The three-day Spetses Mini Marathon began on Friday with a variety of kids events—500 and 1000 meter runs, short swimming events—and continued in earnest on a crystal blue Saturday morning with the premier open ocean swimming events : 1500, 3000, and 5000 meters, the latter a long haul to the mainland and back again. There was some chop and a fair headwind, making an utterly heroic event even more challenging. Peter and I watched in some wonder, along with several thousand other spectators.
The 5-kilometer swim included several hundred fit men and women, modern-day gods and goddesses. The leaders swam three abreast until about 100 meters from the finish. They stopped, conferred, and finished in a tie, ascending the beach with locked arms. The two women finishers, not far behind the lead men, did likewise. This was an unfamiliar act of sportsmanship.
——
Summer has resumed after a short hiatus of cloudy skies, sometimes rainy weather (unheard of in September, unlikely in October). The ocean temperature remains in the high 70s, the daytime air temperature in the mid-80s. Downeast Maine will be a shock to our mortal consciousnesses—in a little less than a week.
We spent the midday walking through the Old Harbor, admiring the many yachts, some traditional fishing craft called caiques, and a handful of super yachts, multi-million-dollar vessels flying flags from Greece, Malta, France, England, and other home ports.
Peter and I have sought information on the building of a traditional caique, though most of the old timers have passed the baton, which was promptly dropped by the new generation and the desire for less expensive plastic boats.
Our stroll took us to a quiet cove called Garyfalo (“Carnation”), where we swam for several hours at least a half mile into the open ocean. The water is warm and buoyant and has an incredible clarity. As we swam the Niarchos family helicopter flew overhead to their private island. We could only conclude that life is tough—but probably not so much for them.
A pasta feed tonight and then the big event tomorrow. As ready as I will ever be.
No comments:
Post a Comment