Back on the yacht, I wrap up in one of the large beach towels that Elias hands me as I step on board. I wrap it around me like a cloak to protect myself in case I exhibit any further body parts. Then I go into the shower room to rinse off and change.
By the time I come back upstairs, an ice-cold glass of Chablis is on the table waiting for me.
‘I thought we could sail out a little further while you relax with your wine. I want to show you something really special,’ says Elias.
‘Yeah, sure.’
I quickly take a sip of wine, making sure it tastes okay. I am always cautious when a guy pours a drink; it comes from worrying about the girls when they are out so much. It is ingrained in my head. However, it tastes like Chablis, and I relax a little as my hunch tells me that Elias isn’t a scammer who is going to take me out into the ocean and rob me of any assets. I mean, he could have drowned me just now if he wanted to, surely? He can also probably tell by my clothes that I don’t have any assets to scam.
The wind blows stronger, and the boat rocks slightly more vigorously as we move further away from the bay. Then, I finally hear the engines slow down.
‘I’ve got to turn the engines off here, okay?’
‘Yeah, whatever you need to do.’
Elias rushes over with a pair of binoculars and tells me to look starboard. I get confused with his yachting language and look to the left.
‘Sorry, that means the right,’ says Elias gently.
‘Oh, yes. Of course.’ Why do sailors have to make up this confusing terminology? I wish they would just say left and right.
I try to zoom in with the binoculars, but I just make everything blurrier.
‘I can’t see anything.’
‘Here, give them to me.’
Elias looks out to sea and then plays with the focus until he gets it right.
‘Now, you have to look this way.’
Elias stands behind me as he guides me where to look. He holds his hands around my waist as he directs my body in the right direction. I desperately try not to let him notice how my body is responding to the touch of his hands.
‘Oh my gosh, I can see it! I can see it! Is it a dolphin?’
‘It is indeed. I think it’s a common dolphin. If you’re lucky, you might spot a bottlenose or striped dolphin too. It’s a protected area for mammals along here. The Pelagos Sanctuary.’
‘Wow. How wonderful. We get dolphins in Wales. Although every time I’ve gone out on a trip to see them, the weather hasn’t been the best. Now I can see why you enjoy sailing out here so much. To just be with nature like this. Do you see sharks and whales too?’
‘I’ve seen a sperm whale once or twice, yeah.’
‘Amazing.’
Elias’s enthusiasm is delightful as he talks of the wildlife he’s seen on his yachting adventures.
‘I used to get excited when I saw a hedgehog in the garden in my old house. I’ve never seen anything like this unless it was on a David Attenborough programme,’ I explain.
Elias laughs and then offers me another glass of wine. Still smarting from my shoulder strap incident, I agree, before we start heading back towards Monaco.
‘So, what will you do for the rest of the day?’ asks Elias.
‘You know what? After this adventure, I think I might be able to start writing that book.’
‘That’s great news! You see… You can’t beat a bit of sailing to brush the cobwebs off.’
‘So it seems. Who knows, I might even have to think of a way I can add a magical dolphin into my story. Although I had planned on having a cat in there somewhere in memory of my beauty Stella who died.’
‘Oh, bless her. How old was Stella?’
