New Gear and Packing Up

I’m not sure anymore how many BVI trips we’ve swum. Maybe 14? This Sunday at noon we begin our next one. Heather, Will, and I are guiding. We have 4 repeat guests and 3 new guests. Chad is Captaining Yacht Promenade, and Kerry and Bazza will be bombing around in their boat Buoy Boy and spending time with us, too. Sometimes new ideas and events surrounding our open water swimming vacations lead to more gear. Here’s a list of some of the gear we’re bringing on this trip:

• 10 Waterproof flashing lights that attach to goggle straps (for night swims) • 5 neon green caps with logo • 10 orange caps with logo • 1 flag that says SWIMMERS on it with a folding pole • 5 bottles of sunblock • 2 laptop computers • 3 whistles with lanyards • 10 SaferSwimmer buoys

Our pro photog Heather is doing some work for the swim gear company FINIS on this trip, so we also have some gear from them, including swim fins, swim snorkels, and suits. Add Heather’s photo equipment plus a few suits and goggles, and we’ve got a heavy load this trip.

Our flight from Boston to Puerto Rico is going to feel rather short compared to my last flight to Hawaii, and even shorter to Heather, who recently returned from Tokyo, where she was on assignment for National Geographic on a gig for the Sony Corporation.

I can’t wait to get on that boat, sail to some little island, and jump off with this group of guests. Follow us here this week, it’s sure to be entertaining. Maybe we’ll even make you want to go for a swim.

- Hopper.