St. Kitts-Nevis Channel Swim

Swim route in magenta; my actual swim in yellow

I woke up around 5:45 am and already felt woozy with anxiety for this swim. The water has not been that pretty lately, and if it weren't enough that locals were telling me I would drown, they also decided that if the water didn't get me then the sharks surely would. It's not a common thing to swim the 2.5 mile stretch between St. Kitts and Nevis! So my nerves leading up to this day were on edge of course.

We made it to Cockleshell beach around 7 am and didn't get on the boat carrying us to Nevis until nearly 8:30 or so. That boat ride was such a terrible idea. Doesn't make one who is already nervous feel any better going over the exact route that she is about to swim. The boat bounced in the waves and it seemed like it took forever to get to Nevis. I kept watching for the rocks that would denote the half way point, and once we passed I gasped at how far away Cockleshell looked at only halfway!!

Once we made it upon Nevis you could already see how bad the swell had been earlier in the week. Smelly sea grass was in piles along the normally calm and serene beach. I walked past all this and made my way to the register tent. I picked up my bright green swim cap marked with the number 60, had my leg branded with the same number, and made damn sure I got my blue bracelet that would give me access to my 20% off Margarita at the finish. I was set.

So we finally took off from Oualie beach some time after 9 am. I allowed the more "elite" swimmers to get set and ahead. I was doing this thing with a snorkel and fins. My hat goes off to those who did it without any props (good job Becky and Royston). Once I had my fins on and made my way past the murky muck of sea grass I was off. I kept the Brocks (fellow volunteers and snorkelers) within my sight until half way between the rocks and the point off of Oualie beach. The part where I ended up losing them was when the water started to clear up and I could see the bottom. I guess I was getting a little distracted with watching the sea floor and the little fishes that when I finally popped my head up I realized I couldn't find my buddies. There were still some swimmers in the vicinity, so I decided to keep going.

Through half the swim I was in my own little fantasy world, all set with a soundtrack as well! I was mesmerized by the way sunlight cascaded through the water in luminous streams and found the swaying sea fans nearly hypnotizing as I kicked on past. At one point I even caught a glimpse of a sea turtle rocking back and forth in the current. All of this to the song "A Long December". I don't know why this one, but it became the theme song of my swim:

And its been a long December and theres reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last. I cant remember all the times I tried to tell my myself to hold on to these moments as they pass... Its been so long since Ive seen the ocean...I guess I should

It was fun up until I realized that I somehow was too far to the right of our swim route and the waves were getting higher AND I did not have a single swimmer or kayaker near me!! It did occur in my mind that I could drown or get eaten by a shark and no one would know until they realized I never made it ashore. I contemplated waiting a while till I was sure the kayak I could see in the distance to the west could see me. Then I realized my predicament wasn't so bad because then, in between the troughs of the waves, I could catch glimpses of swimmers further off course than I was!! It was no use sitting and waiting for someone to catch up with me, we were just all too spread out. So for what seemed like the next hour or so I just kept battling the current and waves until I could make it to the point that protected Cockleshell beach from the cross current. Once I made it into that protective cove I was home free. I could see there were about 30 to 40 swimmers/snorekelers already on shore. In total there were 68 who set out, and except for a few, everyone made it in. All the PCVs did it in less than 2 hours, and after comparing stories it sounded like most people had veered off course at some point, some more so than others!! And for our accomplishment we got medals, but not just any medals... we got the "Nevis Olympic Triathlon - 2006" medals!! That was the icing on the cake!!! I might embellish a bit to my grandkids about how I competed in the 2006 Triathlon on Nevis... ha ha.

Nevis Nice

I had a sweet little vacation over on Nevis this last weekend. I had been a pathetic little volunteer that could boast no quality beach time for nearly 5 months. My tan was only localized to my arms and face, those parts of my body which are bombarded by the sun daily... even when just walking from here to there. So, I finally redeemed myself with some much needed r&r at Oualie beach on Saturday.

On Sunday it was up and at em at 8 am to get checked in for volunteering at the triathlon held on Nevis. My main reason for going over there. I wasn't competing, thank goodness, but was there to cheer on fellow SK volunteer Becky as she competed in her very first sprint triathlon. Nevis volunteer Kate and I worked at the elite event handing out water in the morning, then spent the afternoon cheering on Becky and taking pictures. By the end of the day I felt as if I were the one who competed!! My legs were so sore!! I must be getting old.

Some sights from the week

Above left: View from Brimstone Hill of the Dutch islands, Saba and St. Eustacius

Above right: The national bird of St. Kitts, the Brown Pelican











Above left: "Sheep in the graveyard, run run run!" The local hang out for the livestock

Above right: My stellar meal of braised turkey wing, salad, and boiled plantain. Made it all myself!!

















Above left: Springfield Cemetery church

Above right: Liz waits with me in the bus shelter for the rain to quit.

"Jack of all trades, master of none, though ofttimes better than master of one."

It's been an interesting last couple of weeks. I have been pretty busy with a handful of projects and other things, and now the Leatherback nesting season has begun. We haven't started on nightly beach monitoring yet, I think it might be another week or two away, which is just enough time for me to wrap up my work with Brimstone Hill.

The Brimstone Hill flora and fauna project I have been involved with started last September, and since it really is just Kate (works at B. Hill office) and myself, I can understand why it has taken this long! Our display of the various plants and animals you will encounter while at the Hill, can be found up at the Fort George Citadel museum. We've decorated shelves with specimens of plants and animals, and along the wall have cut out portrayals of the different birds, mammals, and reptiles. For more information on the flora and fauna of the Hill you need to look no further than the folder we created with photographs and details on the different species. It's been a long process to put it all together, but in the end has been a great educational experience for me. I have a pretty good grasp on a lot of the local vegetation and wildlife... maybe we could even say I have become one of the island experts on the natural environment? Ha ha, or at least the expert within my Peace Corps community!!

For the last month I have also been involved with the Nature Club at Maurice Hillier. We've been going over the different types of vertebrate animals, and I have been emphasizing the various island representatives of each class. For reptiles my friend Dr. Stewart from Ross University brought over some Red-Footed Tortoises that once used to inhabit the island (though they are originally from S. America). I've also brought in a toad and a bat for them. I wasn't sure how to bring a bird, but next we will go over fish, so I'll have to figure out what I can bring in for that!

Let's see... I've also been going up to the community center in my village a few times a week. Usually to give some extra helping hands with the Eagle Boys youth group, but also to help clean up and organize our neglected and forgotten library! My friend Liz has been trekking over from Cayon to come and help me on Tuesdays getting it all set up. We are hoping to get it opened up by the end of May or into the beginning of June. Definitely before we leave though!!

With any of my spare time during the week I help out at the St. Christopher Heritage Society Museum. They are setting up a new exhibit and I go in to help glue, cut, hang, and just entertain when I have some free time. They are hoping to have it finished by the 16th.

That pretty much sums up my "work" so far. Tonight will be a practice run for turtles. We are going to test out some new equipment for the beach and stay out only till about 1 am or so, and not the usual 5 am!! I'm not sure if I will be ready for that when it comes though!!