The sun was up at 5:30 and to paraphrase Homer a, “rosy fingered dawn,” slowly spread over the sky. The great mountains of the Peloponnese rose majestically over the port bow as we sailed on a southerly course. There was only a hint of a breeze but nonetheless the sailors furled the sails. We were making about four knots. We had a leisurely morning and took breakfast late, but by 9 a.m. we were all ready for the next adventure.
Expedition leader Tom O’Brien had managed to arrange for us to visit a very seldom-visited island, the southern most of the Ionian Islands, the “Deer Island.” This beautiful place has one of the finest beaches in all of Greece. We were not disappointed. We arrived on shore–a wet landing–and the white sand blazed beneath our feet. The consensus was that none of us had ever seen such pristine and crystalline water. I swam out a good way in perhaps 20 feet of water and could clearly see the bottom. We swam for a full two-and-a-half hours. There were umbrellas on the beach and of course the Sea Cloud brought cold water and beer! They seem to anticipate our every need.
Lunch was scrumptious and we had the famous Sea Cloud pasta, prepared in a 100 kilo round of Reggio Parmegiano–fabulous. After lunch Tom Heffernan presented an overview of the history of the European Union and led a discussion into the implications of Brexit. The consensus seems to be that it is far too early to predict the manifold impact of this recent referendum. The implications for world trade are dire at this stage as the UK is the second largest economy in the European Union. Stay tuned.
After the talk we all boarded the Zodiacs and were able to circle the Sea Cloud under full sail. She is such a majestic ship. I never tire of seeing her with all the sails furled. The captain’s dinner was tonight and it is always a bittersweet time–as we came together as complete strangers and now leave as fast friends.
