Greece Trip #24: A Handsome Skipper, Special Tattoo, Mystery of Fig Tree Cave

In today's blog, I'll tell you about what I consider one of the true highlights of the trip... Meeting and talking with Andreas, the skipper of the sailboat the group rented out for a day. I'll also explain the Mystery of Fig Tree Cave. Honestly, I really did not want to go out on a sailboat for 10 hours, but sometimes when you do something you don't want to, it turns out well. That's what happened to me. In the case of meeting Andreas, the Skipper for the boat,  he made my week.   

(Photo: Skipper Andreas and Rob chating and Tom and the First mate chatting for over 3 hours!) 

MEET ANDREAS - Since I was sitting at the back of the boat (the Stern) where the wheel was located, that's where the captain was situated. Andreas is the captain of the ship called Nemesis. In addition to being a great tour guide and wonderful skipper, he has a great personality, appreciation for life, adventure and people. He's only 23, too. I wound up talking with him for over 3 1/2 hours! We talked about life, adventures and really bonded when he told me his family dog named Jordan, had passed earlier in the year, and he was devastated. Since I communicate with pets from the other side (and have written three books about how they do it), I tried to bring some healing.  Jordan was a Jack Russell Terrier who passed at 14 years old. 

A SPECIAL TATTOO - One thing that really struck me was when Andreas showed me the tattoo on his right forearm. It was a tattoo of Jordan's favorite stuffed animal shark toy. I immediately had to sketch his tattoo so I would always remember that loving tribute to the dog that captured Andreas' heart. 

A NICE FAREWELL - Andreas told me someone he met on one of his tours promised they would come back the next day, and he said he was so touched when that happened. Well, I promised to give him a copy of one of my books that I had packed, so the next morning, Tom and I left the hotel early, drove to the docks and found him. We gave him the book and he gave us the biggest hug. Meeting him was something I will never forget. 

WHAT IS SYKIA OR FIG TREE CAVE?  - Sykia is the Greek word for Fig. Andreas stopped the boat in a grotto and 8 guys at a time boarded a rubber raft. Andreas guided the raft through a small cave, that opened into the ocean and then we turned into another cave that opened into a huge grotto. There was lava rock all around, and the top of the cave opened to a huge dome. In the center of the dome was an opening to the sky. The legend says that there was a giant fig tree that grew on the top of the dome and the roof collapsed, sending the tree into the grotto waters below. 

NEXT: OFF TO SANTORINI