May 14th, 2012
Latitude 36º39.6 N, Longitude 52º18.6 W, heading SW at 7 knots. Sea state 0, no wind.
After a rough first week at sea with strong winds, big swell and some technical problems, we finally got some calm days, ideal for visual surveys.
Day 9 After we left Horta (I only know the date because of my diary, otherwise I would be completely lost in time, since the days at sea have their own rhythm). For me this was the best day of the trip so far, and probably one of the best of my life.
With a surprisingly calm sea and the sun rising above the horizon, we started the A-frame watch with sea turtles, most of them juvenile loggerheads resting at the surface. One was even actively chasing and feeding on a Portuguese man of war, the most common jellyfish seen around these waters.. Yummy! On the morning shift, we observed a new species for us, the Atlantic spotted dolphin!! Rather curious and sneaky at the same time, it made me wonder who observes who…
On this lovely sunny day, we decided to do a stop so Mat could check the engine, and the rest of us could enjoy a swim in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in warm waters 4000 meters deep. So we pulled in the two 400m hydrophone cables, stopped the engine and jumped into the blue! Just as I was thinking life couldn´t get any better, I heard someone saying “Dolphins on the stern!”. Less than 20 meters away from us, a group of around 12 individuals (probably spotted dolphins), must have been listening our splashes and came to check us out. As soon as I dived down I could clearly hear their clicks underwater, such an amazing feeling. I´m not going to try to describe how magical this experience was for all of us, because there are not enough words to explain it, its just something you can only understand by being there.
As I said, time goes by in a different way, and the day was not over. It was my day to cook and so I went to the galley in a great mood willing to do my best, when I was interrupted by another encounter with cetaceans. Perfect break! I ran out of the galley to get some fresh air, while watching a sperm whale spy hopping and spotted dolphins bowriding in the same area. With the headphones, you could hear the sperm whales communicating with their coda clicks and dolphins whistling everywhere! Without any doubt, this dinner deserved hot chocolate bananas.
An amazing sunset followed by a breathtaking sky made me want to sleep outside.. Since the conditions were favourable, I thought it was the perfect night for it,. So I got my sleeping bag and spent the night looking for stars, watching the moon rise, and asking myself how could I be so lucky? I saw some shooting stars, but not many wishes to ask for, since life could not be better. I still can´t believe I´m crossing the Atlantic onboard Song of the Whale, sailing and doing research all at once, with a fantastic group of people who´ve become more and more like my family. Every night I have to remind myself that this is not a dream, or maybe I should say it is a dream come true, but a dream that I had never even dreamt about, that´s how surreal it was for me. I thank them all for letting me be part of their lives and adventures. And the best part of this, is that is not over yet! Next stop: Bermuda! We have to repair the main sail and refuel for the rest of the journey, so within a week we will see what the Bermuda triangle is like (if we loose contact, you would know why).
Species sighted this week:
Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Stripped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Leache´s storm petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa
Cory´s shearwater Calonectis diomedea
Greater shearwater Puffinus gravis
Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus
Long tailed skua Stercorarius longicaudus
Great skua Catharacta skua
Common tern Sterna hirundo
Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta
Michelle
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