Day 206, Year 10: Passage to Cape Cod, Day 2-Moonlight and Dolphins
Date: Monday, May 4, 2015
Weather: Sunny and Warm (upper 70’s F); Wind SW 5
Latitude: 34 56.900 N
Longitude: 075 40.537 W
Location: 18 Miles South of Cape Hatteras
One of the highlights of today came during last evening and overnight. We watched the full moon rise as the sun went down and then continued to enjoy the moonlight throughout the night. There was not a cloud in the sky, so the moonlight was bright. If we were sailing it would have been a perfect passage night, but we’ll take what we get and enjoy it. Today was another cloudless day and during the morning the sea was totally glassy. I spotted some dolphin fins in the distance and as they approached Windbird, I grabbed my camera. Usually dolphins play in the wake of the bow, but these guys just huddled up near the bow and rode along with us for a bit making for a great photo opportunity. Then one would break away and come back and the next would break away and come back. It was an impressive dolphin dance in a crystal clear, deep blue sea. The low point of the day was the sighting of a Mylar party balloon floating on the water. We don’t see a ton of them, but even one is one too many. The next time I’m tempted to buy one, I’m going to stop myself. They are festive, but they escape too easily, eventually end up in the ocean, and then cause problems for the sea life. There must be a better way to celebrate events. We have not had cell service, and therefore no internet service, for more than two or three minutes at a time since leaving the Cape Lookout area.
Somehow my sister Patsy got through with a phone call today. The call dropped three different times, but we were able call again and continue our conversation. She just wanted to make sure things were still going smoothly and they are. But “smoothly” on the ocean usually means no wind and that is certainly the case today. We had 1-2 knots all morning and now the 5-7 knots we have are coming from the SW which is directly behind us. So we continue to motor along. We will pass Cape Hatteras at about 9 pm and make a turn to the north. That will put what wind we have on the beam and we might be able to put out headsail to give us a bit of a boost. Right now we just have up the main and we are merrily motoring along.
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| 150504 Day 206 Passage to Cape Cod–Second Day, Full Moon & Dolphins |
