After a few days of challenging weather, thunderstorms, clouds, and winds, today was certainly the calm after the storm. At dawn Sea Cloud approached the town of Neaopolis, at the very southern tip of the Peloponnesus peninsula. The sun rose of the local hills to our north, and the sea was flat calm.
As with many ports in Greece, it took us over an hour to clear in for permission to go anchor off our morning destination of Elafonisos Island. Once done with the formalities, it was a short 30-minute trip to the anchorage. By 9:30 eager guests were queued up in their bathing suits, ready to hit the beach.
Elafonisos is a stunning half-moon beach, with crystal clear water and fine sand. After stepping out of the Zodiac, the crew was there with fresh towels and champagne mimosas! Nearby, chaise lounges with “palapa” style umbrellas await, but for most the warm Ionian waters are too hard to resist. What a spectacular way to spend our last morning.
At 12:30pm, it’s time to head back to the ship for lunch, and our head Chef Maik has prepared one of his signature dishes: a “pasta wheel”—spaghetti prepared in a giant hollowed out wheel of parmesan cheese.
While the hotel staff was busy clearing the buffet, the crew “hit the rig” to set the sails. A nice westerly breeze would push us towards the Aegean Sea and our final destination of Piraeus. A few large ships pass us, but we are content to enjoy the afternoon at a more leisurely pace.
Tonight, we raise a glass and toast the voyage at the Captain’s Farewell Party. Captain Komakin reminds us that we are now part of the Sea Cloud family, and surely that means we will return someday, to sail again under clouds of while sails.
