6th April 2012
SOTW made a brief stop in Vigo (NW Spain) to drop off Richard and pick up new team members, Alexa and Kerry. We left Vigo bound for the Azores on a beautiful calm morning, lit by the pink hues of the rising sun.
It wasn’t long before the team sighted bottlenose dolphins leaping and frolicking around 200 meters from the boat. Soon after, two pilot whales were seen logging at the surface. For many on board this was the first time they had seen pilot whales, but the encounter was just about to get better. Five more pilot whales (including a mother and her calf) then swam towards the boat and began to bow ride SOTW. The water was so calm and clear that they could easily be seen swimming around and darting underneath the boat with jets of bubbles streaming behind them. An incredible start to the journey.
Since then the wind speed has picked up which has been perfect for sailing however the sighting conditions have deteriorated. Despite this the team have sighted striped dolphins, common dolphins (including a calf still showing its foetal folds), fin whales and they have heard sperm whales clicking through the hydrophone.
Five days into their journey the team our getting into the swing of life on the ocean. Sleeping patterns have been adjusted to allow for keeping watch all times of the day and night, sea legs have been gained and ropes are being learnt.
(Another blog post for the MCR website)
After three great weeks conducting research around the Azores, it was time for us to leave the islands and say goodbye to some wonderful people. Odd jobs completed, hydrophones fixed, boat cleaned, food shopped for (over three hours of trawling the supermarket!) and at last Song of the Whale and her crew could set sail for America.
The weather in the first few days was great for sailing, however not so helpful for spotting whales. The wind picked up and the swell increased leaving us rattling and rolling around the boat. Michelle (our student from the Department of Fisheries in the Azores) cooked us a fantastic soup on the roughest day, though unfortunately most of it ended up in our laps.
 |
| Fin Whale |
Once the weather calmed down, we were able to assess and begin to sort out the main sail which had developed a rip overnight, and we began to see some cetaceans again.
Our first cetacean sighting was of a sperm whale logging at the surface around 200 meters from our boat. We have been hearing sperm whales clicking for most of our journey so far, the ocean is alive with sound!
We have also seen common and striped dolphins (some bow riding with us at night, casting trails of bioluminescence behind them), fin whales and even a blue whale. It is amazing that in this vast ocean our path crosses with the world’s largest living creature. Some good photo ID shots were taken and we could see that it had a chunk of its dorsal fin missing.
Bermuda to Boston...... To be continued....
