After the fab pic that ZIngara had the other day of a ORCA, somewhere they should not be, I received this email today with another potential sighting..
My fiancee and I sailed from Green Cay in St. Croix to Round Bay on the SE end of St. John on Friday, intending on 4 days short holiday, of sorts. It's weird being retired from chartering, and finding myself waiting for a holiday to be able to get away and go sailing.
When less than 10 miles from St. John, Deb said, "hey, two dolphin!" They were a ways away, but, sure. A few minutes later, "hey, three more over there!"
These were bigger "dolphin" than normal, blacker than the grey or even dark grey you normally see, but then I've seen grey dolphin with mauve underbodies, too. And their movement, breathing roll, wasn't the tight radius that you normally expect from a dolphin. A much larger, lazier radius. Almost "whale-ish." And the dorsal fin wasn't quite right, but then again...there are several species of dolphin/porpoise around.
A few minutes later, again to starboard, I saw a BIG splash in the water, quite a distance away though, and thought, that is one mighty BIG spotted eagle ray jumping!, and way the hell out here? Seconds later, another, but this time I saw the beastie. It was cigar shaped, bluntish head, DARK in color, like BLACK!, and the shape/splash was more like what I've seen with humpbacks breaching! This was maybe a quarter mile away, smaller splash, but THAT look. Seconds later, a third view....and then I could see a white underbelly, and on up towards the throat. Ah haaaa! Zingara's email! Certainly could be Orca. And they usually are in pods. First two, then three, then (I assume) three again. I suppose the breaching could have been one whale jumping three times, but it was pretty fast in succession.
I looked at my GPS....7.6 miles to my Round Bay way-point. Did I get any photos? Heavens no.
In my 44 years living in the Virgins, sailing some 65,000 miles, I have only seen humpbacks and pilots here. I don't believe pilots have white underbodies. And humpbacks are WAY bigger than what we saw never mind distinctively ugly. I am not aboard right now, and I havn't looked in my whale and dolphin book to see could this be the False Killer Whale, or real Killer Whale.
We returned to St. Croix on yesterday, Monday, and of course, looked all over, particularly when we were nearing the same area. Like they would be hanging around for 4 days waiting for us to return! But I think Peter and Colleen were right. How neat.
Cheers......David....s/v Glory of Christiansted
Makes me want to go out and wander around the ocean with my camera looking for them... and in one more "shake your head" moment here on Tortola...
A few weeks ago I kept on getting those stupid messages from CCT that my phone was going to be turned off. I made a trip on charter in there to drop off a check and there was a large line up. I put my envelope in the check payment box on the counter. Yesterday I had to get another phone as the old one got wet...They told me I had an outstanding balance which I queried from when as I had paid it two weeks ago. I told her that I put it right in that box over there..and pointed..
SHe yelled out to the girl behind the counter "popsicle, check the check box" and she opened it and held up my check.. The box had not been opened in two weeks.
Only in Tortola
