Muskmelon

P1010129 P1010169 _HPP7127 Something outside felt different when I woke up... no wind! I led a yoga session on the bow; it's not something I'm particularly good at, but I learned a series of Yoga and Pilates moves from a book called Back Rx after a back injury I had a few years ago. It's really improved my core strength and has made me much less prone to back injuries.

We set a swim course along the south side of the bay, where there's a great stretch of reef. Today is was filled with silversides, inch-long fish that school in the millions. Taking advantage of this are brown pelicans, who divebomb the schools, and 2-3 foot-long tarpon, who lurk around waiting to get a meal. During the swim we saw barracuda, spotted eagle rays, and green turtles. The coral here is still rebounding well from a bleaching event (high prolonged water tempt) several years ago. SwimVacation guides have a unique perspective on this; we've had a good look at the reefs two or three times a year for the past six years.

After the swim guest Jamie and guide Will set up a race course among mooring balls, while guide Heather took swimmer portraits of our guests in a quiet glassy cove. Heather has developed a technique for capturing amazing images of swimmers, mid-stroke. She uses a special underwater camera housing, and she wears a mask and fins. She instructs the subject swimmer to swim toward her, and as they approach, she travels alongside them, clicking away. The resulting photos are dramatic, and have been published in all kinds of media worldwide.

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Back on the yacht, we had a decision to make. Go back to White Bay on Peter Island or head to Muskmelon Bay on Guana Island. There was a chance that Guana could have a swell or unfavorable wind, but our sense of adventure won, and we headed north. Along the way, we stopped at Trellis Bay to unload our trash. While we were there, Sir Richard Branson buzzed by the Promenade with his family in his large dinghy. His huge shock of platinum hair and bright linen shirt tipped off guide Will, who shouted "Look it's Richard Branson!!!!" Just a few minutes later, his jet flew overhead.

Muskmelon Bay is a raw, wild place. Dramatic cliffs and unspoiled hillsides ring the blue-green bay that teems with fish. Our guests we blown away as we anchored here and jumped in for a 1.5 mile swim. Back on the yacht, I made juicy rum cocktails with no name, and we had a great pasta dinner prepared by Kerry, who is now on the Promenade with Bazza while Captain Chad is on business in St. Thomas. Its been great to hang with them.