Craziest things and objects encountered on the water

[conchaway]

+_10 yrs. ago, A buddy and I were delivering Gulfstream between Riviera Beach FL and cape fear NC.We saw a pod of spotted dolphin- they were the regular grey color with darker spots on their sides. I didn't know they existed.

[patprice]

And this posted on FB by a friend on passage from South Georgia to Cape Town.

DRINA South Georgia Expedition 2017.
Thursday 18.January.2018 An extraordinary, almost unbelievable 24 hour period

Yesterday started pretty much like any other. Just on dusk however – our position just over 1,000 leagues from Cape Town – with light that might make most doubt their eyes – we felt a sudden lurch in Drina's progress – as if we had struck something. Scrambling on deck we stared in horror as a giant squid of Vernian proportions had attached itself to the foredeck. We reached for boat hooks and the bodgie-sticks we had used for fur-seals in South Georgia. By the time we had positioned ourselves for battle the giant squid had already attained solid purchase in Drina's crosstrees and top hamper. Drina's two loyal crew tried – all the while dodging the flailing tentacles – to coerce the giant squid back to the deep from which it came. Dodging both the razor sharp beak & tentacles with suction cups as big as dinner plates was only possible through a coordination and teamwork which can only be developed through months of living and toiling side by side.

In the heat of battle we were caught completely unawares as we were struck once again, this time on the starboard bow. Having been flung into the deck netting we were less than 1 ft from the waterline, Drina's hull being born down by the weight of the giant-squid. There we were confronted with the immense eye – the size of porthole – which paralyzed us with fear. Never before have we ever seen such intense fury expressed in a living creature, as if all of nature's millions of years of evolution had culminated in a organism intent on destruction. It was the eye of an enraged *white sperm whale. (*Later recounting of the episode over a sobering rum revealed that we had both observed a mottled, brownish, cappuccino color to the tail section).

Fortunately, Drina's solid, now ice-tempered bow absorbed the leviathanic impulse, which we suspect was a deliberate glancing blow by the enraged whale (who we have since come to refer to as 'Cappuccino Dick'). In any case, the blow to the hull had the desired effect as the giant-squid was dislodged from Drina's rigging and into the South Atlantic. The tussle that ensued was mesmerizing, but we were obliged to crowd on more sail to gain sea-room as quickly as possible from the battling leviathans. Our faithful Captain had already altered course to carry us away.

The sperm whale clearly had an advantage as its scrimshaw laden jaw clamped savagely, severing at least two tentacles and we suspect, piercing the squid’s main body. The Kraken was not one to give up easily and we saw its giant beak gouge deeply into the whale's torso, just aft of the whale's furious, all-seeing eye. A moment later, as the two were embraced in what resembled a death roll, a huge wave of black ink erupted from the giant squid. The two dipped beneath the swell, thrashing the surface with all the energy incarnate of a typhoon. The ink calmed the water to oily glass as the diameter of the slick crept ever larger. Drina sped away into the dusk, leaving the jet-black slime to be absorbed into the inky darkness.

So ends the tale of the battle between the Kraken and Cappuccino Dick.

Other big news is that we have finally cracked 10 degrees Celsius sea water temperature.

Yup … pretty slow day otherwise.

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by Group9

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...1&d=1516386213

Here is the craziest thing I ever found floating in the water, southwest of Grand Cayman. 300 kilos of cocaine.

Careful with attaching your picture with "the goods" ... the owners may come looking for you.

[thruska]

While sailing south off Atlantic coast , nearing the shipping lane out of Norfolk va, we encountered a helicopter towing something shaped more like a House than ‘sailing’ vessel.
I have a pic somewhere but can’t find it right now.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

Careful with attaching your picture with "the goods" ... the owners may come looking for you.

The owner was shot to death in 1993, about a year after this picture. . So, I think I'm okay.

[bailsout]

Saddest thing: we rescued what turned out to be a triple-bagging of human feces about a 1/2 mile off shore Morro Bay. Go Sapiens!

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by thruska

While sailing south off Atlantic coast , nearing the shipping lane out of Norfolk va, we encountered a helicopter towing something shaped more like a House than ‘sailing’ vessel.

I have a pic somewhere but can’t find it right now.

Navy does tow a sled that is I think for detecting mines.
There has been also I think an incident where the tow cable parted and the aircraft was lost.
They use the big CH-53 to tow with. Not sure that is the Navy designation though.
https://youtu.be/GeXrW8NRkHE

[RNWilson]

Originally Posted by patprice

And this posted on FB by a friend on passage from South Georgia to Cape Town.

DRINA South Georgia Expedition 2017.
Thursday 18.January.2018 An extraordinary, almost unbelievable 24 hour period

Yesterday started pretty much like any other. Just on dusk however – our position just over 1,000 leagues from Cape Town – with light that might make most doubt their eyes – we felt a sudden lurch in Drina's progress – as if we had struck something. Scrambling on deck we stared in horror as a giant squid of Vernian proportions had attached itself to the foredeck. We reached for boat hooks and the bodgie-sticks we had used for fur-seals in South Georgia. By the time we had positioned ourselves for battle the giant squid had already attained solid purchase in Drina's crosstrees and top hamper. Drina's two loyal crew tried – all the while dodging the flailing tentacles – to coerce the giant squid back to the deep from which it came. Dodging both the razor sharp beak & tentacles with suction cups as big as dinner plates was only possible through a coordination and teamwork which can only be developed through months of living and toiling side by side.

In the heat of battle we were caught completely unawares as we were struck once again, this time on the starboard bow. Having been flung into the deck netting we were less than 1 ft from the waterline, Drina's hull being born down by the weight of the giant-squid. There we were confronted with the immense eye – the size of porthole – which paralyzed us with fear. Never before have we ever seen such intense fury expressed in a living creature, as if all of nature's millions of years of evolution had culminated in a organism intent on destruction. It was the eye of an enraged *white sperm whale. (*Later recounting of the episode over a sobering rum revealed that we had both observed a mottled, brownish, cappuccino color to the tail section).

Fortunately, Drina's solid, now ice-tempered bow absorbed the leviathanic impulse, which we suspect was a deliberate glancing blow by the enraged whale (who we have since come to refer to as 'Cappuccino Dick'). In any case, the blow to the hull had the desired effect as the giant-squid was dislodged from Drina's rigging and into the South Atlantic. The tussle that ensued was mesmerizing, but we were obliged to crowd on more sail to gain sea-room as quickly as possible from the battling leviathans. Our faithful Captain had already altered course to carry us away.

The sperm whale clearly had an advantage as its scrimshaw laden jaw clamped savagely, severing at least two tentacles and we suspect, piercing the squid’s main body. The Kraken was not one to give up easily and we saw its giant beak gouge deeply into the whale's torso, just aft of the whale's furious, all-seeing eye. A moment later, as the two were embraced in what resembled a death roll, a huge wave of black ink erupted from the giant squid. The two dipped beneath the swell, thrashing the surface with all the energy incarnate of a typhoon. The ink calmed the water to oily glass as the diameter of the slick crept ever larger. Drina sped away into the dusk, leaving the jet-black slime to be absorbed into the inky darkness.

So ends the tale of the battle between the Kraken and Cappuccino Dick.

Other big news is that we have finally cracked 10 degrees Celsius sea water temperature.

Yup … pretty slow day otherwise.

I think that's the most amazing story I've ever heard in my entire life and really good writing to!

[a64pilot]

Unless mistaken there was actually a Moby Dick, or at least stories about him, prior to melville’s book.
I believe he was actually called Mocha Dick?

[J Clark H356]

My wife and I were on the last couple of hours of a 35 hour crossing of the Gulf of Mexico from Panama City to Clearwater and it had gotten dark. We could see Lights from land as we were still about 15 miles to the pass. I saw some strange light configuration and saw a target on my radar, but nothing on AIS. I got my binoculars and could see what I thought was bow waves and the object was bobbing around erratically on radar and I couldn’t figure out from the lights and movement what the heck it was, and I was worried it was a big ship that might run over us, because it’s course was so erratic. I thought what kind of ship can move around like that or is it a military ship spoofing my radar. It had lights shining on the water which was strange and I couldn’t make out the hull, but still saw what looked like spray from a bow wave. Then I saw an orange object rising from the water. I thought what the hell is this - then suddenly realized it was a coast guard helicopter picking someone up from the water and I think it was a night time rescue drill. After the orange suit guy was on board, they flew back toward land. It all made sense once I realized it was a helicopter, but figuring out the lights on the helicopter thinking it’s a big ship and watching that erratic movement on radar was really weird. I laughed about it once I got it figured out, but it was tense for a few minutes! There was no news the next day about an offshore rescue near Clearwater, so I chalk it up to a night time rescue training mission. Got me ready to enter Clearwater pass as I was wide awake when I got there!

[MarkusK]

A picnic table strapped to some barrels with 8 people on board propelled by a little OB.

[PaulinOz]

This motored past us while anchored in the river at Port Macquarie.

I guess the conversation went something along these lines,

" What do you mean you are going fishing with your mates, either I go as well or you do not going at all."

[Captain Bill]

In the early 1980's while I was working as a research scientist on the Florida DNR research vessel Hernan Cortez in the Gulf of Mexico, the captain came into the sleeping quarters at two in the morning and told us to get up on deck. Upon emerging from the companionway we were greeted by a huge set of lights floating in the sky a mile or two away and several at least a couple of hundred feet tall and wide. Keep in mind this was only a few years after the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and dang if this thing didn't look like the mother ship just hanging there in the air covered with yellow, white, red, and Blue lights. What it was was an oil drilling rig being towed across the gulf by 8 tugboats. It was the type that had hollow legs that kept afloat until they got to the drilling site, when the flooded the legs and set it on the bottom. The legs of course had no lights on them thus were invisible in the darkness. The platform of course was covered with hundreds of lights. The tugboats were towing on very long lines and their running lights were not even close to the platform so we didn't notice them at first. It was quite an impressive sight.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by PaulinOz

This motored past us while anchored in the river at Port Macquarie.

I guess the conversation went something along these lines,

" What do you mean you are going fishing with your mates, either I go as well or you do not going at all."

Or hey Honey look what we caught!

[Sojurnr]

About four years ago I was a guest on a tuna sport fishing boat out of Portsmouth, NH (sorry fellow cruisers). We’d driven maybe seven miles beyond the Isles of Shoals to get to the warmer Gulf Stream water. As we cruised looking for schools of baitfish, we noticed that the top two feet or so of the water column was filled with seemingly identical jellyfish, the kind which resembles squid in its configuration, about four to six inches long (main body). There were perhaps 20-30 per cubic foot of water. Back to business: as I swept the horizon for ‘boils’ I saw what appeared to be a fin break the water. Tuna will often do this when they have herded a school of baitfish to the surface. We motored over and began to see other similar fins. They didn’t quite look like tuna but we couldn’t make out what they might be. Eventually we got closer, to the point that we could see a very large fish swimming in lazy circles near the surface. Closer still and we saw an ocean sunfish, or Mola mola (had to look it up later). It was in the several hundred pound category, too large to be able to suck up the little jellies (which is what it was doing) without swimming on its side.

This fella let us drive right up to him, to the point where we were looking down on him as he lazily looked us over with his topmost eyeball. Gradually, more, then more began to appear, until eventually over the course of maybe ten minutes, the sea was filled to the horizon with them. Some were larger than our first up close friend, others a little smaller, but all of them too large to suck the jellies without laying over on their side.

It was silently bizarre, and totally cool. Never encountered one of those fellas before or since except in an aquarium.