14 to 18 June 2013
We took Dave's cousin Keith and Linda out on the boat for an overnight stay in a bay the next day. Our first chance for a trip out in the boat since launching. We tacked down the Meganissey channel, with Keith on the helm, having a great time, put into Sivota for little fishes for lunch, then sailed round the other side of Meganissey to our favourite bay, codenamed 'Choc-rock' due to the geology which looks like melted chocolate. Pete and Ed came alongside in their boat, with large helpings of spaghetti bolognaise for the intrepid sailors. We had an amazing sighting of an Eagle owl while we were there - Europe's largest owl. It was sitting in a thicket being mobbed by crows - Dave saw it fly in, being the observant type, the rest of us only saw it in the bushes, all tufty ears and nearly 3 ft tall.
I had just got a new prescription dive mask, so although the water was chilly for extended snorkelling, I gave it a go, and spotted a cuttlefish, like a large squid, with black and white tiger patterns down its back.
In the morning, we were bothered by a big powerboat anchoring nearby, and then this little fishing boat appeared to sell fish to the powerboat, and we were surprised to see our friend Grey - another ex-pat - on board, helping out as the fisherman's mother was sick.
However, moments later, the coastguard turned up and told Grey he was not allowed to help his friend, as he was not a professional fisherman and would be fined on the next occasion, which rather spoiled the moment.
We were back for work at Nisos on Sunday, and then had two days of joint skipper training on one of the boats Dave winterises, a couple new to the partnership that owns her. One of their first questions was whether we saw dolphins very often, so we explained that they are quite rare now, as the area is so overfished and you hardly ever see them, etc, etc. Then this happened:
(Apparently these are 'short-beaked common dolphins' - I bet that's not what they call themselves! NB, that's my foot in the lower right hand corner, the white splodge is the bow of the boat.)
We took Dave's cousin Keith and Linda out on the boat for an overnight stay in a bay the next day. Our first chance for a trip out in the boat since launching. We tacked down the Meganissey channel, with Keith on the helm, having a great time, put into Sivota for little fishes for lunch, then sailed round the other side of Meganissey to our favourite bay, codenamed 'Choc-rock' due to the geology which looks like melted chocolate. Pete and Ed came alongside in their boat, with large helpings of spaghetti bolognaise for the intrepid sailors. We had an amazing sighting of an Eagle owl while we were there - Europe's largest owl. It was sitting in a thicket being mobbed by crows - Dave saw it fly in, being the observant type, the rest of us only saw it in the bushes, all tufty ears and nearly 3 ft tall.
I had just got a new prescription dive mask, so although the water was chilly for extended snorkelling, I gave it a go, and spotted a cuttlefish, like a large squid, with black and white tiger patterns down its back.
In the morning, we were bothered by a big powerboat anchoring nearby, and then this little fishing boat appeared to sell fish to the powerboat, and we were surprised to see our friend Grey - another ex-pat - on board, helping out as the fisherman's mother was sick.
However, moments later, the coastguard turned up and told Grey he was not allowed to help his friend, as he was not a professional fisherman and would be fined on the next occasion, which rather spoiled the moment.
We were back for work at Nisos on Sunday, and then had two days of joint skipper training on one of the boats Dave winterises, a couple new to the partnership that owns her. One of their first questions was whether we saw dolphins very often, so we explained that they are quite rare now, as the area is so overfished and you hardly ever see them, etc, etc. Then this happened:
(Apparently these are 'short-beaked common dolphins' - I bet that's not what they call themselves! NB, that's my foot in the lower right hand corner, the white splodge is the bow of the boat.)
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