The boat moored at anchor right in front of his nose. We almost spoiled the surprise when we went back and forth multiple times with the dinghy to prepare lunch and equipment. To his surprise, the guy with the dinghy suddenly drove up to his little beach paradise and asked him to hand in his cell phone. He would get it back by the end of day. A happy birthday song of all present beach guests pulled him out of his morning nap. With a surprised smile, he reluctantly grew some sea legs and followed to the sailboat.
Tiller steering, winches, main sail, genoa, apparent wind direction, magnetic course, port, starboard, gybe and tack were expressions he had never heard before. And there was no chance to google them. After lifting the anchor, the first breeze came up over the stern. I explained him the idea of a going on a dead run just with the front sail pulling us. He pulled the sheet, the genoa caught he breeze and he reacted with the words:’wow, we are sailing!’ I killed the engine.
4 tacks later, the newbie crew handled the boat with me interfering not too much. We hoisted the main sail. This added another position to the team and we gained speed. The game with the wind did not just entertain the crew. Some pot of dolphins got attracted by the hull and started to brake the surface to all sides of our ship. We knew, we were blessed with this rare encounter. I guess, they enjoyed the Deep Purple music from the boat just as much as we did. Following the animals was clearly impossible. We enjoyed their company as long as they decided they wanted to hang out with us. It is clearly an interesting moment when a dolphin looks at you, eye-to-eye, as to make a connection.
Hungry, the crew eager to relax and reflect, we anchored the boat in front of a small remote beach. There was plenty of time to explore the surroundings with the snorkel gear while I prepared tuna sandwiches and fruit salad for my crew. Overall, we really hit the jackpot for this birthday present. Sunny weather, slight breeze, smooth sailing, the visit of the dolphins pot, topped with food on-board and a bottle of cold rosé.
Nobody really asked their phone back during the day. This was a fact, that made me most happy on this trip. Since such experiences and memories do not happen online. We created a memory that will last for a lifetime.
