He's a runner not a swimmer, but if we get too close to any waterfowl such as swans (or another boat with a dog) he just might jump out of the dinghy and start swimming. Link below shows Nike in action, running. He usually catches what he chases. He even catches low flying birds out of the air, from behind!

This is a common position for him below deck. He's pretty low maintenance when he's comfortable. In his world that means he's not chasing/catching something, hungry or cold, or uncomfortable. That's the other thing I forgot to mention above -- a whippet will always find the most comfortable spot to settle down in. They don't have their own padding so they need to seek it out. We've had 3 whippets and this is definitely a breed trait.