Excuse me while I change my shorts...
06 September 2014 | Bali Approach
Russ and Laurie
So we were on final approach to Bali, and trying to slow the boat down to arrive at sunrise with a favorable current. The wind had strengthened and shifted unfavorably and I needed to take the Gennaker down as we were going too fast, so I called an "all hands on deck" at 3am to do a sail change. Brian and I are on the foredeck clipped in with the spreader and deck lights on, and had just finished rolling up the Gennaker, and I called back to Laurie to turn the boat to starboard and get us back on course. It's dark out, but the lights are bathing the foredeck and surrounding water as the boat slowly turns northward. Suddenly we hear this rush of air and spray right next to the boat, as we look over the side there is a grey whale we had just awakened, arching his back to pull his tail away from under our port bow, he blows again spraying us, curls sideways and slowly dives. He's easily 20' longer than our boat and only 5' off the side. We both simultaneously yell "Holy @#%@!!" and Laurie wants to know what's wrong? We tell her the story after we change our shorts...if she hadn't have turned the boat just then, we probably would have hit a sleeping whale! How cool/scary/cool/scary is that?