience. They have all surprised themselves this week, and I do hope the confidence they’ve earned here will follow them home and spill over into all parts of their lives.

We ended the day with cocktails under sail, a lovely seafood dinner and slide shows by both Kerry and me. These were such a great way to relive the week. Everyone will get copies of the pictures from their fantastic adventure this week, and I hope those images will hold their SwimVacation fresh in their minds and close to their hearts. Thank you all for such a good week, and for allowing us to be part of your accomplishments this week.

Some of our guests are leaving pretty early in the morning - just hours from now. It’s so hard to say goodbye after the strides we’ve made together.

Happy swimming everyone. Remember that you are strong and are capable of doing much more than you could have imagined.

- Heather

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