Things that go bump in the night.......

At two o’clock in the morning, sat huddled in the corner of the cockpit, the last thing I expected was to hear a sound that was midway between a cough and a retch and then to see an object five or six feet long fly past at head height! Its strange how you sense something is there and turn to look but only in time to catch the sensation of movement rather than any distinct form.

Mags was in bed and so I was on watch alone, this “happening” had caused me to jump and set my heart pounding. The loud splash that followed was not reassuring either. One of the fundamentals of a lone night watch 30 miles out at sea is that you are left alone and UFOs are simply not welcome. What the bloody hell was it? Was I dinner or was it harmless?

Oh no! there was another one - every inch of six feet and very threatening in the inky darkness. Another huge splash and it was gone, back in the deep where it belonged. Dewsnap was not a happy bunny and not in the mood for scary mysteries.

Wow! Got it that time! We have been honoured by the visit of some exceptionally lively dolphins, maybe dozen or so. Now I know what to look for I find that even the darkness I can see these fantastic animals quite clearly when they are quite deep in the water as they seem to glow under water as they disturb the phosphorescence. Its almost as though they are leaving a trail of bubbles like a living torpedo.

Swimming easily at boat speed or even double that at times they ride the bow and stern waves, going within millimetres of the hull without ever touching, darting this way and that, and every now and then making the huge leaps which had so concerned me earlier. They seemed to have two styles of leap; a neat and tidy jump out of the water followed by an equally tidy re-entry with hardly a splash or a more exuberant “show off “ leap followed by an impressive belly flop with accompanying splash.

We have been accompanied by porpoises and dolphins on pretty much every trip we have made. I don’t know what attracts them and why they come to play but their effect is amazing and really lifts everyone’s spirits. Watching them certainly never becomes boring.