30th August 2010 - Departure for Madeira

Sulana's Voyage
Alan and Sue Brook
Thu 2 Sep 2010 10:49
49 03.4'N 03 07.2'W

30th August 2010 First sighting of dolphins!
After getting the last of the provisions and saying goodbye to Mum we cast off at 11.20 for Madeira, on our first long passage together. Once under way we finished taking pictures of the Jersey coastline and conversation moved to the wildlife we hoped to see en route. Hannah was telling us how her parents had seen dolphins here on their trip and Alan felt sure we had a good chance of seeing various things including whales and dolphins. Within 20 minutes the first were spotted! 6 dolphins, Common, we think, joined us, dancing and jumping at the bow. They put on a real show for at least 30 minutes, allowing us to get some great photos.
Later on that evening, cold but under a lovely clear sky, we did some star gazing. Spotting The Plough, Orion's belt, Gemini, a few shooting stars and satellites. The Milky Way was very clear, a beautiful sight.