I am writing you from St Vincent in the West Indies. You haven't heard from me lately because this is only the second day in almost a week that I have access to the internet. I have been very busy swimming, sunning, hiking, and visiting. Here is how that came about:
I have a good friend: Ivan Oliver, who charters a beautiful sailboat, The Windsong II, onThe Island of St. Vincent in the West Indies.
This summer, I invited two other women: Becky and Candice,, and told Ivan I was on my way.
To begin our adventure Becky flew from California to Phoenix and the following day all three of us boarded a plane first to Miami, then to Barbados, and finally, on the First of May we landed in St. Vincent. Captain Oliver met us at the airport, drove us to our hotel and we found ourselves at the beautiful Beachcombers' Hotel in Villa, St. Vincent.
We spent a few days enjoying Beachcombers then we were off to Captain Oliver's wonderful Windsong sailboat. Here it is at the dock in st. Vincent:
Then off we sailed... Maybe two hours sailing south to the island of Bequia. Ivan stopped the boat, dropped the mainsail, and lifted a mooring line from the water. We had begun our first night at sea. To christen our landing, I dove in. You can't believe how beautiful this water is.
First, it is so clear and clean you can hardly tell where the sky ends and the water begins. It is hard to tell whether you are looking at a sandy bottom fifteen or fifty feet below.
Second, the temperature of the water is perfect. I love swimming in the Pacific, but unless it is late late August, you are a Popsicle before you hardly get wet. The flip side is true in the Florida waters: so warm you feel like you are bathing in a spa. But the beautiful West Indies? You dive into an ocean that is perfection. A bit cooler than your skin-- just enough to be completely refreshing.
Finally, in the lea of the islands where we nightly moored, the water is calm. Not still. Calm. With just enough gentle movement to make you feel like you are being rocked to sleep in your mother's arms. It is calm enough that swimming is an even greater pleasure.
Look at that turquoise water! The secret to the Turquoise is pristine sand beneath the Clean West Indies Sea.
Above is Mayreau Island. Tinker Bell never flew over a more beautiful Carribbean scene. This is the best.
We spent five beautiful days on the Windsong with Ivan. It seemed he missed nothing: No matter where we swam or walked or buzzed around in his dingy, he spotted us, and he knew if we needed a ride from shore, a pickup from too much swimming, or a bit of privacy. Perfect.