Cod. I certainly hope we will get a chance to visit this well known area of sea going culture on our return south. We fought a very strong current going past Martha's Vineyard and played dodge'm with a few ferries. We wove our way around Nantucket Island and it was my shift as we finally hit the open ocean.
It was dawn and we were motoring in a very calm sea. Big fancy motor vessels went streaming by us and we assumed they were trying to get to their favourite fishing spots before sunrise. That may have been but maybe they were there to witness the wonderful sight that assailed my eyes a few miles later. First I heard a forceful expulsion of air and thought, whale! I looked up and saw the white steam of her breath hanging in the air. She suddenly sky hopped, coming halfway out of the water and crashing backwards with water cascading everywhere. The sun had just come up and was still very low in the sky and as I gazed around I could see the spume of dozens of whales hanging in the crystal clear cold air. It was breath taking. They were right whales, fairly large but with a very small top fin. As we got closer I could see whales everywhere, some were swimming along the surface, some where heading to the deep, diving and gracefully upending their huge bodies showing off their wonderful tails as they disappeared. There was one group of about 5 or 6 that all skyhopped at once, in a circle, I have never seen them do that before. One youngster was swimming beside her mother and jumped up out of the water crashed down and then went darting after her mom who had kept swimming along ignoring her youngster's antics. The area around Cape Cod has been declared a marine sanctuary and obviously the whales are coming back in droves. I was so lucky to be there in the daylight and to witness this wonder of nature.
