Tuesday Cookies.
We woke to brilliant sunshine. A first this week. The sea was glassy and inviting. And still we had a lazy morning and slow start because we do what we want.
A note about Mallika, aka Mal, aka our awesome chef. You have heard us describe how difficult this job is: three meals plus happy hour hors'doeuvres every day, limited cold storage, one shopping day per week. Not to mention the heat and standing in nearly one spot ALL day every day. Mallika has been crushing this service, with well prepared, perfectly timed meals and snacks, a very tidy galley, zero stress and an abundance of chill and fun. Today she came out in some compression socks (my feet swell just watching her stand all day) and they were so adorable with kiwis on them. I commented and she said she has three different fruit socks, all a gift from her Mom. Thus, a photo series is born.
Splash time! We planned to swim south along the cliff faces, ducking into little bays along the way. We guides have been carrying waterproof radios in our buoys as an added safety measure this year so we can communicate with the boat. I arranged with Canyon that I would test out the range once we got around the corner. In Greece, Skipper Joao and I somehow got into the habit of testing radios with the words “cookies cookies cookies”. So I got around the corner and did “cookies cookies cookies” into the radio. He cookied me back. Excellent. Tracy optimistically asked, “Is he coming with cookies?” Sadly, not part of the plan. We swam on.
We entered a second bay with a tiny little black sand beach in the corner where I made a photograph of Tracy two years ago. We decided to recreate it. Fun. We did, and then Tracy, bold, creative woman that she is, asked if we could do a nude version. It’s just us girls, let’s do it! So off came her suit and we made a few very lovely photographs (not shown here). What we didn’t realize was that Tracy’s bather had washed away in the lapping waves. Suddenly I imagined having to make her swim back with nothing but her cookies….Oh dear. Just as I was considering fashioning a suit from the many palm fronds floating around, her suit washed up and we nabbed it. Phew.
I decided to test the radio again as we were further away. Pushed the button, “cookies cookies cookies”. Poor Canyon heard something, but he couldn’t tell what. In an abundance of caution, he zipped out in the dingy to check on us. We were totally fine, but it was very nice to be assured that our crew has our backs. Thanks, Canyon! Incidentally, he did not bring any cookies. Sad!
Tracy and I went a little further exploring nooks and crannies and getting tossed in one rock passage as a wave crashed over us. By the time we got back to the boat we had covered nearly two miles. We bobbed and chatted in the warm sea until we were fully brined, then climbed aboard.
A sail! We headed North to Chateaubelair, an absolutely lovely cove with low slung palm trees and black sand and great light and the whole thing just looks like a movie about being stranded on a deserted island.
A fantastic lunch appeared including perfectly cooked salmon with some kind of glaze and a fantastic pasta salad. Mal puts these little unexpected flavors in her dishes - cilantro in the poke bowl yesterday, jalapeno in the pasta salad today, paprika on the grilled tomatoes. Yums.
After a little rest, Tracy and I jumped in for a gorgeous snorkel along the palm fringed shores. More outstanding wildlife. The thing that really surprised me was how curious and calm the fish are here! Even species that are typically the most shy were nearly mugging for the camera today! Standouts were two wrasses I caught in a fierce mouth to mouth battle, three friendly Spotted Drums, a huge school of Powder Tang, a glowy Butterflyfish and a showy French Angelfish. After an hour and a half we made our way back to the boat where Canyon had set up the power lounger. We climbed aboard and enjoyed a beverage as the light got low and golden.
Hopper is here! Canyon set out to collect him at the jetty - I’ll let him tell you about his epic journey from Maine to Chateaubelair, but needless to say while Tracy and I have been enjoying our Sisterhood of the Traveling Bathers, we are happy to see Hopper’s (tired) mug.
Dinner was spectacular - mahi mahi with a pineapple salsa that had a great kick, creamy potatoes and glazed carrots. And can you guess what was for dessert?
Everyone is abed and I am not far behind. We have a fun packed day planned tomorrow so we all need our rest.
With a belly full of cookies, I wish you bonne nuit from our bateau in Chateaubelair, the greenest bay around.
Love,
Heather