Friday Beaches.

Yannis came to pick us up at 0900 for our first beach adventure today. We’ve had a week of early starts and a long challenging day yesterday and I figured everyone could use just a bit of a lie in. My instincts were right, because at 820 most of the boat was still quiet.

We backed up our go bags with suits, goggles, caps and towels and headed for Kolios beach - another protected spot on this island of Skiathos. This gang is so game and I’ll love them for it forever.

It’s deceiving - these points of protection on the island. The water is calm and clear, the sun is shining, everything looks just ducky. But there’s a big wind and swell out of the Northeast and so it's hard to remember that just outside these western facing bays, things are a little different. Fortunately these four appreciate a good beach day, and that’s just what we are having.

Kolios beach was a little swankier than Megalia Ammos from yesterday, with a fancy beach club at the entrance but then just a quiet, calm beach that extends to rocky coast line on either side.

We headed out to the southern point of the beach, skimming effortlessly over beds of white sand and carpets of eel grasses. The water was so clear and beautiful, and warm enough that I ditched my little neoprene vest. Jane and I headed back early to keep an eye on our stuff on the beach chairs, which gave us an opportunity to just catch up on our lives and all manner of things. I love when I can steal time for one on one chats with people I really admire and enjoy. Meanwhile Simon led Kevin, Tara and Shane on a longer swim around the little point, where they saw schools of little fishes and Kevin saw a big fish (perhaps a tuna?!) and just more pretty scenery both above and below the waters surface. Simon got some nice photos for me. Thanks, Swigs!

Back to the boat for a yummy lunch and a rest before our next and final beach adventure. It’s nice to see a little more of Skiathos which I normally don’t get to do.

No rest for the water lovers! Our Afternoon beach was beautiful - Paralia Agia Eleni, another western facing beach offering protection from the strong Northeasterly winds and swell. Thank you for so many protected beaches, Skiathos! We pulled up six lounge chairs and fell into easy chatter. We debated a swim, the direction we’d go. Kevin felt satisfied with his morning mile and so he was quite happy on his lounger. The rest of us thought the rocks to the south looked promising, so we waded in for a swim. We swam maybe 200 yards and Tara popped her head up.

“Jellyfish”

Yup, one there, another there, two over there. We identified two different species - the Mediterranean Box Jelly and the mauve stinger. Not tons of them, but enough to make us think twice about continuing. The great thing about swimming at a beach is that you can get out and walk at any time. And that’s exactly what we did.

Sometimes the sea tells you when you’re done. The beauty of open water swimming is that it keeps you present and pulls you outside of yourself. At our best, we understand that we are not in charge. Our small concerns are a distraction from the bigger picture - that we are just a very small part of something much, much bigger. And sometimes it’s not our goals or plans that matter. Sometimes it’s best to just listen, be grateful for what we have, and enjoy the lounge chair.

I am eternally grateful to the people who have made these two weeks so full and fantastic. I’m grateful to Hopper for dreaming up this crazy idea and letting me run with it so freely. I’m grateful to Richie and Lisa who’ve taught me so much about boating and service and the places we have gone together. I’m grateful to Jason for stepping up and stepping out into a new sea and always putting the boat and us first. I’m grateful to Jemima who was a spectacular chef and hostess and will definitely work with us again. I’m grateful to Simon for all of the heart and soul he has put into our Greek adventures, and for how much he loves caves. I’m especially grateful to the swimmers who have faith in us to bring them to where their courage and spirit meet the water. Miriam, Celine, Samantha, Kendra, Kevin, Jane, Tara and Shane, you have no idea how much you have made my time in the water special.

I’m grateful to Greece for its wonderful waters and caves, and for letting us play for a while.

I’m headed to Turkiye to guide another group of swimmers along with Hopper and Zack. More Mediterranean time for me.

Lucky Mermaid.

Efcharisto, Greece. See you next year.

Love,

Heather