Pierless Adventures - April 26 - Motoring to Mazatlan

The weather has not changed. Light winds from the NW, no wind waves to speak of and small swell to keep the boat rocking...  My morning shift from 4 to 8 seemed long this time.   I was a little tired and had to focus to keep on task.  I did not see another boat, though a few did show up on our navigation instruments, but were too far away to see.

I managed to get some good sleep after my morning.  I start my afternoon watch again at 4.  While Dave was on watch, a pod of what I think are pacific bottlenose dolphins paid us a visit.  They played around the boat for quite a while, diving under and around the bow.  Not sure how many in the pod, but would guess a dozen or so.  We also saw a sea lion on its back with flippers out of the water – just floating there.  There was a sea lion in the marina that did the same thing.  None of us had seen that before.

 

Dolphin underwater:

 

A few smaller birds flew by, some looked like swallows, but it seems odd to have swallows 80 miles out at sea.

I came on watch to calm conditions and a light following breeze.   We were cruising along around 5 knots.  Later I started seeing flying fish.   They are pretty amazing.  They jump out of the water and “fly” along, flapping their fins and looking just like a small silver bird.   I saw them fly anywhere from 20 feet to over 100 feet.  When finished with their aerobatics, they disappear below the water with a small splash.

At the same time, three boobys started flying around the boat.  As I watched, it became clear that the boat was scaring the flying fish out of the water.  I drew this conclusion from the fact that I always saw them going away from the boat, not toward it.  The boobys would cruise ahead of the boat and when a flying fish took off, they would dive and swoop after it.  This happened time and time again. I could not tell how often their efforts were rewarded with a meal, but it did not seem they were too successful.

I saw another turtle shortly after, just bobbing along in the waves.   What a strange life they have – alone at sea at the mercy of wind, wave and currents.  Eating jellyfish and whatever else they happen upon.

Around 6:00 a large pod of pilot whales came by.  The swam quite close to the boat with their shiny dark bodies.  They are graceful swimmers.  Some were by themselves and some swam in close pairs. Perhaps mother and calf? 

Shortly after the pilot whales, we saw what we believe was a small to medium sized shark.  We mostly just saw the dorsal fin and tail.  The dorsal looked black and I would estimate the shark at less than 8 feet.

After a long day with little wildlife, the late afternoon/early evening provided a welcome variety of visitors.   We live on a water planet.  71% of the earth's surface is covered by water.  Being land creatures, most of us rarely experience what most of this planet is like.   It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have the opportunity to sail offshore, out of sight of land and to experience this part of our planet.