So, it’s my last night watch for a while. We’re just a little over 20 NM from the entrance to Savusavu. I’ve literally been on deck for about fifteen minutes. For crying out loud, my eyes are barely open and I haven’t even had enough time to get a little sugar and caffeine going. All of the sudden I hear a couple of thunk sounds and then something that sort of sounded like gurgling. Of course it’s dark up here so I grab my phone and turn it on for some light. I start looking around the cockpit first. It’s not uncommon to have flying fish land on deck or even in the cockpit so, of course, that’s what I’m expecting to find. The only thing making me think it is something else is that I have yet to get a whiff of that awful stench that says a flying fish has arrived.
I scan the port side and find nothing. Then I hear a fluttering sound off to my right. As I look to the starboard side I see a bird sitting on deck looking a bit disheveled. I think he is as shocked to see me as I to see him. His wings are spread out and he sort of looks like a sailor who had just stumbled out of a bar after a night on shore leave.
Of course I had to snap a pick. Now the poor thing has flash vision. LOL! He’s just looking at me like “Who the hell are you and why did you just do that to me?” He starts stumbling across the deck and then I hear another couple of thunks. What the hell? I look just forward of my new friend and another bird has hit the deck. He also looks a bit flustered and even more so once I document his visit with a flash. Now they are both looking at me like a couple of drunk sailors as they stagger along the deck. I can’t help wondering if they had too much Kava tonight or if they are just really bad pilots. Either way I’m pretty sure they both hit the sail. If it was the wind generator I’m sure I’d have seen a lot more feathers flying about and they may not have survived.
I hurry below to get a real flashlight and by the time I return they have found their way off of Dazzler. I searched the water around us but they are gone. I guess I can say we have now officially met our first Fijians. They were White-Tailed Tropicbirds. We’ve seen many of them on the sea. They look absolutely beautiful when they are in flight. Of course that’s before they crash into a mainsail on a boat going five knots. I guess you just never know what will happen during your watch. It’s always an adventure.
I’m getting excited for sunrise although I’m exhausted! Can’t wait to see the amazing sights of Savusavu, Fiji.
Until next time,
Jilly & Dan
Feature Photo by: Richard Crossley found at Wikimedia. Click Here for more information.
