Now that we have sailed more than 360
degrees around the world and, judging by the weather this morning – dull, grey,
overcast & drizzling – we must be nearly back in the UK, I thought it was
time for a summary of some of the things I've seen since 20th August
2017 you wouldn't believe (and some you probably would):
Probably thousands of flying fish, in all oceans of the world,
skimming over the waves and sometimes into the boat (and on one occasion
directly into my dinner bowl)Dozens of dead squid on the foredeck that come over with the waves –
sometimes these get wedged in the folds of the not-in-use staysail on the
foredeck and gently decompose over the next few days, resulting in a
'distinctive' smell when we next hoist itMany dolphins swimming alongside the boat and under the bowspritAs above, except in pitch black nights with lots of phosphorescent
plankton in the water, showing up their trails as glowing lines behind themMinke, humpback and killer whales – and some sharksTurtles swimming slowly alongHuge albatrosses in the South Indian Ocean, petrels and shearwaters
and skuas and gannets and so on and so forth elsewhere, fishing and gliding
around usSeabirds flying too close, colliding with our mast and crashing to
the deck – these get thrown overboard, mostly just to fly straight off again.
Mostly.Sunfish in the water, looking just like oddly-shaped bubbles on the
surface (Once, a few days ago on the foredeck, I saw one get snapped up by a
small – basking? – shark.)Fleets of literally hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels surrounding
us at night, lighting up the entire horizon (and the navigation computer's
screen) and requiring constant watch and course corrections to dodge them and
their net buoys, as we race through them under spinnaker at 12 knotsAs above, except in dense fogSqualls that send the wind from 5 to 35 knots in 30 secondsCloud fronts that cause the wind to quickly change direction by 180
degreesAs above, except three times in one hour (With added beautiful cloud
banks looking like rolling waves, or wind-blown snow.)a gently smoking active volcano at close range (Mount Io)GT doing the washing upAnd some things we haven't seen:
the krakenthe Flying Dutchmanany mermaids (well, except Mia on Leg 5)R'lyehIsla NublarIsle of Sodor (still got time for this one on the Derry-Liverpool
trip)GT doing the washing up again!
