At sea to Salvador
In this modern world the speed of travel by jet aeroplane has compressed the distance between continents into a matter of hours. On board the National Geographic Explorer we are travelling at about 16 miles per hour instead of hundreds of miles per hour and therefore gaining a real appreciation of the scale of our journey. There is also great pleasure to be taken in having the luxury of time to make the transition at a less hurried pace, although we are grateful for our engines pushing us steadily along rather than relying on sails and winds as many who made this journey before us would have done.
This was the second of the five days at sea that will take us across the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Verde Islands to Salvador, Brazil. The pace of life at sea is settling in and the day consisted of a relaxed series of presentations interspersed with reading, naps, conversation and good meals. A watch is kept from the bridge and bow for passing wildlife and today we added another species to the impressive variety of dolphins encountered during this voyage. A small group of highly energetic dolphins briefly investigated the bow but then accelerated and left us behind with an impressive burst of speed. These were identified as short-snouted spinner dolphins, also known as Clymene dolphins, named after the goddess of fame and infamy; the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys in Greek mythology.
Otherwise, the day at sea passed quietly. A few late afternoon rain squalls reminded us of our passage from the north-east trade winds into the south-east trade winds. Tomorrow, another transition awaits us, as we cross from the northern to the southern hemisphere.
