| |
| The British Virgin Islands has the most friendly Dolphins,
so during your sail keep a watchful eye open for this
gorgeous creature. Expect to enjoy a unique opportunity
to swim and play with a wild, and friendly, dolphin. |
 |
Captain Jack of Dream walker.
I first met Lucy on April 20, 1998. 1 was between charters
and had taken advantage of the dry sunny weather to
add a few coats of varnish
to the Dreamwalker's extensive exterior teak. Shortly
after beginning work at 06:00, I noticed a dolphin swimming
around Dreamwalker and a couple of unoccupied yachts
moored nearby in Elephant Bay. Because dolphins are
not an uncommon sight in the Virgin Islands and because
the correct application of varnish does not tolerate
interruptions, I continued my varnishing while the dolphin
continued to make her rounds.
By 10:00 my varnishing was done and my curiosity peaked:
Throughout the morning the dolphin--which I later named
'Lucy--had continued circling the three vessels as if
she were looking for something or someone with which
to play. I changed into my snorkeling gear,
and when she again approached Dreamwalker, I dove in
and swam to where she had last surfaced. Once there
I lay motionless in the Water. |
 Not five seconds later Lucy was staring,
thorough my swim mask, into my eyes; her bottle nose not
12" away! Tentatively, I slowly reached out and touched
and then stroked her back.
In response she turned over and let me scratch her
stomach. For about ten minutes we swam and touched and
dove together. When she disappeared, I returned to the
Dreamwalker and my chores, keeping an eye out for Lucy
the friendly dolphin. An hour later she returned, and
again we swam and touched and dove together, I returned
to the Dreamwalker filled with joy and awe for the lovely
creature that had allowed me, for a little while, to
become her friend.
Over the next week and a half Lucy swam with a number
of my sailing friends during her tour of Elephant Bay.
One day I watched her lead six or seven snorkelers on
a merry chase before she stopped and let them pet and
hug her. Then she simply disappeared. About
two weeks before I first met Lucy, an English sailor
cruised into Long Bay and docked for a couple of days
at Safe (Yacht) Haven, At the time I was also at dock,
preparing for a charter. As sailors in new port often
do, he stopped by Dreamwalker to ask about provisioning,
parts stores and the like. |
During the course of our conversation he mentioned
that he had the most exhilarating experience at Cane
Garden Bay In Tortola, He had actually swam with and
petted a dolphin! He asked if that was a common experience
in the Virgin Islands. I replied that I had never heard
of anyone else having such an opportunity, and affirmed
that he should take such an experience as a very good
omen.
Although I continued looking for Lucy and listening
for stories about her after our April 20 meeting, I
saw and heard nothing until May 22 of this year. Just
after sailing off mooring on a Bareboat Certification
Charter, I noticed two dolphins swimming toward Dreamwalker.
As we sailed by one of the dolphins she did a sideways
swimming, tail stand; her head cocked as if she wanted
to make eye contact with those of us on board. I was
delighted, but puzzled, by this show: I had previously
seen such tail stands exhibited only by trained dolphins
and in movies. While I cannot say for certain that the
tail standing dolphin was Lucy, I can tell you that
It had Lucy's unusually light face. |
|
The following week's charter guests chose to spend
an afternoon ashore at Cane Garden Bay.
So on June 3 we arrived in harbor relatively early.
Just after securing my ground tackle, I looked up in
wonder to see a 40' Beneteau Bareboat entering harbor
at six knots or more. My wonder soon turned to amazement
when the Beneteau circled through the anchorage, never
slowing down! The third time they flew by I asked if
they had a problem. They pointed to their wake and yelled,
"We have a dolphin following us!" When the
skipper finally brought the vessel to ldle. His five
passengers jumped in the water to "play" with
the dolphin.
By this time, having seen her white
face, I knew it was Lucy. She too wanted to play. But
rather than letting the snorkelers hug and scratch her,
she led them on a game of hide and seek. She would swim
slowly away while they frantically followed, then -
just when they were about to catch her - she would dive
and come up behind or between them. She would then continue
the game by swimming slowly away with her frenzied fans
following her. After fifteen minutes she tired of the
game & finally swam away. Around 16:00
my guest and I set sail for Jost Van Dyke. A quarter-mile
out of Cane Garden Bay, "Lucy" appeared
beside Dreamwalker.
She swam with us for the rest of the
trip, departing only when we entered Great Harbor.
In attempting to research Lucy's background, I happened
to cross wakes with Jim Spence, a former Bareboat Certification
Student of mine. Jim claims that he met Lucy last year
when he and his lady, Ellen, rented a bareboat from
Sun Yacht Charters. Arriving in Fat Hog Bay, Jim was
a bit apprehensive about the charter because Ellen suffered
from chronic middle ear problems. Shortly after boarding
the rented vessel, a dolphin swam up to the transom
and Ellen spent almost an hour petting and playing with
it. The experience instilled in her a love of the Caribbean
and they had a delightful week sailing together.
When Jim asked others about the friendly
dolphin, he was told that a number of trained dolphin
were brought to the islands for a movie, and that one
of them simply decided to stay rather than return to
its trainer. I can vouch for Jim's veracity, but not
for those who told him the story. Is Lucy a trained
dolphin who chose freedom rather than security when
given the opportunity? Or is she a wild dolphin who
particularly likes human contact?
I cannot say. But I can tell you that
those of us who have been fortunate enough to sail with
her, to swim with her, and to touch her have ourselves
been touched by incredible joy, incredible happiness
and incredible love. Dreamwalker is a Barrington-Hall
preferred yacht. Magnificent well appointed sailboat.
Superb captain and personal chef. And Lucy?
Priced right, we have recommended raising their rates.
|
|
Caribbean Dolphins
