dolphins at the beach
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29:19.60S 173:54.80E Dolphins at the beach Saturday 4am We are all in better spirits now. Yesterday’s calm winds
gave us all a chance to stretch, walk the deck, sit out and read or sleep without
concern for getting doused by waves; sort of like going to the beach. Thom and
Robert certainly seem to be improving as they attacked the galley with gusto last
night, producing (and eating healthy portions) of a special chicken dinner with
potatoes and peas. It was like old times; which times, I’m, not sure, but
it was enjoyed by all. I am more encouraged by the weather situation, and am out of
what I think was a funk regarding the conflicting and ominous reports. Yesterday
we got some consistency in our weather maps and they have been reflecting reality
the past 2 days, so that feels pretty good. Also, they seem to call for good weather.
Yesterday afternoon I also was at the beach, reading on the foredeck, where the
bow wave drowns out the engine sound, and heard a couple of unusual splashes.
I looked up to see a dolphin zig zagging left and right just under the bow.
When I got up and whooped “dolphin”, the creature took off to
starboard for about 300 feet and then lept in the air. Then we saw the most
wondrous sight; as 12 dolphins lept up in unison. They kept jumping and
arching in concert every 10 seconds; alternately disappearing leaving only some
wave disturbance suggesting a reef, only to jump again and curl back to the water
in perfect circles. I was jumping on the deck and yelling dolphins to tell the
others; only when I yelled “mermaids”, did the crew rise out of
their sleep or away from their video down below. They (dolphins) really are
beautiful and it is a special treat to have the opportunity to witness their
grace and beauty. Their presence opened us up, lightened the mood, and left us
all smiling and laughing. Their power to make us feel good and laugh is quite
amazing. This sounds trite and cliché, but is true and remarkable. We are now 349 miles from our waypoint just outside Opua,
the town where we are going to check into NZ. Thenafter a day or two there,
we plan to sail about 150 miles to HI to Lesley, Marla, Ryan, Jaime. babelfish |