At 8:30 am when being awakened, none of the kids thought today would be the best day of the trip so far. Even Sennen, who says Boat Day is the best day of the year, had lost his enthusiasm. Why? On Greek time, where we eat dinner at around 9pm and go to bed between midnight and 1am, 8:30 is an early wake-up – about an hour for the boys and almost two for Ailyn.
I had to direct, remind, cajole and keep everyone on task to get them ready and out the door. Once they were, the Greek sun kicked in and by the time we made it over to Ta Kardasia to get our traditional Boat Day pie/bougatsa breakfast – which prescriptively must include a chocolate (Nutella) bougatsa if available – everyone was excited for the day’s adventure. Chatting with Matoula, the owner and her daughter Savina helped – as did finding the exact pies they wanted were available (mincemeat, chicken, ham and cheese, chocolate and cream). The two sweet pies are a special treat and Boat Day is usually the only time in the summer for them.
With three large bottles of water also in tow, our little crew headed to the harbor. Iakavos was running late – per usual – and took about ten minutes to have his check-in table ready. I let the kids go aboard and claim their desired spot on the bow, while I logged us in and paid.
Sennen was over the moon. Ailyn was pleased. Ethan was skeptically happy. He clearly left room for the possibility Sennen could have overhyped the day – or just be crazy. While also appreciating the pies, which were undeniable.
The first hour doesn’t reveal the magic of Boat Day. It’s a slow ride heading north along Patmos’ east coast, crossing the strait to Lipsi and following its coast until reaching Makronisi. Certainly, it provides a different perspective on Patmos and if you haven’t left the island in awhile, it can be a refreshing perspective on exactly where you are in the world.
It’s when not until the boat pulls up to what at first glance to be a small island adjacent to Lipsi looking like all the other small islands adjacent to big islands that the magic unfurls. Makronisi has stone arches and caves in the middle of deep, cool, rich blue water. When the kids laid eyes on it, they all lit up.
In the slightly altered words of The Poky Little Puppy – after kvetching about sunscreen, the kids went roly poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble into the deep blue sea and there they stopped short. They counted themselves – one, two, three… one person was missing. Now where could that poky Daddy be?
Getting himself sunscreened and into the water once some of the other passengers had made their jumps. Once in, the talkative, excited puppies followed me past the rock, through the big cave and around the cliffs back to where the boat was waiting for us, safe and sound. They had many questions and a number of stupid thoughts and ideas like could sea urchins jump out and get them, or cliff diving off the top of the caves. But we pushed through those the same way we made it past the tide in the cave.
While the puppies swam about, held hands in a sort of ring-around-the-rosy moment in the water and talked with British swimmers, I went up to the deck and took photos – because one day, they’ll want to see that they played ring-around-the-rosy in the Aegean next to a family of British vacationers.
Our next stop was my favorite – and I think Sennen’s – Aspronisi – a small cliff-island made of pure-white stone and whose beach is a giant pile of large, polished white stones Surrounded by rings of crystal clear and topaz-blue water, Aspronisi is unique and breathtaking. There is nothing to do there other than sit on white rocks and swim – but somehow, the 45 minutes the boat gives is never enough.
Once aboard, we were afforded the customary plate of watermelon, Greek breadsticks and a choice of ouzo, white wine or Orangina. While two kids tried for wine and one considered ouzo, they all took Orangina in the end. At this point, we had also begun chatting with our neighbors and met a very nice sixty-something year-old massage therapist from Paris who is spending her summer on Patmos, an Austrian woman who comes every year to visit her sister and brother-in-law who live on Patmos and seemingly to soak up as much sun as possible, and a young French couple from Nice who always enjoyed a cigarette prior to each swim.
It seemed to be about this point when Ethan realized two things: 1. After swimming in the Aegean, a think layer of salt forms on your body and 2. Cruising the Aegean and jumping off a boat to swim in gorgeous coves with crazy geological formations is rad. Ethan was a believer and joined Sennen’s Boat Day religion.
Although Ailyn had been before – and remembered each place – she had forgotten much of what happened. She asked questions, I told the story of how Sennen and I couldn’t find Ailyn and Emily at Makronisi and then spotted Ailyn’s giant unicorn floating ring. She remembered sitting with Emily on the white rocks of Aspronisi and that same unicorn being punctured and deflating. Then she made new memories, enjoying each place today.
Our third stop took roughly 30 minutes to reach and was the first in which we encountered any real swells. Water sprayed onto the bow and the kids screamed with delight, laughing and joking. Ailyn – the girl who has been afraid of boats for the past several years, the girl who in late 2021 said on a longtail boat ride in Bangkok that she would rather show her privates in public than continue her ride on the boat – was happy, laughing and sunning herself between stops. Today was a sunscreen-heavy day.
Several times Ailyn joked about electrocuting herself, but the very pink anti-nausea, wrist-watch-looking device she wore seemed to do as promised. Ailyn was relaxed, nausea-free and above all, had faith in the band. Let’s hope it continues to work and we don’t lose it – especially because Ailyn wants to have another Boat Day this summer.
Tiganakia, our third stop, is a cove sometimes referred to as the Blue Grotto for tourists. It has the most unique tourmaline-colored colored water I’ve ever seen. There are many places in Greece and elsewhere in the Mediterranean with some incredible blues. Tiganakia’s hue is particular, if not unique. The cove has a forgettable beach and some sharp rocks off to one side. The only thing of any value to do at Tiganakia is to simply be in the tourmaline. It’s a cool, refreshing tourmaline bath. So we swam, floated, chatted and enjoyed.
I remember seeing Tiganakia for the first time in September 2010 and as an extreme lover of blue, I was overwhelmed by the sight of the water. Ethan may not have felt as intensely as me, but I could see the sight hit him. He was in a place he had not imagined existing. While Sennen was in a place he knew and loved.
At around 2:45 pm, we pulled into the tiny harbor on the island of Arki – home to 17 full-time residents – for lunch at one of the three tavernas. Yes, that’s a normal time for Greek lunch. Hungry from the swims, sea and salt-air, we had a feast of several mezzes and each an entree with Sennen and Ethan having the most interesting and Greek – grilled octopus. This is an old favorite for Sennen (as it was for his mom) and a new one for Ethan, who surprised me by really liking it.
We ate slowly, talked, and then went back to the boat about 20 minutes before our two-hour Arki stop ended. After probably the fifth sunscreening of the day, the kids sunned themselves on the bow until our last – and in my opinion least – stop, Marathi. Last year, Sennen and I didn’t even get off the boat for it. It’s a rather “whatever” beach cove with a couple of tavernas popular with passing yachts. Patmos has much nicer beaches. The only real attraction is a series of tree-swings and hammocks, which did their job and caught the eye of the kids, causing us to leave the boat. Once bored with hanging, the kids took a swim to refresh themselves before we left for the hour-ride back to Patmos harbor. Not that we were far away, mind you – but the day-boat doesn’t have the speed and force of the ferries or even a yacht.
Crossing the strait between Lipsi and Patmos, what felt like strong swells had spray coming up from the water, covering everyone on the bow. The kids loved it and spent an hour laughing, huddling and developing all sorts of inside jokes. This seemed like moment of truth for Ailyn’s wrist zapper – and it held up. Ailyn was nothing but happy.
While I held on tight, I thought about the stories of Greek mythology – how trips in the Aegean that seem so simple today were filled with danger. The Iavavos M – our boat – is probably the size of the average sailboat of Ancient Greece. It has a diesel motor – not reliant on the wind – but without the stability and weight of the Blue Star ferries, cargo ships and cruise boats that more commonly patrol these waters today. It’s easy to see how wind and swells that mean absolutely nothing to Blue Star Patmos were menacing to Odysseus. I believe the Blue Star ferries make the same crossing we did in 25 minutes instead of 60.
Our group made it back to Patmos tired and very happy. “I love it here!” Ethan said as we walked home. “I love our Patmos home,” Sennen told me on the boat, “It’s so warm and wonderful.”
While Sennen remains interested in opening a restaurant with international cuisine here, he also wants to work as a deck hand for Iakovos or someone like him when he’s roughly college age. Sennen’s new vision for himself is having a life at sea in which he returns home to Patmos every night. I don’t imagine it pays well, but it could be a lot of fun. I’m sure Iakovos would want him – and some experiences of youth are things we do just because we’re young and want to do them.
Of course, there will be many other Sennen plans and dreams between now and then.
“This is the best day of the year!” Sennen proclaimed at lunch.
“What about your Bar Mitzvah?!” Ethan immediately responded.
“Right. This is the third best day of the year!”
“What’s the second?” I asked.
“The day after my Bar Mitzvah when I had the sleepover and hung out with my friends.”
Makes sense – priorities recalibrated.
And by unanimous consent among all four of us, this was the best day of the trip. All three kids want to do it again.
Now we just wait for the world to stop feeling like a rocking boat.
