Champagne Hippy Day 5 - 23rd November

Well well well what a day! Highs, lows laughter, and happy tears… have I got you hooked yet!

A stunning day to wake up to, blue skies all around the sun beating down everyone smiling and feeling cheery. At approximately 9.50 am Becca and Matt were on watch and thought they had spotted a whale, after our last two sightings we were feeling dubious. However, Matt was on his feet telling everyone enthusiastically to look around the boat it was super close. Sure enough, there emerged what we think were 3 pilot whales! They started riding the bow just as we’ve seen dolphins do previously. It was absolutely magical! Youngest crew member (19) Jonnie was asleep at this point so I hurried down to wake him up, this was too good of a moment to miss!

The whales stayed with us for over an hour moving away and coming back to the bow but almost always in sight and freaking the large schools of flying fish out causing them to leap from the water in groups. Nearing the end of the encounter we were sure more had joined the pod as we watched a small calf doing its best to leap out of the water and ride the waves as the adults had been doing. Another pinch-me moment for us all!

The day continued with everyone’s spirits lifted even higher post-whale sightings. As we were traveling downwind (and the wind being as light as it is) Captain Josh instructed us to hoist the asymmetrical spinnaker. This is still a new experience for us on this boat, as we are a newly formed crew for this passage, so it was very exciting! All went well with the hoist and our speed rose up 1-2 knots with its addition. Conditions were all round pleasant and we relaxed into the day with some music and cooled down with some ice lollies.

Things were calm, I was napping on the aft deck, Josh was relaxing into trimming the spinnaker, Julia and Jonnie were handing over to Matt and Becca for their mid-day watch, when all of a sudden Becca spotted a big mass of fishing net with a turtle entangled in it flapping around in distress!! We all jumped into action and quick-thinking captain Josh and first mate Matt went about directing us to pull down the spinnaker so we could make a 180, not something easily done in a boat this size!

Becca kept a close eye on the netted mass while Jonnie and Julia scrambled to get the spinnaker down as quickly and safely as possible. Matt and Becca were reeling in Rodney (our fishing rod) who happened to have caught a large dorado without anyone noticing (not the best timing Rod!) so that was quite the battle, Captain Josh was on the helm directing while I looked for a boat hook and our large fishing net to see if we could scoop it up. After some tactful manoeuvring, we came alongside the tangled mess, where Jonnie managed to get a hold with the hook, then with Matt's assistance they hauled it onto the port side deck.

What we found was unbelievable not one but TWO turtles all tangled up and in distress. We were all in shock but with the adrenaline spiking the guys got to work immediately with one of the boat's safety knives that we had close by. They tactfully cut away at the net around the first turtle until it was free (for the first time in who knows how long!) and threw him back, SPLASH, off he went back into his home and work started on the next turtle. This poor guy had the net nastily restraining his neck, when this specific piece was cut loose it was as if he took a large breath, queue the tears from many of us (Julia in particular) and then SPLASH back he went as well!

We were so elated that we managed to turn the boat so quickly, find them (in what feels like the infinite ocean), and set them free! We all said we would have been wondering what happened to them for the remainder of the trip and beyond had we not managed to find them. We also found two little triggerfish caught up and a number of small crabs that were scrambling to find a hiding place to call home on deck. Once all fish, crustations, and reptiles were back in the ocean where they belong we secured the net into a bag to be safely disposed of when we arrive in St Lucia!

High fives all round we could hardly believe what we had just managed to do. What a day, what a team, what an experience to be a part of! A well-deserved dinner of burgers and chips by Jonnie was devoured by all. I have a feeling we will all be sleeping well tonight!

Champagne Hippy Crew x