Free whale trip
Fleck
Tue 29 Jul 2014 12:59
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Tuesday, 29th July, 2014
Position 46:03.9N 18:56.1W
Whalewatching boat trips were 60 Euros in the
Azores, but we had a nice big visitor yesterday afternoon for free. Hannah's
first. We disagreed wildly on its length: I reckon on at around 14 metres,
Hannah 8 metres. It's difficult with no reference points, and this creature
wasn't showing that much of himself: spout, back, dorsal fin, and we never saw
his back half at all. Han. says he came within 15 metres of us, he seemed to
register that we were around, then ducked down under our stern. We have the
photos, but they never do justice to the majesty of the event: these are huge
animals. I daresay we spotted the whale because it was a pleasant quiet day, we
had the engine on, and I was pottering on deck. You don't see whales in the
cabin! Plus the sea was nearly glassy calm, so the sliver of back was easily
spotted at a distance.
So, yes, it got very calm yesterday, and we ran the
motor overnight, wearing out another engine fan belt in the process. There is
something wrong with the alignment of the pulleys, but I can't fix this at sea.
Just a bit worrying as the spare that Hannah bought out is the wrong size, and
won't fit. Still we should get home alright so long as we sail when we can. And
indeed a more or less favourable light breeze has sprung up this morning, and we
are beating along the rhumb line towards the Lizard, on port tack, at around 4
knots: better wind than we had anticipated from the forecast yesterday, and
so fingers crossed.
A somewhat disgruntled H was roused from her early
morning slumbers with the news/instruction that 'we' were hoisting sail, and
that the boat would heel and eject her from her bunk in the forecabin. Whilst
she was relocating to the saloon berth, with its leecloth, a pod of dolphins
came along. I counted 7. It was raining at the time, but still, a sighting for
the tick box!
Food is going well, that is we are enjoying it,
stocks are going down, but we will not starve. Even so it was a disappointment
to find that three of our five remaining cans of fruit were inedible, and were
donated to the fishes last night. We still have a few apples and pears in the
fresh food tray, and tonight it's spaghetti with special tomato sauce. Fresh
bread is no longer fresh, rather chewy now, but still quite enjoyable. They make
great bread in the Azores, and I fear that Fleck's best will not compare too
favourably when we get busy with the dough tomorrow.
On the culture front, Hannah has finished Pride and
Predjudice, and I only got to read her a very few chapters. She polished
off the last few this morning, before breakfast. I don't suppose you will mind
if I let you know that it all ends very happily? I am reading 'The Luminaries' ,
Eleanor Catton. A very complicated sort of 'who done it?' set in a goldmining
settlement on New Zealands South island, 150 years ago. Not my sort of read
usually, but the plot is played out from the middle forwards and backwards by
most ingenious devices, and the many characters are so finely drawn, that
it is yet another delight for me.
Our best wishes to all readers, Hannah is still
building up to her first entry, but it is also the case that her i phone is
currently in game boy mode, so she is very busy, and can't be
interrupted!!
P.S. Hannah says this blog os too long, it is
more like a school essay!
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