I Never Get Tired of Dolphins

Over the past year and a half, we have seen lots of animals. Some of the most stunning animals have been the marine mammals. Some highlights have included recently seeing a dead whale carcass, some Fin Whales between Rapa Nui and Puerto Montt, and a huge group of sea lions on the rocks in the Northern Chilean Fjords. Over the months, we have seen dozens of different pods of dolphins.

Chile has allowed us to see many dolphins from the very beginning of our visit. We were escorted into Puerto Montt by the Fitzroy's Dolphin also called the Dusky Dolphin, and in Spanish Delfin Obscuro and Delfin de Fitzroy which are, as we have found, quite common. At one point, we watched dolphins seem to play around in a bay where Sila was anchored. At the time, we were up on the summit of a hill overlooking the bay. Every time we see them, we note how much they look like the are playing, which I truly think they are.

Because of all these experiences, I was not surprised when I heard Mama shout "Oscar, Dolphins!" This is an expression we got from a fellow Boreal owner, Matt. Matt's dog, Oscar, lives on board with him. Sailing single handedly, Matt often talks with Oscar but when he calls out that there are dolphins, Oscar dashes up onto the foredeck to watch them. In contrast, he also runs to the stern if someone calls out: "Oscar, Fish!" Mama remarked how much like Oscar we were and instantly adopted the phrase.

Rabbit and I ran up to enjoy an exceptional dolphin experience. The dolphins seemed to show off and two of the ten or so dolphins breached together. One seemed to enjoy thrusting his head straight up out of the water. They swam easily along, breaching occasionally and resting by riding the wake of our moving bow, kind of like surfing. As I watched them, I became more and more jealous. I wished I could turn into a dolphin to chat and play with them for a little while. I had a fantasy of enjoying the cool waters while riding Sila's bow wake and leaping aboard changing back to human as I hit the deck. The thought of cold water made me shiver. In my eagerness, I had not taken the time to put on a coat. I had just thrown off my slippers, jumped into my rubber boots, put on my harness, and raced eagerly on deck. The amount of time we have spent with dolphins may make you think we would grow tired of them but on the contrary, I am always hoping that we see them again and the lack of patience from not putting on a jacket proves my excitement further. - Porter
editor's note: This dolphin experience took place as we were leaving Bahia Mallett, which is 52°09'S 73°35.'W. We then sailed 37 miles south to the southern end of Canal Smyth. Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, we will cross the Magellan Straits and continue toward Tierra del Fuego.