Hammerhead sharks

Cary had a brilliant idea to rent a sailboat for the weekend. I have never done an overnight on a boat (not even a cruise)...it's just never really been my thing. Day cruises and short jaunts on motor or sailboats are comfortable...this doing an overnight was a big deal for me. He's been out on boats, sailing, racing and doing many overnights on the east coast U.S. for over 20 years, so I knew I would be in good hands.

We went up to the Bay of Islands, about an hour drive north from us. We went for the 1st time with the in-laws and knew we would be back for it's unsurpassed beauty. We took the boat on Sat morning and returned it Sunday afternoon. Of course, like any newbie....I absolutely over-packed clothing and food, worried perhaps that we would be stranded in the open ocean! It was an absolute adventure from start to finish. Saturday was extremely good weather with winds from the northeast about 10 knots. 

Now, sleeping at a boat of this size is tough. The cabin is shaped like a V, so it's quite cramped. You couldn't really roll over much. Luckily our anchorage spot was secluded and weather was mild, so we kept the hatch open for some airflow. The sea was calm, so fortunately we weren't rocking at all. We awoke to a beautiful morning, and after a quiet breakfast headed out to the bay. The morning had extremely calm seas and we ended up having to use the motor for a bit. After lunch, the winds picked up and we were cruising again. Perhaps, like most sailors, I like movement and to go fast. Sitting and waiting for wind, is not as much fun!

The Davidson 20 foot boat we rented.

Sailing wing to wing going downwind.

The view from the top of Robertson Island- a short hike from the beach.

The lady at the helm....notice the lean on the boat. I'm learning how to make it go fast!

Our anchorage for the night at Indigo Bay....we had some other boats that supplied a soundtrack. Thankfully, they turned it off at our bedtime, 10PM.

Cary--on alert and looking sharp at the helm on Sunday.

Now, to explain the blog title: On Sunday, Cary spotted something dark in the water as he was adjusting the jib. So, I turned toward it and you know what? It was a small, maybe 4 foot long  hammerhead shark on the surface of the water, his fin was popping in and out of the waves. Whoa--I was too stunned to grab my camera in time. Fortunately we were in a big enough boat, but it certainly makes me think twice about swimming--YIKES! One was bad enough, but not two hours later farther into the shore, I spotted another one who was within feet of our boat. I've only seen them in the aquarium, not in the wild. We were amazed, though slightly uncomfortable with these sightings. Will we do this again? Yes--I think so. It was a neat experience over-all.