Tuesday 22nd June – Day 16 At Sea - Land Ahoy! (Li ni’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Wed 23 Jun 2010 18:10
and not in an alien space ship. They had however turned the sea a
milky white which turned a delicate shade of pink then blue as the sun
rose, a perfect orange ball against a clear sky.
We have lost count of the number of visits from dolphins since
yesterday morning and Si said I missed an amazingly athletic display
by a huge pod during my afternoon snooze yesterday. Unfortunately,
early morning while he still slept he missed another spectacle that
will remain a highlight of our trip. They came bursting through the
calm seas from all directions, leaping high into the air and moving at
such speed. I stood on the cockpit seats hanging onto the boom for a
better view as one pod performed various acrobatic feats then moved
away to clear the stage for the next approaching act. Some played
games with me, dodging my gaze as I moved repeatedly from one side to
the next for front row seats. They disappeared under water for so long
I thought they had gone, then, in a huge fountain, they all burst out
of the sea together off our stern and I’m sure were laughing at the
joke. I desperately wanted to wake Si to share the experience or film
a movie, but Si was sleeping soundly and the camera was in the locker
just above him.
The seas also continue to be scattered with Portuguese Men of War,
jelly fishy sort of creatures with a fan floating on the surface that
looks like a plastic water bottle from a distance. Under the water
they have tentacles up to ten metres long under a bluey mass. Several
years ago in April when Si and I sailed to the Azores the seas were
literally covered with millions of small prawn shaped creatures that
were clear with purple streaks. We now think these were a young form
of the adults we’ve seen this trip. There has been a steady sprinkling
of them all over the seas for thousands of miles.
At 0800 UTC the rising sun had now turned to a fierce white light
and bleached colour from the world. Sky and sea were white with only
soft grey ripples to give the slightest indication of movement on the
surface. With 50miles to go and no traffic in sight I slipped quietly
below and punched out bread dough for morning rolls.
1040 UTC and LAND AHOY!!!!! I wasn’t expecting to see land quite so
far off in the haze, but there it was and excitement grew as the day
went on. There was a hive of activity on board with cleaning, sorting,
coiling spare lines and re-flaking the mainsail which had no hope of
being used with zero wind. More dolphins paid a visit and we then saw
our first whales, a couple of pilot whales in the distance. As Flores
drew nearer it became more beautiful with steep cliff faces bursting
with lush green foliage and vibrant green grass on the hill tops. The
buildings were white with terracotta roofs and the church over looking
the town had that distinctive fancy Portuguese facade in contrasting
tones.
Late afternoon after just over 15 days at sea we dropped the anchor
in the harbour of Lajes, Flores, Azores and were soon sipping ice cold
champagne to toast our arrival and celebrate a belated anniversary. I
cooked dinner while Si was delighted to find a wifi network and it
wasn’t too late when we fell into our proper bed looking forward to a
whole night’s sleep.