Page 41 of Take a Chance on Greece

I looked across to the wheelhouse to see if I could spot the captain, vaguely wondering whether the real-life version bore any resemblance to the cartoon form. The man behind the wheel was dressed in traditional whites, and his dark hair suggested he was a youthful sea dog, but I was at the wrong angle to see his face, so I would have to wait until he emerged onto the deck to find out more. I dismissed the thought that I was not as curious about Captain Andreas as perhaps I should have been.

The crew bustled around on the dock letting go of ropes and pulling up fenders, then the boat’s speakers crackled to life with an explosion of static. They were playing a muffled recording of someone speaking, but whether they were talking in English, Greek or double Dutch, I couldn’t tell. I glanced around at the other passengers, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention to the announcement. One of the crew members gave a cursory wave in the direction of the lifeboats, so I figured that this was the safety briefing, but it was over pretty much as soon as it had started. The horn sounded, making everybody jump, and then with a cloud of exhaust fumes, we set sail.

The first part of the trip was everything I’d imagined it would be. We cruised slowly up the coast of Kefalonia, the boat cutting effortlessly through the glistening azure waters while people posed for pictures and tucked into the generous hospitality on offer. We sailed past Fiskardo which looked even prettier from the sea, waved at the haughty occupants of a super yacht which was moored offshore, and then the boat headed out into the open ocean. I’d been worried in case I felt seasick. After all, I’d never been on a boat trip like this so didn’t know if it was something I was afflicted with, but thankfully I seemed to have pretty good sea legs. At one point a school of dolphins appeared, leaping happily in and out of the waves as if they were racing the boat. I couldn’t quite believe that this was really happening. I must have taken hundreds of photos of the sights we sailed past, and I regularly sent updates to the group chat with Amira and Kat until they joked they’d had enough of being tortured by stunning scenery. I also considered sending a picture or two to Alexis, but my uncertainty about the incident in Agia Efimia held me back.

We cruised up towards the nearby island of Lefkada, stopping on the way at a cave where Captain Andreas showed off his seafaring abilities by inching the boat practically inside it. His crackly commentary informed us the cave had been used during the Second World War to hide a submarine in. I watched the waves crashing against the rocky roof and experienced a moment of misgiving. If the engines failed right now, we’d be in trouble. Fortunately, Captain Andreas’s navigational skills were better than his sound equipment, and soon we were safely away from the rocks and heading to our next destination, the island of Skorpios, which I managed to glean between bursts of static once used to belong to the Onassis family. I tucked away the nuggets of information, vowing to write about the trip once I returned to dry land. An idea was half-forming in the back of my mind that maybe I could pitch a blog post about the boat trip to holiday companies as part of their marketing. It might be an unrealistic ambition, but as I’d been telling myself throughout my stay here, if I didn’t try, I would never find out.

The crew moored the boat in a quiet bay so that people could sunbathe on the deck or go for a swim as they desired. Some guests lined up outside the wheelhouse, taking advantage of the break to enjoy a meet and greet with the captain. I hovered in the queue feeling unaccountably worn out. My fellow passengers were happily posing for pictures with Captain Andreas and having a chat with him. It would be very easy for me to do the same: casually introduce myself and quickly establish whether or not he was the Andreas I was looking for. But as I stood there, bracing myself against the rocking motion of the boat, I started to wonder how I would react if I did recognise him as the Awesome Andreas who’d inspired my tattoo. Would I be thrilled? Or would I feel sad that he wasn’t Alexis?

Chapter Twenty-One

Captain Andreas noticed me loitering at the back of the queue and came over to introduce himself. He was conventionally attractive, like his crew, and his air of complete confidence spoke of a man who knew he was in charge. But his features weren’t familiar, and when he spoke, his voice didn’t spark any recognition.

‘Welcome, welcome aboard. I hope you are enjoying the trip?’ he asked politely.

‘I feel like a proper tourist,’ I said. ‘I’ve learned so much today, and I can’t get over how wonderful our surroundings are. The Ionian is beautiful.’

‘I am biased, but I cannot think of another sea that is so perfect.’ He wrinkled his brow. ‘And what is your name? If you don’t mind me saying, you appear familiar. Have we met before?’

I felt a jolt of nerves. In all the time I’d been considering how I would recognise Awesome Andreas, it had never really crossed my mind that he might recognise me first. The idea threw me. Did the man standing in front of me hold the key to those missing few hours? The idea was unsettling. But then again, he didn’t seem to even know my name. If he was Awesome Andreas, maybe he’d been similarly tipsy. Or maybe I was overthinking again and this was a standard line that he used on all the tourists.

‘I’m Lydia. I work at the Helios Hotel in Sami, and my boss bought me a ticket for the trip.’

Captain Andreas nodded thoughtfully. ‘I live in Sami and I am excellent with faces, but I do not think it is there that I have seen you.’

I actually felt relieved. He seemed like a perfectly decent guy, but I didn’t want him to be my Awesome Andreas. It was a quick judgement to make, but I felt instinctively it was the right one. Once again that know-it-all voice at the back of my head piped up, urging me to accept that I didn’t want to search for an Andreas any longer, and that I should focus on working out how to lay bare my feelings for Alexis instead.

‘Let me think, it will come to me,’ said Andreas. ‘And in the meantime, may I offer you a drink? I do not like to see my guests empty-handed. We like to have fun on this boat.’

Before I could answer, a sudden gust of wind sent a rogue wave crashing against the side of the boat. I could feel the salty spray even high up by the wheelhouse. The swimmers in the bay whooped with delight as they body-surfed the swell, while those who remained on board grabbed hold of the railings to steady themselves. Captain Andreas glanced at the sky, and rubbed the back of his head.

‘I think perhaps we have some interesting weather coming in. It was not forecast, but the weather at sea does not always conform to what is expected of it. If you will forgive me, I will go and check the radar. I will be back in a moment.’

I looked up at the sky, but it seemed as flawlessly blue as it had when we set off. The swell was maybe slightly bigger than before, but aside from the burst of choppiness caused by the rogue wave, the rocking motion of the boat was still relaxing. The water looked inviting and deliciously refreshing in contrast to the heat of the day. Maybe it was even time to take the plunge and go for my first swim of my stay. I leaned on the railings and watched the people in the water. Some were wearing snorkels, kicking slowly up and down as they peered at whatever was living below the surface. Others were racing around the boat, competing to do as many laps as possible. I thought those who were floating on their backs probably had the best idea, soaking up the sunshine while being rocked gently by the waves. But I wasn’t sure that I would be able to achieve their levels of relaxation given the conflicting thoughts spinning around inside my head.

A member of crew made his way up the stairs from a lower deck holding a tray of fresh juice. He gestured at one particular glass, which was decorated with a large slice of orange which had a tiny paper Greek flag sticking out of it.

‘The captain asked us to make it especially for you,’ said the sailor with a smile. ‘A special treat for a special passenger.’

It was a generous gesture, but rather showy, and it got me wondering once again where Captain Andreas thought he recognised me from.

My thanks were interrupted by another crackly announcement over the speaker from the captain himself.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way to the swim ladder and get back on board. We will shortly be setting off on our return to Kefalonia. We’re expecting some breezy weather this evening, so it is better to travel before the worst of it comes in.’

I felt a pang of disappointment. No swim stop this time and even worse, a premature end to the trip.

As we set off, Captain Andreas poked his head around the wheelhouse door again. I hoped he had left the boat in some kind of automatic steering function because it was rather worrying that he wasn’t holding the wheel, especially given the reason for our early departure.

‘Is your drink good?’

He waved the twin of it at me, and said, ‘Yamas– or cheers, as you say in English.’

I took a sip of the juice and nearly choked as I realised it was actually alcoholic punch, and a very strong one at that. I forced a smile and waved my thanks while wondering how I could subtly pour it over the side. Although I wasn’t wholly opposed to the idea of drinking again, on my own terms, it would definitely be in moderation. Judging by the tiny sip I’d had so far, I’d probably end up with an entire tattoo sleeve if I drank a full glass of this. I seriously hoped Captain Andreas’s version was virgin as I didn’t fancy our chances of a safe return otherwise.

He was clearly a bit of a mind reader, because he answered my unspoken question by gesturing at the juice carton on the windowsill of the wheelhouse.

‘Do not worry. You are safe while I am in charge. As captain, I never drink any alcohol, even when I am not at sea.’ His eyes sparkled. ‘And I now remember where I saw you. It was in Fiskardo. You seemed in a hurry to leave. Nobody should be in a hurry to leave Fiskardo.’ He smiled broadly. ‘I run a boat trip which stops off there, if you would like to see it on another occasion. Or if you would not like to visit it on a boat trip, perhaps you would like to join me for dinner there instead?’

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