Beautiful offshore moment

[oceangirl]

I was thinking about how many stories we swap about fun times, hardship, repairs, even scary times and I thought to try to start a thread focusing on a beautiful offshore experience. I’ve never started a thread before and I am new to this web forum thingy stuff so I hope this is okay.

Here is one of the many times God has knocked my socks off while sailing offshore.

One day in the Atlantic, I was sailing along with seas off the beam, my boat fell off an especially large wave into a trough. In the trough, we were surrounded by a wall of deep blue water about as high as the spreaders (beautiful!). Anyways, it was a bright sunny day, we fell off this big wave into a trough, and off my beam in the wall of the next wave is a 20 ft pilot whale. The whale was above me looking down into the cockpit, and I was looking up at him into the wave. He was maybe 15 feet away, running parallel to the boat, his head even with the cockpit. I had the pilot whale’s complete profile from nose to tail and our eyes met! Never in all my imagination would I of thought I’d have to look up to see a whale. That is the great thing about the ocean, it defies even my wildest imagination.

[SecondWindNC]

There's nothing like being offshore, with nothing but water and sky as far as the eye can see, to give you a little perspective. Especially at night, for some reason. It just always makes me realize how small I am and reminds me to just relish every moment that I'm here.

Geez, I'm sorry. I usually try not to be that sappy about it.

[AjariBonten]

What a fantastic story! You never know what the ocean is going to give you.................

[imagine2frolic]

Originally Posted by AjariBonten

What a fantastic story! You never know what the ocean is going to give you.................

Or take from you There are so many I can't do the most beautiful, or scariest. I have had a number of both. I can only confess that I keep returning, and it's never soon enough. Even after almost being killed

Ajari have you been in lock down? Long time no read your typing. ......i2f

[Cruisingdad]

Same thing happened to us (but it was Dolphin). We were about 120 miles offshore of FL and in these square waves the gulf is known for in a northern. Woke up the next morning to watch dolphin eye to eye with us as the waves passed under. It was almost like you could reach out and touch them. We tried shooting pictures of it but the camera was caoted with sea spray and they came out terrible!!

Funny thing was that on our way back from the Tortugas, we had to motor the whole way!!!! Flattest seas I have ever seen. It was like a swimming pool.

Here is the ride back... look at how flat those seas are!!!



Picture perfect memory.

- CD

[sailortjk1]

Do you mind if I share a story from the Great Lakes?
Not off shore, but still relevant in my opinion.


Every season we return at least twice to our home Port; it is an 85nautical mile sail. One season, I don't even remember which one it was, we were sailing home, and I always leave after midnight and sail all night to arrive the next day. We always enjoy the night sky and love to watch the stars.
On this particular night, I go on deck to relieve my wife Julie in the cockpit; she explains to me how wonderful the starts are tonight. I sheepishly nod my head and mumble a "I bet they are." No, No really. She says look up.


I turned my head to the heavens and I was in awe.
I have never seen anything like it in my life and I have never seen anything like it again.


We did not see "Stars", we saw the entire Milky Way. I cannot describe it other than to say that what I saw was a "White Cloud" of heaven. You simply did not see individual stars, but we saw a “Cloud”. The cockpit was lit up as if we had an LED in our rigging. You could read a book with out any assistance. It was amazing, a once in a lifetime experience; words do not do justice to the experince.

[Cruisingdad]

Originally Posted by sailortjk1

Do you mind if I share a story from the Great Lakes?
Not off shore, but still relevant in my opinion.


Every season we return at least twice to our home Port; it is an 85nautical mile sail. One season, I don't even remember which one it was, we were sailing home, and I always leave after midnight and sail all night to arrive the next day. We always enjoy the night sky and love to watch the stars.
On this particular night, I go on deck to relieve my wife Julie in the cockpit; she explains to me how wonderful the starts are tonight. I sheepishly nod my head and mumble a "I bet they are." No, No really. She says look up.


I turned my head to the heavens and I was in awe.
I have never seen anything like it in my life and I have never seen anything like it again.


We did not see "Stars", we saw the entire Milky Way. I cannot describe it other than to say that what I saw was a "White Cloud" of heaven. You simply did not see individual stars, but we saw a “Cloud”. The cockpit was lit up as if we had an LED in our rigging. You could read a book with out any assistance. It was amazing, a once in a lifetime experience; words do not do justice to the experince.

Very Cool!!!

Brian

[painkiller]

Originally Posted by oceangirl

I was thinking about how many stories we swap about fun times, hardship, repairs, even scary times and I thought to try to start a thread focusing on a beautiful offshore experience. I’ve never started a thread before and I am new to this web forum thingy stuff so I hope this is okay.

Here is one of the many times God has knocked my socks off while sailing offshore.

One day in the Atlantic, I was sailing along with seas off the beam, my boat fell off an especially large wave into a trough. In the trough, we were surrounded by a wall of deep blue water about as high as the spreaders (beautiful!). Anyways, it was a bright sunny day, we fell off this big wave into a trough, and off my beam in the wall of the next wave is a 20 ft pilot whale. The whale was above me looking down into the cockpit, and I was looking up at him into the wave. He was maybe 15 feet away, running parallel to the boat, his head even with the cockpit. I had the pilot whale’s complete profile from nose to tail and our eyes met! Never in all my imagination would I of thought I’d have to look up to see a whale. That is the great thing about the ocean, it defies even my wildest imagination.

The same thing happened to me once! But I was at an aquarium. I still get goosebumps, though.

[smackdaddy]

Gaaaaaaaaa! It's PAINKILLER!



He is aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

(Sorry - that's all I got. I sail in a lake. Maybe a carp in a ripple?)

[painkiller]

Those ripple carps are scary. Sometimes that carp he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a ripple carp... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'.