Cracker day for our last big swim day! On the boat by 8.45am and off we went into the smoothest of seas to date. A 40 minute ride took us around to the other side of Otok Zmajan. Crystal clear water, as smooth as glass, had everyone rearing to go. Trish gave the team a few sighting tips and the two groups got on their ways. Each group took a slightly different route, both totally enjoying their swims. We all headed for a smaller island, Otcic Bavljenac, traversing most of it before heading off for another crossing. This took us to a very small island, Otocic Ostrica, which we used for another coastal, swimming before heading to our final point on Otok Kaprije, just a short swim away. In total, roughly 3.5 km swimming in the best conditions. Water temperature was great and hardly any current, swimmers feeling like they were "in the zone", couldn't wish for more. Warm drinks, as per usual, went down really well as did the yummy lunch. Salad selections through the week have been excellent. Most people got a dinghy ride to the island but hardcore swimmers, Mary, Teresa and Nicolas, swam! The jetty was right next to Konoba Antonio. Some people chose to relax here. While the others braved the heat and took a walk over the crest of the island. The pathway provided stunning views of our morning's crossing. Another very quaint island village, lots of yachts and small boats. Those that walked over the ridge stopped off for a drink (coffees and iced coffees) before heading back to the boat. More people swam back to cool off and then we set off for our last serious swim. This was a gorgeous coastal swim, cool (but not cold) water, interesting sights and good company. Will be sad to say goodbye. Trip back to Prvic Luka was smooth sailing and we were treated to Tom's dad's homemade grappa. What a great way to end the swimming experience. We also had the rare pleasure of a dolphin sighting about 25m off the side of the boat. We said goodbye to Tom at the jetty and we were all very sad to see him go. He has been a wonderful skipper and a joy to be around. A few people opted for massages and then we met for our last group dinner, at the Grill. Lots of Air Dropping of photos taking place and sharing of contact details. Orders for the night were an assortment of Pekas*. These being traditional Croatian dishes. The selections were veal, lamb, chicken and octopus. Other people ordered the fish of the day, grilled Sea Bass, and then a few a la carte orders of pasta dishes. Too much food but soooo delicious. Awards followed, presented by Trish and Saorla with just a hint of their Irish sense of humour coming through!
Viki was awarded the Marketing Award for all her blogs and photos, Mary won the Fashionista award for her stunning colour coordinating and Lozza, Swimmer of the Week, for doing all swims with such commitment and care for the swimmers around her! Way to go Loz! Well done to all for a fabulous effort all week! Viki said a few words of thanks to Trish and Saorla, however, words were pretty inadequate to describe what a great job they did. Everyone retired to bed, with many taking in a hot chocolate to finish off, yet, another fantastic day.
*A Peka is a large metal baking dish with a bell-shaped dome lid. It is used to cook food in an open fireplace, with hot coals and embers placed on top of the dome for even, slow cooking. Meat, poultry, fish and vegetables can all be cooked in this way, and the finished dish is also referred to as Peka.
