Tuesday points of view.
Jason captured this beautiful panorama of our end of Skopelos at dawn this morning.
The weather apps had said there might be a little more wind this week than last, and we felt it yesterday. But this morning, the Mediterranean looked like a lake. A clear, calm lake. Great news, as we planned a live drop at Dragon’s Toes (our name) to swim-splore our way north east along the shore of Skopelos. Last week along this route we found a cave and a room with a mysterious swim through to nowhere. Simon and I were itching for another look.
A colorful, delicious breakfast set us up nicely for a two hour meander along the coast of Skopelos.
Jason’s drone is giving us birds’ eye views of the places we swim. Spectacular.
Dragon’s Toes Cove was beautiful (thank you, Simon for your extra special Monk Seal imsealination) and the cave was idyllic as always. The room with the mysterious swim through baited Simon and I even more, with calm, clear waters. We made several spy-dives, and Jason even flew his drone to try to see what was on the other side. We got closer to trying, but in the end decided it was better no to undertake a risky unknown with our guests watching and needing their guides for the rest of the swim! A grown-up decision, albeit the hard one.
Simon climbed a wall on the other side and noted the swim-through empties into a serene lagoon. Egress should not be a problem. Drone footage confirmed this! Next year, we go.
We continued on around point after point, and dove to rock bowls below and navigated the rock labyrinth at the surface. Tara spotted a spotted moray! So rare that we see eels here! You can see it on our video below. Then she saw another one later on the swim but no one was around to substantiate it….I believe you Tara! Our exploration concluded with Stafilos Cave, a real crown pleaser. Everyone swam right into its colorful halls and apse-like rooms and exited out through the crack - the same one that Kendra couldn’t quit last week.
Swimming back to the boat, I picked up a large styrofoam tray to dispose of - hopefully somewhere it won’t end up right back in the ocean. We climbed aboard after two hours of water time. Spectacular.
Lunch was a triumph - Jemima’s prawn, mango and avocado salad, complete with mango rose on top. Artful, nutritious, delicious. Nothing left, I’m afraid, photo will have to do.
Everyone is resting now. We will have a shorter, fun explore this afternoon. My team and I just mapped out the rest of our week with pending weather conditions - hoping our swimmers are game to get in some of our favorite spots with just a touch of bounce.
Right so 330 came fast and splash x 6 and we were in at Stafilos Bay. We made a bee line for the little islet in the middle of the bay. This has a large crack down the center of it and some opted to swim through. The rest of us were put off by a little swell and swam around. We have nothing to prove out here!
Then to a new section of the bay we had spied from the boat on our way past…a large crack in the wall. Kevin has been itching to have a feature named after him so we called it Kevin’s Crack. Yes, jokes ensued, mostly led by Kevin himself. We marveled at the cliff walls, the trees above - those that had fallen and the remarkable ones growing in soil it seems they create themselves. Beautiful. Around the bend to Kendra’s Cottage (see last week's blog if you’d like to sublet!), and on and on through the varied incredible features of this bay. We played a little in the Cave That Barfs Rainbows (our name, sadly no barfing today!) and finished by the beach club not far from the boat. Kevin, Jane and Shane sprinted to shore for a little walking and sand between their toes, and Kevin even managed a beer by paying with his apple watch!
How about some snacks and cocktails on the bow? Jemima fried up some little fishes (smelts, but that doesn’t sound as lovely as they were) and they went like hot cakes. Simon whipped up some GnTs, and everyone settled into easy conversation. Suddenly, Tara squealed and pointed - Dolphins! Just a pod of them swimming by in the bay. We nearly jumped in fully clothed, but knew they’d only laugh at us from afar.
Dinner was a fantastic vegetarian affair, with grilled aubergine, roasted potatoes and super salad of broccoli, lentils, nuts and all sorts of healthy yums, all tossed in the perfect dressing. After dinner, as the sky got soft and pink, Tara alerted again - a monk seal! Bobbing around close to the boat! Mediterranean monk seals are critically endangered, and with fewer than 1000 left on the planet, it’s a miracle to see one. I wasn’t quick enough on the button for a pic, but we all stared into the dim hoping for another appearance as we ate our dessert of Greek almond honey cake and ice cream. Shots of Metaxa came out, and we all clinked little glasses and cheered to all the things. In particular I cheer for Tara today for being wildlife spotter of the trip. Opah!
Tonight for a skinny night lap around the boat I had plenty of company, with Jane, Shane and Tara joining in. We kicked our feet and waved our hands under the water and made millions of little stars light up to blend in with the Milky Way above. And of course, Tara saw a shooting star.
Stars abound tonight, in the water and above, and certainly on this little boat home of ours.
Kali Nikta,
Heather