It is time to rev up this writing engine again and add some updates to this incredibly amazing life I am so fortunate to lead. Sitting on the aft deck onboard the yacht I have called home for the last 9 months now, I am sipping my coffee looking out on Porto Vecchio, a beautiful town on the southern tip of the island of Corsica. I woke up this morning, inflated the kayak, and paddled out along the coastline to seek out my morning meditation. Calm waters lapped at my sides as I glided along, a rueful smile on my face and joy in my spirit to be floating peacefully and alone in the morning light. A small white rock island with outcroppings of cactus and small shrubs was a perfect mid-way stop for me to sit and reflect. I sat on the tiny sandy shore and said a prayer, sat in silence and breathed deep while the rhythm of the water and the cries of the seagulls played background music to my meditation. Breathing long, healing breaths, I let the last week go.
I have been in dire need of a morning like this for a while and this is fairly understandable when considering what I do for a living. It is the same age-old complaint of any yacht crew who are nearing the end of a busy season, who have been in confined spaces with the same people for extended periods of time, who work the crazy hours that we do when guests are onboard, and who haven't seen their loved ones in a long time. My absence from family and friends back home has begun to wear on me and I am long overdue for a visit. It is in moments like today that I can relax, focus on their faces, breathe in the air of my beautiful surroundings, and say a prayer of gratefulness for where I am. Because, in truth…I got it pretty darn good.
As I look back on the past 4 months in the Mediterranean, I am amazed how quickly time has gone by. It has been a busy season that started with an Atlantic crossing and then went straight into guest trips around Mallorca and Ibiza, the Superyacht Cup, and our recent adventures to Malta, Sicily, Naples, Elba, and now Corsica. The experiences have been epic with new and familiar faces along the way. I have been fortunate to have my mother come visit for a week of relaxation and fun in Palma, hiking to hidden bays to swim in the refreshing waters, catching up after a long time apart. I have partied in Pacha with my buddy visiting from New Zealand, snorkeled my way around Mallorca, eaten my way through dozens of tapas and drank my way through bottle after bottle of delicious wine and Cava. I have escaped the scorching summer heat wave with the Maltese in the cool turquoise waters of St. Peter's Pool, jumping from white limestone cliffs with the best local guide (and friend) one can find in the beautiful ancient country of Malta. I stayed in a 110 year old house up in the clouds surrounding the active volcano of Mt. Etna in Sicily with cool mountain breezes and billows of white mist wafting into my hotel window like a friendly ghost beckoning me outside. At sunrise I hiked to the top and looked down over lava fields standing 10,000 feet above the city of Riposto looking down on the boat docked far below. I've stood in the ancient Greek Theatre in Taormina and strolled its stone streets with what felt like half of Europe on holiday. In Naples I marveled at the Capella Sansevero and walked the beautiful streets of Piazza Plebicito, drank an espresso to die for, ate a Pizza Margherita at the restaurant it was invented at, and enjoyed a gelato while strolling along the waterfront. In Bastia, Corsica I shopped at a local farmers' market with rotisserie chickens perfuming the air with herbs de provence, goat cheese crepes sizzling on hot flat griddles, and old farmers smiling as they sold fruits to local customers with church bells chiming through the hills in the distance on a bright Sunday morning. I have been so lucky to be able to provision for my galley in beautiful little towns where homemade cheeses, aged salamis, fresh produce, and fresh caught fish are in abundance and sold by some of the friendliest and outgoing vendors the world has to offer. I imagine to any local my confused, tasered numb expression is amusing as I try to remember what language to respond in…French? Spanish? Italian? I have given up and just say "Si" to everything with a large apologetic smile. Seems to work and I am constantly humbled by the kindness and simplicity of these truly beautiful people. And as much as we can get on each others' frayed nerves and, as my crew mate says, "niggle" over trivial minutia, I wouldn't trade my crew mates for anyone else in the world. My captain has done well in choosing relatively drama free, happy-go-lucky crew that are active, goofy, funny, and strong. Each person takes their turn being quiet and/or moody for a day, but in general, we are a happy bunch. Many days sitting cooped up in the crew mess we can be found reading aloud bits of news from our respective countries in shocked awe, discussing spiritual concepts one has found on Elephant Journal, sharing photos of recent adventures, sharing stories of our families back home, or laughing over one of our absurd private jokes that only we could find funny. (trust me, we've tried them on other people)
My life is full and rich and at the end of this therapy I call writing, I read my words and I know that I mean them. I have amazing friends and family back home that I am aching to see but in the meantime, they have let me know I am loved and missed and I can't ask for more than that. Next week I head back to the homeland and visit my family in Egypt for the first time in 8 years and then hopefully a trip home to the States to deliver some very overdue presents and hugs. For today, I think I'll just sit here with my coffee and continue to enjoy this moment of reflection and gratitude and rest in the beautiful memories I get to carry with me from this very fortunate life.
