bvi captains log blog

SwimVacation
Summer Newsletter 2009


Hi fellow swimmers.

What will you discover on your SwimVacation? A secluded island cay? A better crawl stroke? A baby sea turtle? Our clients have discovered all of these things and more while swimming and playing in the crystal clear waters of the British Virgin Islands.

Our all-inclusive 7-day open water swimming adventures aboard a 65 foot trimaran sailing yacht are the perfect way to get in touch with your adventurous side. Experience swimming as it should be; warm, safe water, beautiful scenery, and a big soft towel waiting for you back on the yacht.

SwimVacation hosts swimmers with a very wide array of abilities. Our motto (one of them) is "your distance at your pace". Join us on an upcoming trip; we can't wait to swim with you.


NEXT TRIP: NOVEMBER 8-14, 2009

Early November is a great time to visit paradise; uncrowded airports, sunny days, and warm breezy nights are typical. Our trips are limited to about 9 guests, and they fill up fast! Don't miss out - make your reservation today and get ready for an amazing aquatic adventure.

Guest rooms are available for singles, couples, and friends.
THE YACHT PROMENADE


One of the things that makes SwimVacation so special is the fact that we live right on the water for the whole week. This gives us the flexibility to find the best swimming conditions every day. The vessel that makes it all possible is the Promenade, as 65 foot long, 35 foot wide trimaran sailing yacht. The three hulls allow for a very smooth, stable sailing experience. The roomy cockpit has a permanent shade awning where we take our meals and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the islands. The staterooms are spacious and well-appointed, and fully air conditioned when needed. There is plenty of deck space for stretching out, and the trampoline is a favorite spot for napping or watching the blue waters beneath go by.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING

"My experience with SwimVacation onboard the Promenade in December 2008 was FANTASTIC! It was the perfect break from the months of swimming with that black line on the pool bottom staring me in the face...The food was great, the sailing was thrilling, and the staff and other swimmers were the BEST...Now that I'm home and back in the pool, I know I'm swimming more efficiently as a result of the underwater video taping and stroke analysis session...One of my workout buddies asked me the other day if I would go on that BVI swim trip again. Without hesitation I answered, 'Yes I would!'" Linda C. Georgetown, TX

Feel free to contact us with any questions at (207) 975-5489 or SwimVacation@me.com, visit our web site at Swim Vacation
Let's go swimming!

Sincerely,
Hopper McDonough

The BVI Tourism Board and the BVI SCUBA Operators were hosting various SCUBA writers and photographers from around the world here this past week. Some were freelance, some were not. They spent the entire week in the BVI diving our sites, staying in our hotels and getting a feel for our beautiful island. Although they attempted to get around and dive with everyone, we were on charter this past week.

Abi O'Neal, who is Director of Watersports Marketing at the Tourism Board (I am sure I am paraphrasing your title Abi! Sorry!!) did a great job of hustling all her little "chickens" around as she called them. I was especially pleased that she took the extra time to ensure that those who could not visit with these journalists during the week, had a venue last night where we could come and show off our wares. This was held at "Ginnys" in the new Moorings Expansion. A lovely spot it is too. There were actual honest to god FLUSH toilets (modern ones) with NO waste basket beside them to throw your toilet paper into!! That was pretty impressiveI thought..No sign on the door either telling you not to put paper in the toilet...
Anyways, I digress, you can tell that i have lived on an island for too long!
One of the main purposes of this event was to start promoting WRECK WEEK 2010 which will be held June 12th through 19th, 2010! Now that is exciting!

I made the Director of Tourism, and Abi stand still for a billionth picture of the week!

When I arrived everyone was busy setting up their little tables, although most have had an opportunity to visit already this week........

My little spot for Promenade looks pretty bare, but considering I managed to do all my appetizer and dinner prep work at lighting speed on Friday so I could make if from Salt Island INTO Roadtown at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon for this, I did ok. My guests will be glad to know that I did manage to put on a Promenade Tshirt!

Jim Scheiner of Rainbow Visions was showing some of his beautiful photography that he mounts on canvas...

Mike Rowe of Sail Caribbean Divers is looking very professional here at his space...

Muffy from Blue Water Divers...

Colin from Jost Van Dyke SCUBA, talking to the "tall fellow", John Bantin the Technical Editor for DIVER magazine out of the UK...

The beautiful buffet set up in Ginnys.

Did you know that Ginny's has an ice cream bar in it? Well, neither did I! Although it appears that Abi knew exactly where it was!! She deserves it after a week of taking divers around the BVI!

Jim Scheiner is doing some beautiful panoramic photography which he displayed. Here is one he did of the saloon on Cuan Law, calling it the "SpaceSHIP Cuan Law!" Very nice...

I could not convince Mark from Peter Island Divers to stand at his table, so I just took a picture of the table!

I seem to have misplaced this nice young gentlemans card. He is based out of Puerto Rico and works with the BVI Tourist Board as well as writing travel articles for Puerto Rico's largest newspaper. He covers the BVI extensively as we all know that the Puerto Ricans LOVE the BVI!! We also found a shared love of COSTCO in Puerto Rico. Sigh...

Here are all the writers and photographers coming in, I believe they were stolen from Charley"s Bar!


I felt a lot of enthusiasm from everyone, and even with just that short time, I was glad I had made it over. I am sure all who dove with them this week have many photo's and stories, which hopefully we will hear about!

Our group included an Editor who wrote for a group of Magazines in Germany, A photo editor from Argentina, A photo Coordinator for a travel group in Mexico, Contributing Editors to Dive Training magazine, and a Canadian that I would not let get away until we talked and bonded over "ehs" Rob is an Executive Producer for Dive Zero in Kelowna BC and not having lived in Canada for awhile, I promised him that I would go on the website and see what it was all about! I believe they do many web TV channels on SCUBA and travel, but our internet is never fast enough on the boat to do too much of those things. COnsidering it has been off for the past 18 hours.....

It was also nice to run into Mauricio Handler, (great photographer and friend) who is coming over for dinner in a couple weeks (you hear that people! I have a few days OFF and I am voluntarily going to be COOKING DINNER for friends!!!! GO figure!)

I quickly scurried back to East End to drop off the car, the dinghy picked me up, took me out to Beef Bluff and I managed to get dinner on the table right on time and then make discs of pictures for the guests to take home!

CCT Internet has been down since Last night, I am huddling in the car stealing someone's connection to upload this!

What can I say? When Brent dresses up to go to Willy T's he really gets dressed up! Look pretty dapper there (Is that the word I am looking for? Perhaps not...)

Most went over to Willy T's for a drink, although there were not many hanging around. Not that our group needs any help to party!

We have these two birds that are obviously land birds that we think are or have made a nest up "somewhere" on our masts! They have been with us for about 5 days now. All the time. They make nice chirping noises! I don't know what kind they are, have to get a better picture!



We made our way up to Roadtown for a stop to get some diesel and then over to Salt Island to dive the Rhone. There were quite a few boats and it was a bit swelly with the wind from the southeast. We decided then to make our way over to Beef Bluff for the afternoon. Meredith and ALicia took the tourist picture...

We managed to get the gang together (under protest) to take a few pictures that Joann wanted of the group...





Everyone just lazed around and enjoyed their last afternoon on the boat. I had to go to town for a Tourist Board and BVISO (BVI SCUBA Organization) event, which of course I took pictures of and will put up next entry!



You all have been wonderful hosts. We love Promenade and its toys. I want to especially thank the boys for putting up with my "kids" Brent was a "hoot" during evening to morning drinking games. Simeon and I spent a lot of AM's together, since we were first up. Diving was great. Kerry your cooking was wonderful , now I have to lose an extra 15 lbs. Finally Baz, better luck fishing next charter! MICHAEL, ORLANDO

I'd like to thank you for the most relaxing , fun and adventurous vacation of my life. In one week, I saw the Caribbean for the first time, and ate more delicious food in a seven day period then ever before. I really appreciate brent's and Simeon's wake boarding teaching techniques. Brent was encouraging enough to stick with me until i got up and SImeon's blunt question (What the F*** was that? as opposed to Brent's encouraging manner!. Editorial note) had me up the next time. The trip was perfect and every member of the crew was great. DO Less. HUNTER

Thank you for a wonderful time. The food was great. The service was great. It was so much fun to be on the boat for the last week. Thanks for Everything, Jo ANN, ORLANDO,

What a wonderful adventure. Everything was amazing. This was such a relaxing time. I just wish it did not fly by so quickly. Thank you for everything, all of you do to make this vacation so perfect. Happy Sailing. KATIE

Thank you for such a great time! I loved the private locations we were able to see. The food, entertainment, drinking games, etc. will be in my memories forever. ALICIA, KISSIMMEE

Thank you for the experience, fishing, diving, snorkeling and the best dinghy safari ever! SAMMY, KISSIMMEE

Thank you all so much for such a wonderful vacation. I had such an amazing time. While I am going to try to forget some of Brent's drinking games, this was without a doubt one of our families most unforgettable vacations. Thanks again. MEREDITH

From the moment I kissed Brent's cheek, I knew that this trip would be special. Kerry, your breakfast burrito's were magical. Simeon, thanks for the scowls and early nights. I think I'll miss you the most. Have a safe trip wherever you may travel. Bazza, thanks for keeping Sammy busy fishing, Brent, I owe you a pirate challenge stop. BRYAN, BOSTON

On another note, the 3rd of July is Fishermans Day here, for those who are around and interested

Funny when the guests and SOME (pious aren't I, for no good reason!) of the crew stay up playing shot games until 3-4 in the morning, how much of a lazy day we have the next day! Today was one of those days...I came out about 830 to cook breakfast and there were only 2 people looking at me!
Our guests from next week sent me this picture. I think they are hoping that we do not do something like this!

Last night the famous Sail Cake came out...

Mike did an awesome job of putting together this entire charter for his family and they are all appreciative.

We sailed from West End to the Caves, did a bit of Wakeboarding, and I think that everyone mostly slept all day and read their book other then that!
I thought this was a very lonely picture of Bazza sitting out on the back deck tonight fishing all by himself...

I wonder why this crew member was so tired this afternoon????

Everyone showered and showed up at the table for cocktail hour. They all even managed to drink something other then water! They like appetizers and they usually go through about two large plates of various items.

A relaxation pose if I have ever seen one!

Dinner was fairly early tonight, and most of our guests are going out to Willy T's tonight. We will see how that goes after last night! I am sure they will have fun!!!!


We have not had new pictures of our granddaughter Ella lately, but here she is looking cute as a button!



Tomorrow is diving the wreck of the Rhone, so looking forward to that.

One final thought here for the day. The BVI Tourist Board has put together a programne targeting local residents, in the summer months here, helping pick up business. You do have to be local to take advantage of these, but there are some very good deals... you can read about them here at this PDF Link.

I understand there was a Boston Whaler accident last night up at Biras Creek. Two people traveling to Gun Creek and one stepped away from the throttle and they were thrown out, Unfortunately, a young man died. I don't know any other details.
The wind has shifted and we had a great sail down to Jost Van Dyke from Guana Island this morning. I spent the time in the galley doing prep work, and apparently we were hitting 11 knots sailing down here!
White Bay was as pretty as ever and the guests spent a few hours in at the various bars...

Before we pulled up anchor and went around to Great Harbour for some shopping. As you can see, Great Harbour is nice and empty. The closed we have anchored here in a long long time!

Love the Pelican!

It was time then for another sail down to West End on Tortola for a bit of shopping for food and cocktail hour (margaritas and ANOTHER round of conch fritters! They like them!)

Our guests, since they had started drinking that morning at the Soggy Dollar Bar, just decided to keep up the fun and it was time for the shot game...Of course, only if everyone played!

We had a fun time, and even had a couple trick shots...



Poor Sammi was the winner, or loser, however you want to call it, with having to swallow about 6 shots tonight at least, everything from Jager to Bacardi 151 (he did not like that one here!!!)

Surprise though, I won the game!!! All 22.00$ of it and I only had to drink two creme de banane shots! THis was good as I still have to make dinner, which was steak and mashed potatoes tonight!

THe guys are fishing, looking for Tarpon, and I can only guess what the rest are up to. I love this picture of the three young ladies, lined up watching the two boys anchor. Of course, they may have been telling them how to anchor which would be about right in the female/male world!

I just about wrote that we were up early and on our way out to the Chikuzen to dive. That would be a lie! We were not up early, we were up at the normal time, threw up the spinnaker and made our way out to the Chikuzen. I was anticipating a great dive, as I could see the wreck from the surface.. There were some funky currents though and both Simeon and I zigged and zagged a bit looking for it!
Good visibility though!

One of those dives were everyone was pointing at something special, and mostly that is what i have pictures of...people pointing! Here Brian is pointing at two eagle rays that were circling at the surface...

And here they are....

Wandering down the wreck....



Hunter pointing at "something"

Alicia and Sammi pointing at "something"

and finally I found it! It was a goliath Grouper, the smaller of the two! He is more skittish then the larger one is and quickly ducked away. Still amazing to see!

The barracuda were hanging straight up and down on the lee side of the wreck to be cleaned I imagine....

And we also saw the Cobia...

A good dive on the wreck even though we always seemed to be kicking into the current no matter which way we went...Sammi put it best, wherever the Eddy was, well, we were not in it!

Watching our resort diver on the top of the wreck...We have now ruined him for any normal diving!

Sammi in silhouette coming back up to the boat.

It was a sail into Muskmelon Bay on Guana Island for a bit of a lazy afternoon then, some hung out, some snorkeled, Sammi caught an octopus on his fishing line and Brent took too long bringing the net over I understand!
Sunset came around as it always does...

The boys went looking for some live bait for fishing...

Seafood Scampi was served for dinner...



We had a trivia game at cocktail hour so the pirate tattoo's came out....

And they finally landed a decent sized fish tonight, a Tarpon...



Had a bit more of a breeze this afternoon, which was very welcome after the hot sticky days we have had. You know what happens right after blogging though, I go to bed! Good night!