Crossing the Gulf of Maine — 2003-08-16 12:30
Henry and I played some Go, and I went to bed at the end of my watch. H joined be in the quarterberth some time later. A little before noon, we were awake and talking about games. (He said I’ve invested my energy in game-playing disproportionately to what is common in our culture. While granting his point, I pointed out the relationship between abstract strategy games and the maintenance of IQ.) At just before 11:50, he put his foot out through the open window into the cockpit (perhaps to play with and startle its occupants, Mike, Steve, & Pop). The response was immediate and demanding.
“Whale! Whale! Hey, guys, get up here, there’s a whale astern!”
We rushed topside, of course. We saw the whale dive several times, each time further away. Much excitement, and talk of the last time a whale was spotted on a similar journey one or two years ago. (Turns out it was around the same bank, too — Platt’s Bank.)
We prepped lunch — sandwiches for most, & spring onion soup for me. We were sitting, eating, and talking, and just as Sam came above (at 12:25) we sighted another whale, again astern, this time to starboard. We watched it crest several times as it fell behind us. It wasn’t really traveling, but we were (and are).
Speaking of which, it seems we could make Tenant’s Harbor tonight. The one constraint here is that the pressure has been dropping. It looks like we’re in for a storm, & Pop’s been searching his charts for a good harbor. Meanwhile, we’ve been averaging about 7 knots overground, and ranging up to 8.5.