Long time, lots of sea...
call off the search party, i've returned home from sea (well, for now...)
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The sea, the sea
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” - Jacques Cousteau
I’m in its grip. The sea, that is. It’s late July and I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed enough sea time to get me through the winter months. Let’s be honest though, growing up in a beach town keeps you constantly longing for the sea. I’ll never get enough. We started the summer off with a bang! My first tavolotwlve in barca group of the 2024 season sailed the islands of Ponza and Palmarola in true Italian style - that is by enjoying la dolce vita. What an incredible group to have on board as we anchored at beautiful bays, sipped on local wine, floated in the salty sea water, and snacked on all things that make up summer in Italy. There’s a lot to be said about summertime in Italy, that is, if you can expertly avoid the crowds. And we successfully did so. June gave us cooler temperatures, less crowds, and more open water to enjoy all to ourselves.
With the wind in our sails, the sea salty, and the wine chilled (chilled to boat temp, that is), we took to exploring Ponza and Palmarola. Something on the island clicked for me this year, and I found my Italian better than ever as I navigated through the town, a new sense of confidence in my step. If you’ve ever been privy to language learning, you might understand that some days are better than others. Some days it clicks and some days it’s like you’ve never heard a lick of the language in your life. There must have been something in the sea water in Ponza that week because IT CLICKED! Maybe it was the island pumping life back into me through its sunshine and good food after a long winter in London. Or maybe it’s my realization that I can do this, I can speak this language - I just have to get over my fears. And on that note, I think there’s a lot to be said about facing fears or apprehensions. Once you face them, it opens a whole new world for you - hopefully for the better, and if not, at least you tried. It’s the age old question I get before going out to sail - “aren’t you afraid?”. The answer is simple, if I ever had any fear going into my first sail, that fear is long gone - I can’t even remember it. Instead what’s replaced it is an incredible sense of adventure and excitement when the wind blows in just right direction to catch the wind in our sail.
Sailing with my tavolotwelve in barca group this season brought me so much joy. I can’t thank this group of adventure seekers, party starters, and all around beautiful people enough for the time we spent on the water. We bopped around the island bays, tasted wine at a local winery, ate delicious food from the small kitchen galley on board and dined out in some of Ponza’s most delicious restaurants. The roll of film I shot says it all - a very good time with incredible guests. I hope you all enjoy some of the film shots from our time at sea…maybe even living a bit vicariously through them!
So it turns out that this summer, I’ll be the busiest I’ve ever been on the water. The next three weeks will be spent in Greece at my annual job cooking for a family in their summer villa on the island of Spetses. So while I won’t be floating on a boat for a few weeks, I’ll at least be stealing dips in the sea on my lunch breaks. Returning to Spetses each year has been a wonderful experience. Not only do I love the family I cook for, but the island and it’s people are so wonderful. From the local fruit and vegetable shop, to the butcher, the corner store, and our local bar; there’s always someone who remembers your name, says hello, and welcomes you warmly. I love when a place adopts you and gives you a sense of community and belonging. So as I sit here in the Athens airport waiting to start this three week stint of hard work, long hours, occasional sea dips, and lots of cooking on the island of Spetses; I have to remember to stay in the moment, to stay present and soak in as much of the island as I can. I can already feel the time slipping between my fingers - the same feeling as I get when I look at the date on the calendar and think, how is it nearing the end of July!? The summer is flying by, but there’s so much more to come and I can’t wait to take you along for the ride.
With that said, I would love to say that this newsletter is going to stay consistent with weekly posts, but you and I both know that hasn’t been the case as of late. So without any promises, I’m going to do my best to bring some summer updates as the weeks go by. The hard part about being on a boat is that there’s no wifi, sometimes no service, and the overwhelming feeling of not wanting to open a laptop - a recipe for no newsletters. I think you can relate, no? I must say, it feels good to bring you some news and a recipe to keep your summer gatherings afloat, but if I’m MIA (missing in action) for some weeks, know I’m sailing somewhere in the Mediterranean.
If this post inspires you to book a last minute summer trip in 2024, I’ll be cooking and sailing with the Sailing Collective for the rest of the summer and I know they can make your sailing dreams come true. They charter private journey’s for your and your group or group journey’s where you can book one off cabins and meet new people. Reach out and tell them I sent you (or I can make a quick intro - just reply here!), maybe we can sail the beautiful Mediterranean together this summer.
Panzanella salad
This no oven, no stove stop, no heat salad is the perfect go-to summer side or lunch recipe. With boiling temperatures just about everywhere in the world (except for England), it’s nice to have a recipe that requires no effort and no heat. All you’ll need is friselle (or stale bread).
Serves 4-6, as a side
Ingredients
4 pieces of stale bread or friselle (about 400g)
300g of cherry tomatoes, halved (small carton)
300g of cucumber, roughly chopped (about 2 small or 1 large)
1 small red onion, sliced
Dry oregano to season
Oil
White or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Water for soaking the stale bread
Method
Fill a large bowl with water and about 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar. Soak the friselle or stale bread briefly in the water/vinegar solution. In a clean and empty bowl, shake off any excess water from the bread and break the bread into the bowl - leaving the bread as chunky or crumbled as you’d like. Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion. Dress with olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. This is a dish that you’ll have to taste and season as you go - chef’s perks! Enjoy!
Until next time at a standing reservation…
With love & snacks,
Paige
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Need a happy moment?
Our neighbor in Lenola gave Gianluca’s family this huge basket of fruits from his garden. He said, “they’re not good, not sweet.” …They were some of the sweetest fruit I’ve tasted in a long time. Gianluca and his mom made homemade jam, and now, all is right in life.
Truly cannot wait for the day when I'll get to experience the sweet Mediterranean sailing life and your exquisite cooking! Till then, I'll settle for living vicariously through your gorgeous dispatches from the sea!