Τρίτη = Tuesday, φώκια μοναχός = Monk Seal

Today's Greek Lesson:

φώκια μοναχός = fókia monachós = Monk Seal

It’s late and we did a lot today so I’ll try to be brief (I’ve tried this before with little to no luck). We pulled anchor early this morning and made our way to Fermekoula Island, which is also a sanctuary for the very rare, very endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus). It’s estimated that there are fewer than 700 individuals of this species left. We actually had an encounter in the water with one here in 2019 and I even managed to get a few photographs. That felt like a lightning strike I’d never likely experience again. But when we pulled up to Fermekoula’s rocky shores and saw three mammals moving around the surface, I got hopeful. 

One of 3 monk seals we saw swimming as we approached Fermekoula Island.

We briefed the gang about our plan to circumnavigate the island, and how rare a monk seal sighting is. We also discussed the rules - if we see a baby, we will quickly and quietly move away.

Scenes from our circumnavigation of Fermekoula Island, including Alina swimming a giant piece of styrofoam she found back to the boat. Sadly we find (and try to remove) trash even in places as remote as this.

A sea star adds a pop of red.

We jumped in and swam stealthily toward the rocks where we had seen the seals. Nothing. We moved on around the island, into one of many caves here. We could smell seal. We looked around for a few minutes and exited and then I saw it - a beautiful, sleek, silver mammal, twisting and moving swiftly pass. It looked right at me. I fumbled for my GoPro and it was gone. No photograph, but I saw it!! 

We continued on around this magnificent little island - caves and archways and so much texture to see. Just beautiful. The water gin clear. We got to another corner and Susan saw a large male emerge from a submarine cave about 15 feet below me. It looked up at us, hugged the wall and slipped out of sight. Here is the photograph of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I was taking when a monk seal swam right beneath me.

Still, we join the ranks of probably very few living humans on Earth who have ever seen one of these cool cats. Swim made, day made, trip made.

We continued around the island to where we started - about 1.5 miles in all. Hungry for a little more, Alina and I dragged Susan back to the rocks for a little more poking around. We finally climbed aboard having logged 2 hrs of water time. 

Cynthia is appropriately reading the Odyssey and can say she reached Ithaka before Odysseus did in her book.

A sail. We made our way to the Northeastern coast of Ithaki where we now sit in Marmagkas Bay. Lisa slaughtered us with an amazing lunch of spinach and feta pie (no that doesn’t even really describe its hot gooey amazingness) and tomato keftedes - I saw her grating tomatoes in the morning - a first for her and I’d never even heard of such a thing. But she grated them and drained them and turned them into these lightly fried yummy tomato cakes and well there aren’t any left so don’t ask.

Alina reviewed stroke videos with our swimmers, and in a rare and lovely turn, Richie and Lisa actually sat down and joined us for lunch!

Not much time for afternoon naps, but our swimmers got the job done before we jumped in here in the bay at about 330. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy or rare, just an awesome swimmy-swim in crystal clear blue water along a stunning coast line. We put our heads down and swam for 30 minutes out, gabbed a bit, turned around and came back. A really nice swim. I took a little time to synchro swim with Susan - this is when I match her stroke for stroke, side by side, and we make eye contact on every breath. I great way to connect and get from A to B together. 

Cocktail hour was very refined with Gin & Tonics garnished with real juniper berries that Lou Lou collected especially for us on her most recent visit to the UK. Very nice touch. We do special. For nibbles, she just fried up some feta in sesame seeds then drizzled honey all over them. I got to sample one first, and somehow got completely covered in honey. Shame.

Our guests hung out on the bow like old friends, sharing actual stories from their pasts - ask Kevin about his anaphylactic experience with a nurse tending to him in a Bulgarian hospital while her cigaret ash grew longer and longer as it hung from her mouth over him - and also inventing back stories for strangers they saw walking the steep dirt road on shore. 

The conversations continued over dinner (how much more amazing food talk can you take here?) which ended with The Cake - the Greek orange cake for which I liked the batter bowl yesterday. The night and day fermenting in syrup and pistachios did it good, I can tell you that much.

Everyone abed by 830. I warned them we will be in the water tomorrow morning by 0800 and they scurried right off to sleep. Either they are very tired, or just can’t wait for the morning’s swim. It will be lovely, I assure you.

So. Tuesday brings one of the most rare creatures on Earth to our swim, and every time we turned around something delectable to eat appeared. Can it get any better?

Bring it Wednesday.

Sweet monk seal dreams everyone. 

Efcharisto Greece,

Heather