It’s midnight. I’ve just commenced my watch on day two of our yachting adventure aboard the schooner, Blizzard. There is a gentle swell, and the light winds are warm. The moon glows orange as it rises slowly above the horizon. It is a perfect night for sailing.
For this trip, I’ve joined the team from a wildlife media company and a diverse mix of guests from around Australia. Our collective common interest is a love of nature and a keen desire to experience the fantastic wildlife which inhabits the surface of the ocean – that is, pelagic birds, whales, dolphins and other aquatic species. At this time of year, where the Southern Ocean crashes against the Victorian coast, it is common to see whales of all species. Our particular interest on this trip is the blue whales, the largest animal ever to have lived on the earth.
As we depart the relative tranquility of Port Phillip Bay and head out into Bass Strait, we settle into a routine of ship-board life, with our guests quickly learning the yachting terminology – the kitchen becomes the galley, the lounge is now the saloon, and every rope has a special name. Almost immediately, our yacht is escorted by albatrosses, shearwaters, stormy petrels and numerous other sea birds. We travel through the night to reach the edge of the continental shelf just south of Portland, where the ocean currents bring a feast of krill and other marine organisms to the surface creating a concentrated feeding ground for all manner of sea creatures.
Over the next two days, we cruise south following the shelf and everyone is on the deck on whale watch. It seems just like the whaling days of old, except that in these ecologically enlightened times, the harpoons have been replaced with cameras and telephoto lenses.
Soon enough the cry goes out, “Whale spout”. Alongside us slowly rising to the surface is the most incredible sight. A huge blue whale appears bathed in a turquoise hue and checks us out. The excitement aboard explodes as everyone rushes to see our visitor. Then as quickly as it came, it is gone, slipping slowly back into the depths with a wave of its huge tail flukes. The whole atmosphere aboard now changes. Everyone is charged with excitement and jubilation – we’ve seen our first blue whale!
Later that day, we head east towards King Is. As we gain sight of land, we have another visit – this time by hundreds of bottlenose dolphins. They race towards us, leaping over the waves and dancing around our bows as we cruise along. They are so close you can almost touch them – playing and clearly enjoying the chance to race us to the shore.
We head to Seal Bay and prepare to overnight at anchor. That afternoon, it’s time to go ashore. We take turns to ride the inflatable dinghy to the beach and explore the wilderness dunes and the washed-up debris that you always find on an ocean shore. This beach landing style is new to us, and it takes some practice to get it right. On the final run off the beach our intrepid dinghy skipper learns all about dinghies and surf and gives our team-leader a full ocean bath, cameras and all, as the dinghy is completely swamped. Later, back on board the yacht everyone is in high spirits and after a quick wash and clean up, we are ready for a hot roast dinner of chicken and a glass of wine.
Next morning, we plan to explore the rest of King Is. Again, we go ashore by the dinghy and spend the day in the more leisurely comfort of a tourist bus we have hired. Our driver and guide is a walking encyclopedia and we come away with stories of shipwrecks and storms, pioneers and hardship, bushfires and kelp farming, and of the lives of the people who make this windswept island in the Roaring 40’s their home.Our last night at sea sees us heading north, back towards Melbourne. We feel like old sea-dogs by now. We have seen and experienced much more than any of us would have imagined – we have sailed out into the Southern Ocean; we have entered the serene and beautiful world of the whales, the dolphins, the albatross and the seals; and we have weathered squalls, ocean swells and a constantly rolling ‘home’ for the past week. Now, as we conclude our adventure, I am again standing at the helm and the only sound is the gentle swish of the water and the constant movement of the rigging. Overhead, a billion stars are mirrored against a phosphorescent shimmer in the waves.
With a bit of wind, our boat comes alive and with it, so do I. This is living!
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