9/15/12
Dolphin…
We are anchored in Mariner’s Cove for 3 days. We do this every 4 days as we love being at anchor but are only allowed here for 3 out of 7 days. Today, John decided that it was time to fix the aerometer at the top of the mast which is about 60 feet high. To do this, he dons a mountain climbers harness, then a Bosun’s seat. The mast has steps so that he doesn’t have to pulley himself up. He can climb using the harness for safety and, when he gets to the top, uses the Bosun’s chair to sit and do the work, all the while tied to the mast with the main halyard. I stand by to make sure that none of the ropes slip and to hoist tools up to him as he needs them.
Most mornings in Mariner’s Cove are just beautiful. It is surrounded on 3 sides by white sandy beaches, palm trees and a boardwalk. One can easily imagine that you are in Hawaii…until the sirens start and life gets moving on the nearby streets. On the most serene mornings, dolphin come into the cove to feed on the small fish. They cruise around minding their own business and don’t interact with people in any way (even though I have tried to get their attention).
Well, as soon as John started climbing the mast, 3 dolphin that were cruising around the cove, came right over to Mariah and swam around her in circles for over half an hour. They swam by slowly, rolled onto their sides and looked straight at John. I couldn’t get a very good picture of them since I was standing by to assist John, but here is one where I did get 2 of them nearby in the same frame.

We can’t decide whether they were there to save him or if they were just very entertained.