Friday finale and new friends like family.

Ante woke up at 0400 and grabbed my camera for this beautiful sunrise photograph. Thank you, Ante!

We just had to get in one more cliff swim before leaving Kornati National Park, and luckily Lavsa Island was only a 5-minute sail from the mooring ball where we had spent the night. We did a “live drop”, where the boat’s engines are running in neutral and it is not anchored, and we all jump quickly off one side of the stern or the other, depending on the wind. We’ve gotten pretty good at it. The water this morning was glassy calm, the air hot, the water just the right temp to keep you cool during a swim, around 74 degrees. It’s been climbing during this heat wave. 

The cliffs above us provided some jumping opportunities for Finn, and some spectacular viewing for the rest of us as we swam south. Chef Matea and Captain Ante took turns driving the boat and jumping into the water for a few freedives, which they excel at. Matea puts fresh fruit out for us after every swim, it gets the salt out of your mouth and revives you a little after a long soak in the sun. 

We motor south, back toward Šibenik. Matea tells Ante of a little bay on Kaprije island that would make for a great last anchorage. The water here is gin-clear, and the white sand bottom makes the whole scene a vibrant turquoise.

Heather took some of her famous swimmer portraits, and we generally splashed around and tried to slow the time down, not wanting to leave this place.

Thank you, Myssie, for always offering to get a few photographs with me in them. In this case, great ones with me and Finn and me and Hopper! XO - HP

Alas, we are on a schedule today, our last day out in the islands, and we head to the fuel dock and then back past Fort St. Nicholas, through the channel that has both protected and brought wealth to Šibenik, past the German boat tunnels from WW2, and to our berth in the marina. I mix some cocktails and play some music. We eat truffle pasta. Heather plays her slideshow on a sheet we hang in the galley. I stayed up late with some of the guests, not wanting any of this to end. 

We didn’t know Ante and Matea before this trip. The team members we found in them are consummate professionals. Matea is smart, hard working, creative, and exudes capability. Ante is kind, thoughtful, funny, light, and still serious about his work. They’ve joined the SwimVacation family and I can’t wait for you to meet them on a future trip. 

I need to acknowledge our dear friends Richie and Lisa again before I sign off. You two can never really be replaced. 

Perhaps the biggest thrill for me during my 3-week stay was to watch my son Gaffney and Heather’s son Finn become guides. They were in diapers when we started this business, and now they are confident young men, and I hope this experience has enriched them as much as it has me. 

I don’t love endings, so I’m going to pass this on to Heather to wrap up and thank the countless people without whom we couldn’t have made our Croatian adventure possible. Hvala!

Hopper

PS from Heather: 

It’s trixie business to feel so many things at once. To feel something missing and feel close to whole again.

Ante and Matea, we cannot thank you enough for the time you’ve shared with us these last two weeks. You have laughed with us and gotten this good, hard work done with us. We’ve enjoyed our newfound connection and have loved learning about your home. We will work hard to come back, and will keep in close touch until then. I’m so grateful to have you join our family.

Richie and Lou Lou, we have had the courage to explore new places because of the confidence your skills and support have given us. From our earliest days in the British Virgin Islands, on to Greece, Seychelles and here in Croatia - we would not have brought our swimmers to these stunning shores without you and your willingness to help us grow. We miss you and feel you with us on every trip. My heart and our little company have room for lots of family, but you will always be at the center of both.

Gaffney and Finn, what a moving thrill to watch you do this thing I love so much with us, while remembering the days when you were barely able to swim. Our dreams may not be yours, but it sure has been amazing to introduce you to people so dear to us, and to pull you into our passion for swimming the world.

Many many thanks to Nicole and Zvonimira at Mare Yachting. We have chartered with many companies around the world, and we have never had a boat in such tip top shape as our lovely Forever Young Lagoon 46 these two weeks. Nicole has been accommodating since we first reached out to her over a year ago, and our time on their yacht was smooth sailing. Everywhere we go, we find people on the ground who are quietly essential to what we do. These people are usually dock workers and drivers with vans. On this trip we found drivers Toni and Vedran, reliable and irreplaceable. Vedran (and his Dad!), like so many other important ground support people we have loved, was willing to take us at our word, answer every text and call, pick us up and drive us, our gear and so many boxes of groceries around through three weekends, and run a tab for us to settle up before we leave. We could not do what we do without this kind of support. Vedran, Hvala!

To our guests these last two weeks, we can’t thank you enough for believing in us, following us to the ends of the Earth, and gamely jumping into fantastic new waters with us. YOU make what we do worth it, every day.

Croatia, I knew you’d give us something special, but I didn’t expect to fall in love. Hoping beyond hope to return. Hvala.

Love,

Heather