Most of the time on passages it’s a lonely existence, with only chance encounters with freighters that break up the horizon. If there were other cruisers that we could make the passage with that would be fun, but finding another boat on our route with our general speed characteristics is not that easy to do. What we find mostly this time of year is that we’re pretty much the only boat out cruising. I’d guess that will be a bit different come June and July.
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| Take a close look at Ross' head |
Anyway, we managed to pickup a hitchhiker in the form of a bird. It started following the boat about a half hour before dark and then tried to land on the table .. but slid off, then tried to land on the companionway, but it was a little close to Ross and me, then flew off again. It was remarkably agile swooping in, gliding, then bugging out into the wind and all the time missing the various wires, poles and ropes around the cockpit. Eventually it was getting dark and he might have been getting tired, and he landed on, of all things, my hat.
He liked it there but if I moved he flew off. As the darkness came he became more and more interested in landing. At one point he landed in Ross’ hair and I got him off with my hand and put him on my hat that I put on the winch …. Later on that night Marina moved the hat from the port to the starboard side … and he stayed put. At 6:30 light came and off he flew. I hope he wasn’t trying to fly to Greece, because we took him about 80 miles in the wrong direction if he did.
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| Matt showing off his bird brain |
He liked it there but if I moved he flew off. As the darkness came he became more and more interested in landing. At one point he landed in Ross’ hair and I got him off with my hand and put him on my hat that I put on the winch …. Later on that night Marina moved the hat from the port to the starboard side … and he stayed put. At 6:30 light came and off he flew. I hope he wasn’t trying to fly to Greece, because we took him about 80 miles in the wrong direction if he did.
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| Jessie and the Bird on the Midnight Shift |
Around noon on Friday we came across a big pod of dolphins that stayed with us for about a half hour – 10 or 12 of them – little guys maybe 2 meters long – diving and having fun on the bow for at least 30 minutes. And over the course of the next couple of hours, we had various numbers of dolphins playing with us.
We took quite a bit of video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jTimlAHKl4 and still shots – but the level of fun they appear to be having – there can’t be any other reason for them to do it – is awesome. Kind of like watching horses run around a field or dogs playing.
We took quite a bit of video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jTimlAHKl4 and still shots – but the level of fun they appear to be having – there can’t be any other reason for them to do it – is awesome. Kind of like watching horses run around a field or dogs playing.
Anyway, it becomes the highlight of the passage as we power or sail for hours on end.
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