Day 12 - Amazing Day - Friday, 18th February 2011
Up really early again. I woke Rachel up accidentally and she said something like,'Do you realise what the time is?' I said I did and she said,'Well, I'm not getting up yet!' I told her to go back to sleep!!
I was woken earlier when the boat started up, but I found it strangely comforting and soon went back to sleep.
Another beautiful morning and more toast and a smile from Gary. God, how will I cope without his smiling face in the mornings? I wish I could take him home with me!! I've got into such a routine now of standing out on deck as soon as dawn breaks and enjoying the early morning air and sun I really will be devastated to leave it!
We saw a pod of Bottlenose dolphins this morning and I, naturally, took a load more photos of them.
The most amazing thing happened today, though. Captain Mike told us that a Fin Whale had been spotted, so we all, like sheep, assumed the positions and hoped there might be a decent photo opportunity. We were following a couple of Fin Whales and (some of us) nicknamed one of them Lumpy as it had this strange growth on its side. We were with them for a while, then Lumpy went off to do his/her own thing. We were left with this amazing sight. This Fin whale was swimming along side our boat. He/she was very close and because the water was so calm and so clear, you could see the entire whale really clearly. He/she just kept pace with the boat. Apparently, Captain Mike said that the whale kept veering towards the boat and he kept having to steer the boat away for fear of a collision. They said they'd never seen anything like it before. The entire crew were out taking pictures and getting excited! It was so amazing. I took some video footage again, because I felt still pictures wouldn't do it justice. It was as if the whale fell in love with our boat and wanted to stay with us ( I know that's just me projecting my human emotions onto the situation, but it did feel like that!) The whale kept turning as if to watch us and seemed to have a big smile on his/her face! It certainly created a feeling of high elation amongst us throughout the rest of the morning!
Then, later on, this feeling soon evaporated as we witnessed the more depressing side of life at sea. A Humpback Whale had been spotted so we all rushed out to have a look, but a tragedy began to unfold before us. This poor whale had metres and metres of fishing net wrapped around it's tail and it quickly became obvious that this was causing the whale huge problems. We followed him/her for a while and Mark told us that we would have to leave him/her and hope all would be ok. We were all very upset and many of us were crying - especially after we'd had such a positive experience earlier in the day. I went out to the back of the boat and then saw that they were lowering one of the skiffs and suddenly it was all hands on deck. Before I knew it, Mark, Matt and Brian had launched themselves in a skiff and were going after the whale. Someone said they were going to attempt to cut the net off and free the whale. We all watched and held our breath as they risked their lives to try and save him/ her. Captain Mike was tracking the whale on his radar and would let them know via the PA system roughly where the whale would break water. So, Mark, Matt and Brian would then try and position themselves so that they could hook some of the net and, hopefully cut it off. This went on for quite a while and there were a few hairy moments when it looked like the whale would drag them under - or at least drag one of them off the boat! Eventually, they did manage to cut some of the net off. But it was only a relatively small amount. By now, the whale was getting more and more stressed and the situation was becoming more and more dangerous for our intrepid heroes. In the end, they had to give up because it was becoming impossible. Mark said that he hoped they had given the whale a fighting chance and that he/she at least had more of a chance than before we'd come across him/her. But the whole experience left the boat subdued - especially after the previous 'high'.
Later on we saw some more Brydes Whales. Sonya and I have taken to calling them 'Boring Brydes Whales' because they don't do very much! I know that sounds awful - but because we've now had so many other very exciting encounters, they do seem a bit dull!!
Rachel had told us that on the last night of the trip, Brian does a 'Margarita Night'. For some reason - maybe because we were all a little depressed - it happened this evening instead. I was very excited by the thought of Margaritas as I was getting bored with beer which is not something I normally drink a lot of!! So, I watched Brian making his first batch and virtually pounced on him to fill my glass up first. I could tell straight away, that Brian was highly amused by my behaviour and he was up for a bit of fun. So, I proceeded to follow him round the boat like a puppy dog, getting him to fill up my glass at every opportunity which he did with a wicked glint in his eye! They were very nice and made me feel all warm and cosy inside!! Rachel decided that there was a great photo opportunity in the offing. Brian had gone inside to make another batch, so Rachel suggested that when he came back, that I lie on the deck with my mouth open and see if he would just pour the cocktail into my mouth! Naturally, when I lay on the deck, Brian was up for a laugh and proceeded to pour as requested! This had to happen a couple of times, so people could get their photos - otherwise I would never have dreamt of doing it!! All those Margaritas made me feel so full of love that I had to go around to all the members of the crew that I could find and tell them that I loved them very much. I may have done this more than once! I don't think they've ever experienced anything quite like it! Apparently, Rachel told me that Captain Mike had been watching my shenanigans with Brian on the deck and had been laughing his head off - not scowling in disapproval as I thought he would!!
During dinner, I had to tell Gary again how much I loved him and he indulged me with a lovely smile with his laughing eyes! I even told JP/PJ that I loved him, much to his amusement, and he didn't reiterate that he had a girlfriend or run away!!
By the end of the evening and a few coffees I had sobered up and watched the stars again. No shooting stars tonight - but a beautiful sky nevertheless!
Up really early again. I woke Rachel up accidentally and she said something like,'Do you realise what the time is?' I said I did and she said,'Well, I'm not getting up yet!' I told her to go back to sleep!!
I was woken earlier when the boat started up, but I found it strangely comforting and soon went back to sleep.
Another beautiful morning and more toast and a smile from Gary. God, how will I cope without his smiling face in the mornings? I wish I could take him home with me!! I've got into such a routine now of standing out on deck as soon as dawn breaks and enjoying the early morning air and sun I really will be devastated to leave it!
We saw a pod of Bottlenose dolphins this morning and I, naturally, took a load more photos of them.
The most amazing thing happened today, though. Captain Mike told us that a Fin Whale had been spotted, so we all, like sheep, assumed the positions and hoped there might be a decent photo opportunity. We were following a couple of Fin Whales and (some of us) nicknamed one of them Lumpy as it had this strange growth on its side. We were with them for a while, then Lumpy went off to do his/her own thing. We were left with this amazing sight. This Fin whale was swimming along side our boat. He/she was very close and because the water was so calm and so clear, you could see the entire whale really clearly. He/she just kept pace with the boat. Apparently, Captain Mike said that the whale kept veering towards the boat and he kept having to steer the boat away for fear of a collision. They said they'd never seen anything like it before. The entire crew were out taking pictures and getting excited! It was so amazing. I took some video footage again, because I felt still pictures wouldn't do it justice. It was as if the whale fell in love with our boat and wanted to stay with us ( I know that's just me projecting my human emotions onto the situation, but it did feel like that!) The whale kept turning as if to watch us and seemed to have a big smile on his/her face! It certainly created a feeling of high elation amongst us throughout the rest of the morning!
Then, later on, this feeling soon evaporated as we witnessed the more depressing side of life at sea. A Humpback Whale had been spotted so we all rushed out to have a look, but a tragedy began to unfold before us. This poor whale had metres and metres of fishing net wrapped around it's tail and it quickly became obvious that this was causing the whale huge problems. We followed him/her for a while and Mark told us that we would have to leave him/her and hope all would be ok. We were all very upset and many of us were crying - especially after we'd had such a positive experience earlier in the day. I went out to the back of the boat and then saw that they were lowering one of the skiffs and suddenly it was all hands on deck. Before I knew it, Mark, Matt and Brian had launched themselves in a skiff and were going after the whale. Someone said they were going to attempt to cut the net off and free the whale. We all watched and held our breath as they risked their lives to try and save him/ her. Captain Mike was tracking the whale on his radar and would let them know via the PA system roughly where the whale would break water. So, Mark, Matt and Brian would then try and position themselves so that they could hook some of the net and, hopefully cut it off. This went on for quite a while and there were a few hairy moments when it looked like the whale would drag them under - or at least drag one of them off the boat! Eventually, they did manage to cut some of the net off. But it was only a relatively small amount. By now, the whale was getting more and more stressed and the situation was becoming more and more dangerous for our intrepid heroes. In the end, they had to give up because it was becoming impossible. Mark said that he hoped they had given the whale a fighting chance and that he/she at least had more of a chance than before we'd come across him/her. But the whole experience left the boat subdued - especially after the previous 'high'.
Later on we saw some more Brydes Whales. Sonya and I have taken to calling them 'Boring Brydes Whales' because they don't do very much! I know that sounds awful - but because we've now had so many other very exciting encounters, they do seem a bit dull!!
Rachel had told us that on the last night of the trip, Brian does a 'Margarita Night'. For some reason - maybe because we were all a little depressed - it happened this evening instead. I was very excited by the thought of Margaritas as I was getting bored with beer which is not something I normally drink a lot of!! So, I watched Brian making his first batch and virtually pounced on him to fill my glass up first. I could tell straight away, that Brian was highly amused by my behaviour and he was up for a bit of fun. So, I proceeded to follow him round the boat like a puppy dog, getting him to fill up my glass at every opportunity which he did with a wicked glint in his eye! They were very nice and made me feel all warm and cosy inside!! Rachel decided that there was a great photo opportunity in the offing. Brian had gone inside to make another batch, so Rachel suggested that when he came back, that I lie on the deck with my mouth open and see if he would just pour the cocktail into my mouth! Naturally, when I lay on the deck, Brian was up for a laugh and proceeded to pour as requested! This had to happen a couple of times, so people could get their photos - otherwise I would never have dreamt of doing it!! All those Margaritas made me feel so full of love that I had to go around to all the members of the crew that I could find and tell them that I loved them very much. I may have done this more than once! I don't think they've ever experienced anything quite like it! Apparently, Rachel told me that Captain Mike had been watching my shenanigans with Brian on the deck and had been laughing his head off - not scowling in disapproval as I thought he would!!
During dinner, I had to tell Gary again how much I loved him and he indulged me with a lovely smile with his laughing eyes! I even told JP/PJ that I loved him, much to his amusement, and he didn't reiterate that he had a girlfriend or run away!!
By the end of the evening and a few coffees I had sobered up and watched the stars again. No shooting stars tonight - but a beautiful sky nevertheless!
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