Sunday = Κυριακή, Reset = επαναφορά

Today’s Greek Lesson:

Reset = epanaforá = επαναφορά

As Jane left yesterday, I mentioned to her that one of the tricky things about doing two weeks in a row is that I always feel a little duplicitous. Having connected with one group - writing about and photographing them and their experiences in the sea, it feels a little trixie to move on to another group and their experience so quickly. But the truth is, if you know me, you know I actually have a big enough heart for all of our swimmers, all of the time. 

I know, I know, that sounds sappy and pathetic to many of you. Maybe even all of you. Go ahead. Roll your eyes. You’ll get it someday when you come swim with us.

So we sent our gang off yesterday and set right to business preparing for this week’s gang. Richie and Lou Lou hit the shops to reprovision - a task still challenging but made significantly easier by Lisa’s excellent preemptive provisioning last week. Alina and I went in search of a new coffee maker, more sun block and getting our crew laundry done. 

Πλυντήριο = laundry

Getting the laundry done in Lefkada involves an interaction, not quite a confrontation, a dance of sorts, with a little (smaller than me) old (old) Greek lady at the marina laundry. I’ve had to do this dance with her the last two times we were here, so I knew to take a big breath and put on a big smile and make my voice a few octaves higher. Note: I am not a confrontational person. I can if I must, but ultimately I’d rather play nice or play dead to avoid confrontation. The funny thing about little Greek laundry lady is that when you show up, she looks at you incredulously, like, “Are you seriously bringing me all of your sh*t to wash??” and kind of spits Greek phrases at you which sound like curses or hexes. I smile a lot, I say parakalor (please) and efcharisto (thank you) alot. She writes down how much it will cost and when to pick it up on a piece of paper and throws it at me. I dropped off four machines worth (they’re small) of clothes for the 4 of us. When I came to pick it up, she was kicked back in her chair, puffing on her vape, full of self satisfaction. With an almost cocky grin she waves her hand toward our pile of clean laundry - now folded and compressed into two, tiny, plastic wrapped packets with a density of osmium (google it). One could actually pack these parcels of clothes for 4 into a single grocery bag. It’s a miracle. A wonder.

Anyway, we were mostly done with all of our chores and erranding by 1, Lisa put all of her provisions away and we were off to lunch by 2. By 3:30 we were all horizontal which is how we spent the rest of the afternoon until our lovely dinner of small plates (lamb chops for lou lou) in town. Even with a lighter day I still managed over 14000 steps. Down for the night by 10, out like a light.  

This morning the boat is reset and we are mostly reset and in two hours we will pick up our guests for the week. Alison and Ken have swum with us many times before, and they are bringing 3 of their swimming pals, so it’s a group of 5 already-friends plus Alina’s sister, Elia. With so many connections already in the can and my clean underpants folded into teeny tiny little ninja stars, we are heading into week 2 in good shape.

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Our first stop was full of umbrellas set up for a tourist boat. By the time we got back from our swim, the circus was gone.

Our 6 new guests came confidently down the dock led by Alison who ran to me as I ran to her. She picked me up and swung me around as is our custom. This is the 8th SwimVacation for Alison and Ken. They know us, they know SwimVacation. Alison is in a million billion photos on our website because she is always doing something interesting underwater that I want to photograph. Ken just finished a 750 mile solo race from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska in a Ken-powered rowing scull that he designed and built himself. It took him 15 days. Amazing.

We love Alison and Ken. So how could I not instantly fall in love with their swim pals? With us this week is Andrew who is an open water swimming headliner. He’s completed notable swims such as the Strait of Gibraltar, Swim Around Manhattan, and all 6 stages of the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim to name a few. He also has a dry and quick wit that threw us all for a loop when he said “Please tell me there is no feta on board”. Lou Lou looked like she might pass out, but Andrew quickly reassured her that he could eat nothing BUT feta and be perfectly content. Phew, because this is going to be a heavy cheese week.

Erika is married to Andrew and in addition to being a web designer, she is an artist who does photo realistic drawings and paper sculptures of food. Yes, food! She can also hold her breath long enough for Andrew to stack small, smooth rocks in a cairn on her back as she floats in the Mediterranean (see photo below).

Melissa is an architect working on several exciting large residential house projects right now, including a renovation to her own home. But most interesting is her inordinately high standard for chocolate. She is particular about quality and won’t eat anything lighter than 85% (I’m with you, sister), and makes her own chocolate covered caramels at the holidays, sent with hand drawn cards (really hoping I make the friend list this year).

Elia is Alina’s younger sister, and their mom is thrilled to have two of her girls out at sea together. Lou Lou says she can’t tell their voices apart which is a little trixie for her. Elia has worked her way up the corporate ladder in a 20 year and counting career, but also loves being mother to her 14 year old daughter. I’m enjoying watching Alina catch up with her sister who she doesn’t get to see very often.

So this gang showed up ready to hit the water swimming. We moved around the corner to our first swim spot on the mainland and by 230 everyone was lunched and in. I won’t lie - Alina and I have been a little nervous about guiding such an accomplished and fast group of swimmers. Thankfully for us this gang came to play as much as swim. And while they move from spot to spot, they love to spend as much time underwater as on top, and immediately got the checking-out-nooks-crannies-and-little-tiny-beaches bug. 

You can feel the energy in this bunch from the photos of our first swim!

In addition to self-administered hot rock massages on the beach, we found sponges and feather duster worms and yes, an octopus buried deep in its den. We rounded the corner from the calm bay and found ourselves in wind and chop. No one even blinked - they just played harder. We climbed aboard and sunned and cocktailed. I set about editing and they all came back on deck in their bathing suits, ready to swim to shore to explore the big beach. Beers and flipflops tucked in suits, they jumped on in and swam away. They came back just in time for dinner.

They’ve also all expressed delight about our nightly skinny dip swims. If (when) this comes to pass tonight, they will have done a record 3 swims in the first half day. 

I think it’s going to be a wet week.

Needless to say, Lou Lou knocked today’s meals out of the park, with small plate mezzes for lunch and the most delicate, lovely local fish for dinner. With the activity this bunch seems to crave, she just might get her wish to have non-stop feeding this week. 

I better get moving - there’s a late night dip to get to. 

Get ready, Ionian Sea, here we come.

Kali Nikta,

Heather