In someone else's boat, an Erickson, actually. Can I just say how much I love being hired for a job like this?

Okay. On with the "job" then.



First image, a cat in the distance steaming in as we are departing our channel, when low and behold! We recognized them! It was a family with 3 kids Marianna's age from C dock, just in from the local sandbar, I suppose.



Continuing on our way, Marianna was on the bow, her favorite place to be when out and about. When what to her wondering eyes should appear?

(And yes, that is my cell phone being dangled so dangerously over the very wet sea.)



But a dolphin, of course! This one was super cool and very identifiable as his dorsal fin was rather jagged on the backside.

So why was he so super cool?

Because Marianna and I know that dolphins adore music. As we were not on our boat we didn't have the harmonica or recorders handy and so had to rely on the oldest music producing instrument - our puckered lips! We whistled arias until we were scarlet in the face but while we were whistling the dolphin would roll onto it's side watching us. If we stopped it would roll back onto it's stomach.

Too cool, don't you think?



Finally, just as the sun started getting gorgeous, the dolphin dove straight down and disappeared. A minute or two later it reappeared with 4 others! They didn't stick around long at all (good thing actually, our whistlers were about puckered out!) but swam tail slappingly off into the distance where they joined up with a secondary pod.



We finally looked up from the water and immediately spotted a very unique rainbow.

Kinda pretty, huh?

So in the eastern sky we had this pretty little rainbow going on and to the west...



this golden sunset was kicking things up. The clouds were phenomenal! Check out those individual patches of virga. Have you ever seen anything like it?



By this time we were sailing past Mallory Square, where we got to see all our favorite knife jugglers and flame eaters from the other side!

There was even a bagpiper.



Which was the perfect accompaniment to the setting sun. Jaw droppingly beautiful, in my opinion!

By this time we'd pulled into the anchorage between Christmas Island and Fleming Key, just off the Coast Guard Base and dropped anchor. A pesto tuna sandwich and we three were ready for bed.



Sleep comes easily with a sarong under your head and Scorpio in the skies above.

(And yes, that is a military poncho liner. She was chilled and the boat is owned by a military dude after all. All sorts of interesting camo things sprinkled about everywhere.)



Sunrise found us beating out of the anchorage eager to get to open seas...



and toss sails! This Erickson sailboat is a zippy one!

And the Viking Helmet? Love it!



Finally, just to prove I was there, a shot of me in my latest and biggest floppy hat. What a fashion statement!