13. Wrap-Up of the Journey
I had an absolutely fantastic adventure on this summer sailing trip in the Mexican waters which included amongst other things breathtaking snorkelling, wind lulls as well as heavy winds, delicious fresh seafood, thousands of dolphins, one bat, a lot of bat rays, ...
I got to know porpoises (or dolphins) as absolutely fascinating animals during our sea voyage. Sometimes they crossed our way in swarms of thousands, sometimes there were just a couple of them. It was also a multitude of different dolphin species that crossed our path. However, they all had in common their interest in inspecting our boat, the faster we got around, the more interesting we were. With unbelievable speed, playfulness and elegance the fascinating animals jumped out of the water, turned their bodies and caught glimpses of what we were doing on the deck.
A comparatively very unusual guest was a lonely bat, which had probably strayed out to sea. It accompanied us when we were surrounding the East Cape but after a while we couldn't find it anymore.
During the whole trip we were spoiled with wonderful sunrises and sunsets as well as crystal clear night skies. Never and nowhere before have I had such a clear picture of all the celestial bodies visible to us. But the sky was not always clear and the temperature perfect. Likewise we had to beat ourselves through thick fog and had to sweat here and there or wrap ourselves in jackets during the one or other night watch. Thanks to good pre-planning, we were always well equipped when it came to food and drinks. The water maker which provided us with drinkable water extracted from the ocean and the fishing rods did the rest. How to set one or the other sail or how to catch up and deal with changed wind situations, I now know from the blink of an eye. Yet it is clear to me that this journey was just a little taster course on what sailing is all about. That's why I'm a 100% sure that this was not the last time that I've boarded a sailing vessel. It's an awesome experience to be surrounded by nothing else than water and seing our world from another perspective, philosophizing about life, and in addition being in good company.
