Oh, I can nearly guarantee that children would be better swimmers than I. They seem to have a natural affinity for it.
Yes. There was once where our ship caught fire mid-sea, and most of the crew perished. But it was a dragon transport ship, and the dragons with us were able to find another ship to land on after several days aloft. It was a near thing, and were it not for the dragons, there'd have been no hope at all.