What's been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

[squidge]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Last week ,sailing in the med on the five mast windjammer Royal Clipper with full sail , watching a pair of dolphins playing in the bow wave at dusk. WOW!!!
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[oldsaltoz]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Sailing about 100 metres from a water spout on the great barrier reef.

Whales alongside, spy hopping then broaching.

And try to picture this, we had dropped anchor and after looking at the many types of coral, decided to go ashore, I was delayed entering the tree covered creek bed on the uninhabited island, securing the tender on the sandy beach. As I walked in under the canopy, I could see my three companions about 25 metres ahead, as they walked the butterflies, hundreds of them, took flight. My view was three friends walking under a rainbow of electric blue butterflies, fantastic.

A morning so calm, it was difficult to see where the horizon ended and the sky began.

Lightning hitting the water (pink at the base) less than 100 metres away, and sending a shaft of steam water and spray strait up, time to change the underwear again.

All of the above within 100 n/miles of home port.



<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

I have been a forumite for only a couple of months, and read a lot of threads which have started on a serious point and degenerated into meaningless tattle, albeit great fun sometimes. In addition, I have learned some useful pointers from the more educational threads.

However, this Thread has got to be the best I have read so far. A very interesting question to ask in the first place, followed by some fascinating stories which make me want to get out of this lousy office, and out on the sea once more.

Keep up the good work folks!

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[john_morris_uk]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Coming on watch on my first channel crossing as skipper and seaing the stars properly for the first time.

Watching Hurricane Jose from the safety of the stone built hotel in English Harbour Antigua knowing that we were safe inside and the boat was tied to more mango trees than you can shake a stick at.

Dolphins - anywhere.

Sailing into New York, NY when the towers were still there and watching the July 4 fireworks.

If you'll allow me to be a spotter not on a yacht then Deception Island, Antarctica was pretty memorable.


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[jhr]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Corny, but like several other people here, it's dolphins.

Out in Salcombe harbour in a rented Dory with SWMBO and kids, then aged 6 and 4. There were reports of 3 dolphins in the harbour, which had been following the South Sands Ferry to and fro. The dolphins suddenly appeared beside us, dived under and came up the other side, then swam around us for several minutes. An unforgettable experience, all the more amazing for taking place within 50m of the shore; the kids still talk about it 3 years later.

RTI a close second, especially when you're on a competing boat.

I have never experienced dawn breaking over a Caribbean landfall but if anybody wants to offer me the opportunity, it would be ungracious of me to refuse ..........

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[Rob_Webb]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

1. Rounding the Fastnet Rock at night in a F7 (1999)
2. The final of the Louis Vitton Challenge Cup in Auckland (2003)
3. The start of one of the Whitbread RTW races from Spithead (1992?)

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[snooks]

Just a few...

What I have seen:
The greatest was...
The ACJ (Americas cup Jubilee) Fighting to keep my cameras dry and capture the magnificent J Class and seeing GBR Challenge leading Prada and New Zealand east out of the solent

The most sentimental...
Seeing and rounding the Fastnet 22 years after my father, and knowing were were on our way back

The most amazing....
The first Flying fish in Antigua, it came from nowhere and skittered along the surface for a 100 yards

The best shi.....
The log reading 12.5 knots, during club racing in Falmouth, three sail broard reaching

The worst shi...
Coming out of my bunk and seeing I was up to my knees in a water

The most impressive...
Entering Brest during Brest 96, seeing three stripes of colour, the blue of the sea, white of sails and green of land

The most beautiful....
The rocks and beaches and wildlife of the Seychelles

What I'd like to see....
Sunrise/sunset as I round Cape Horn

Europe/America as I finish a trans-atlantic crossing



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[salvex]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Single handing the boat from Puerto Rico to Barbados, got utterly becalmed with just the top of Guadeloupe on the horizon. So hot it felt like the sun was flattening the water but it was my birthday! so treated myself to a beer. Then as the sun started to go down, the heat had made the horizon blend in with the sky and the sea, which was still totally calm - and then I saw them approaching from about 400 yards away - a school of dolphins - about 30 of them in groups of three or four at a time. They were just enjoying themselves, leaping out of the water and rolling over and around each other. When they saw the boat they all came over and played around it for a while before continuing on their way. Just wishing me a happy birthday, I guess, but what a present!

Second best - whales breeching about 100 yards abeam in the channel south of Dominica. Shame we were reefing down at the time so it was impossible to record on film.

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[jonhenderson]

Re: Just a few...

I'll come out of my lurking state and post on this one I think as I have a few...

1. Any landfall at night.
2. Being the only yacht in the solent (it was f9 in January)
3. My first landfall after a transatlantic - San Salvador in the Bahamas on my 20th birthday
4. Another one to involve dolphins but these were diving through wave peaks above eye level in a storm in Biscay
5. Finally another one that captures the awesome power of old mother nature, and that was surfing down north atlantic swells at 18 knots in a blow whilst seeing what looked like killer whales surfacing three hundred or so yards away. They may have been 'normal' whales though!

That'll do for now!




<hr width=100% size=1>I can't see the whites of their eyes, I'm not tacking....

 

[RS123]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

As a recent(ish) joiner of the sailing world, not a lot of experience to draw on but..

As I notice many regulars have a) claimed dolphins and b) allowed a slight drift away from sailing....

Mine would definitely have to be snorkelling with the bottlenose dolphin that used to inhabit the Northumberland coastline. Closely followed by the sight of the same dolphin effortlessly passing the RIB - which was doing 20 knots!

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[sailbadthesinner]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

seeing shooting stars whilst crossing the irish sea at night
jumping off the boat in the tourqoise blue off sardinia

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>if guinness is good for you. i must be very very good</font color=red>

 

[Roberto]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Slowly motoring with Mahler s Vth adagietto, a long quay on starboard with a red brick building, then a row of little coloured houses, Proust at a window, an ever shouting Ruskin, Byron swims nearby, a small white covered bridge, then a pinkish building with a porch, two columns.

Ooops, a quick bit of rudder to port, just not to disturb the silent elegance of the gondola in front.

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[steve_cronin]

HuH!

Then there's the racket & cloud of discarded Cornetto wrappers from the tourists in St Marks Square, the wash from the whooshing vaporettos who believe that they ALWAYS have right of way, the Minoan Lines ferry sucking all the water out of the side canals as she passes and "Le Grand Bleu"'s generators running all night as her angular lines combine with the tower cranes to spoil the once loved skyline.

Am I realistic or too cynical? Will go with the Mahler though!

Steve Cronin

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[Peppermint]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Sunrise in the Helford making the mist rose pink.

The Fastnet Rock really spectacular.

Velsheda going flat out in the Solent.

A bottle of Woods Navy Rum when we thought we'd run out of booze three days before.

The Orwell when I think we should have sunk the night before.

Almost anywhere in Norway.

Worst site is a Harbour Full sign.

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[Gordonmc]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

1. The sight of the girls at the bow screaming their lungs out as a basking shark we ghosted up to decided to go under. Its tail flukes were above their heads. The boat was an Hurley 22 and the beast was bigger.

2. McDuff harbour after rounding Rattray Head in a F9.

3. Northern lights over Gardenston in the Moray Firth.

4. To digress ... the best sound is the sigh of porpoises off the stern.





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[SloopJohnB]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Feeling very small but being at peace with all creation on a starless night during my first single handed crossing of the North Sea

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[Dominic]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

The loom of Bishop Rock light after your solo Atlantic crossing.

A shooting star/meteorite coming all the way down to the sea in mid ocean at night.

The night sky far from land´s polluting lights.

Dawn.

Looking up through the eye of a hurricane.

An empty cockpit and beautifully curved sails, viewed from the end of the bowsprit, as the boat sails herself.

Dolphins at night, lit up into luminous torpedoes by the phosphorescent plankton.

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[themount2]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

<Against the background of sparks and burning bushes>
And still she managed to stay on the helm - superwoman or what!!!

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[ponapay]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

It can only be the sight of a nice safe and attractive harbour after a long and arduous passage. Add a cold beer and a hot woman and life is bliss.

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[scottie]

Re: What\'s been your Greatest Sight in Sailing ?

Pitch dark on the Cyde about 2:00 Am and watching the Maxi Rothmans tearing up behind us with a a flood lit spinniker with the full Rothmans badge

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