At Sea
Latitude: 02 40’ S to 07 40’ S
Longitude: 19 55’ W to 17 45 W
The balmy calm glassy seas are ideal for spotting wildlife over the enormous expanse of the North Atlantic, which stretches endlessly in every direction; and those up early are rewarded with flying fish and bird sightings as the sun rises. A little later Short-finned Pilot Whales and Rough Toothed Dolphins are spotted, and we are all treated to very close views of these mammals as they continue unperturbed by our approach with their business. Their short blows are clearly audible to us, even with all the motor drives hammering away as the photographers attempt to get that pin sharp image, and their bodies glisten in the morning light. The pilot whales must number some 30 to 35 individuals and the dolphins five. The pilot whales surface randomly at regular intervals and, in contrast, the dolphins do so either together or in reduced numbers in synchronized fashion.
Throughout the rest of the morning a number of different birds are seen, among which, are Arctic Terns on their enormous migration route to their breeding grounds in the Arctic from the Antarctic where they spent their summer. It is the longest migration route in the animal kingdom and makes our epic journey seem short in comparison. Mostly they fly obliquely across us from west to east and with a purpose, whilst others circle around having spotted some food and dart down to pick up sustenance before heading off again.
Just before lunch and into the early afternoon we come across many amber patches of Sargassum Weed, mostly in small clumps, but occasionally larger ones are also encountered. These have probably been brought out here by the Equatorial Counter-current.
Throughout the day we are kept busy with presentations, opportunities to further our navigation and culinary skills, or simply time to soak up the warm weather with a good book or have a siesta.
