Calm seas and blue skies gave way to a very lazy day. Pampering with manicure and pedicure followed time in the computer center regaling my adventures to friends. Must not miss Tea at 3:30 in the Looking Glass with it's panoramic view. Our harpist is consummate. She looks to be 12 years old; but of course, that would be absurd. All the same, the more I age, the younger everyone else appears.
Ed chose a lecture on the Crimea for the afternoon. Having had such a harried day, I returned to my stateroom to recuperate until dinner at eight. As Wednesday turned into Thursday, the Azamara Quest slipped toward the Ukrainian coast. On my balcony,having caught up with sleep, the Crimean Peninsula loomed up in the early grayness as dawn began to break. The crimson poked and pushed it's way through a cloud bank until the radiating shafts seemed to be stretching towards me. Then I realized the dark shadowy things scattered about on the surface were wooden rowboats of fishermen. A single person per boat, and they had rowed, at least a half mile or more, out to fish with a rod and reel. I am enchanted!
Some hour later, we arrive at a jetty. So how does one park this ship? Well, it was something to behold. I am in awe! Two pilot boats were waiting. It was rather like parallel parking. As our Captain swung the stern inward, I actually doubted if we would squeeze past the jetty. THEN, he backed us inside ..... how lovely was that!! The pilot boats sat and watched our artful Captain. BRAVO!! It was as easy as backing a VW Beetle into an extra large parking spot..... but what do I know.
Right on time, Raphael [Butler] arrives with breakfast and welcome to Yalta. Must hurry to meet our group. We are touring today. Catch you later.
Your remarks about the one-person fishing boats reminds me of a trip some years back to Roatan Honduras. We took a boat taxi to our Cay. This "taxi" driver would become our excursion guide. When the strong winds finally subsided a few days into our trip he and I went across the bay to do some fishing. He was very interested in my rod and reel. Ended up, I used his more direct approach...hand lining with strong mono wound around a coke can. With this method we caught a rather large variety of mostly reef oriented fish including barracuda. He kept all we caught to feed his extended family. He was an older gentleman of maybe 65...Scotch/Mexican descent...married to a younger Honduran woman...they had many kids. The year after we were there is when a rather nasty hurricane washed over the Bay Islands. I have often wondered how they fared.
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