Wild Life

Christine's Atlantic Circuit
Peter Lansdale
Mon 21 May 2018 16:11
42'.11.191N  037'.09.037W
 
Feeding the Fish - Take 2!
No worries, not the earlier sort of feeding.  We had a cunning plan with regard to fishing However, the prospect of wrestling such a beast onboard, dispatching it in the variously suggested manners (belt it with a winch handle/drown it with the contents of a particularly bad bottle of gin purchased for this exact purpose/stick a knife between it's eyes or behind it's ?brain?)...we resisted at that point.  A few days on, having avoided starvation as previously mentioned, and having created not a small amount of fridge space, we threw out the tackle with high hopes.  It must have taken a very short time for something big to swallow the lure, hooks, three weights - one of them fairly big.  so we were literally Hook, Line and Sinkered. 
North Atlantic Fishing Stock 1 - CHRISTINE - 0.
 
Dolphin O'Clock
We  have had a few sightings of these lovely creatures but yesterday (Sunday 20th) we struck gold - 5 sightings in one day.  Different types including small jet black ones, 2m long ones with lovely creamy underbellies, some of them 'freckled'.  All of them playful. The favourite game seems to be playing chicken with the bow of the boat since they swim infront of the bow risking being mown down, or so it seems - only to dive under it and come out the other side smiling.  Fabulous.
 
Whale Watch
Count so far - 4.  First  one spotted as CHRISTINE left Islas Palominas P.R. so strictly speaking, maybe doesn't count as far as the crossing blog is concerned....but who cares?
Thereafter we have spotted 3 more and the last sighting followed the big dolphin display yesterday.  It was a fairly large one which floated alongside and passed us, only to bask just in view off the stern. This is something to be thankful for had it been snoozing, since one of the ARC boats which crossed with Christine and Mr X (I & Ms boat) had a "dozy whale" bump into them shortly after the start.  Whilst no doubt it may have been hard to say which party was the most shocked, there was no doubt as to which one came off worst - and, Dear Readers - it wasn't Moby Dick!
 
...and as if that wasn't exciting enough, as I write this, we are 20 miles away from the half way mark.  This should coincide with Afternoon Tea, so a celebration is is order...half of a Christmas Cake awaits!
L
Lynn & Manuela writing blogs with 30 knots outside