Strangest thing you’ve seen offshore

[Enfant Du Vent]

Reading this thread, 2 items come to mind--neither when I was offshore:
First:
We all know that dropping a pebble in a puddle makes a ripple out in all directions. It was well after dark and this "ripple" was probably 10 to 15 times the size of a full moon and a lovely emerald green. We were anchored in the Bahamas--late 1960s--so guessed a rocket from Cape Canaveral had gone off course and had to be destroyed. (My thanks to the American taxpayers for providing such a neat "show".)


Second:
Was entering a narrow river in eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada; going to the dock about a mile upstream. Ebb tide was washing some garbage out to sea. One item was simply a green heavy rubber fisherman's glove. What made it so memorable that some air in the tips of the fingers meant it was floating by "all fingers" up. Have always assumed there wasn't a fisherman attached to it.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Beneteau2011

JUST recently offshore of Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island, I was about a nautical mile out heading in towards the harbor under sail, and I watched an SV motoring out of the harbor quite quickly. As we were both about 6 knots SOG the distance between us was closing quickly. From the minute the ship left the harbor it was headed right at me. I mean I could visibly see them so I know they could visibly see me and we were still both port to port standard passing protocol type of situation. Despite being the stand on vessel under sail, and the other yacht still motoring without any sails up, I started to get concerned about whether they were going to give way. So, I changed my line to bear away but THEN the ship came MORE towards me. I further bore off, and the ship came at me EVEN MORE — this was now requiring emergency evasive maneuvers — seconds felt like years, and the onrushing ship motored in a flash past my stern by about only a boat length!

Having avoided impact, and in disbelief, because it spiraled sideways so quickly, I then turned over my left shoulder to give the ‘captain’ the what’s what and discovered there were no souls topside — leaving the harbor the captain must have thought the boat was on autopilot, and holding its line, went down below, until the helm started turning to weather and turning MORE AND MORE DIRECTLY into me.

To this day I keep the fog horn at the helm regardless of weather conditions — that was a close one!!!

Same thing happened to me outside Santa Barbara. Head on bearing, I radio'd then altered. 10 seconds later he headed at me again. I radio'd again and then altered. When he was about 500ft. away, I could see it was a 50+ft. power boat and I altered again off 90degrees and we missed by 50ft. He finally got on the VHF and arrogantly asked if I knew thew rules of the road. I replied..."Which rule? The one where you try to run me down?"

[Celestialsailor]

The two that stick out in my mind the most was coming down the coast of Mexico and on a moonless night around 2am. a meteor lit up the sky like it was day time for 5 seconds.
The second was a crossing from Point Conception, in the Sea of Cortez" to Guaymas. it was so calm, there was not a ripple on the water which is strange for a body of water that large. Again, a moonless night. I was on autopilot motoring around 4.5 kts and walked up the the bow. Standing at the bowpulpit I gazed out to see all the stars and noticed they reflected perfectly on the water, giving the impression of sailing through space. That memory is as fresh to me today as it was 8 years ago.

[JPA Cate]

Jim and I have had a lot of exposure, so we've had the unlit ship at night, the vessel who overtook from astern and didn't answer VHF calls, really neat encounters with porpoises and manta rays, and scary ones with whales, but two unusual occurrences stick with me for different reasons.

The first one happened when we were leaving northern Calif. for the start of our long term cruising, and it is the one closer to my heart. As we left the harbor, along the coast which has low fog extending night and morning, we looked astern, and there, in back of us was a luminescent, sparkly arc in the sky. We called it a fog bow, it was shaped like a rainbow, but bright white light. It was beautiful. ....Could it have been my home State saying goodbye to me?

The other was seeing the Aurora Australis coming along the Freycinet Peninsula, headed for Hobart, Tasmania, on our very first trip here. At first I thought they were the loom from Hobart, but the greenish tinge pulsed (looms don't pulse, and besides, we were too far from Hobart just then)...and eventually the penny dropped. Had I realized it was the only time I'd see them here, I'd have wakened Jim, but he slept safely on. For me, it was like a welcome.

Ann

[s/v Jedi]

A Manta ray dragging an anchored boat around the anchorage for an hour.

A big radar echo right in our path in the Mona Passage during tropical storm Claudette. No answer from radio, had to change course to avoid collision, never saw a light.

During that same storm, taking swells on the port bow, to boat climbing up then the swell breaking under the boat and all the way back behind us… every wave the same, until it started feeling normal.

An unlighted capped well head in the North Sea… but it was the moon rising from the horizon.

And then there was this off the coast of Colombia

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

A Manta ray dragging an anchored boat around the anchorage for an hour.



A big radar echo right in our path in the Mona Passage during tropical storm Claudette. No answer from radio, had to change course to avoid collision, never saw a light.



During that same storm, taking swells on the port bow, to boat climbing up then the swell breaking under the boat and all the way back behind us… every wave the same, until it started feeling normal.



An unlighted capped well head in the North Sea… but it was the moon rising from the horizon.



And then there was this off the coast of Colombia

Was the water coloration off Colombia anywhere near the Rio Magdelena?

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

I woke up and found my wife sitting casually at the helm as we surfed down an 8 foot wave with the SOG showing 16.4 kts. She usually starts to lose her **** around 7 kts in flat water. Craziest thing I've ever seen at sea.

Girl POWAH!!!

Your Admiral has got it all goin' on.

LittleWing77

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Was the water coloration off Colombia anywhere near the Rio Magdelena?

Exactly. We stayed far offshore to avoid it but it was huge, as far as the eye can see in every direction. Halfway through we could not see the other side yet.

That’s a big river

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Girl POWAH!!!

Your Admiral has got it all goin' on.

LittleWing77

She has her moments!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Exactly. We stayed far offshore to avoid it but it was huge, as far as the eye can see in every direction. Halfway through we could not see the other side yet.



That’s a big river

Yes, a big ass river with a big ass discharge. Ive taken the opposite strategy before and crossed it relatively close to shore where the discharge is narrower.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Jim and I have had a lot of exposure, so we've had the unlit ship at night, the vessel who overtook from astern and didn't answer VHF calls, really neat encounters with porpoises and manta rays, and scary ones with whales, but two unusual occurrences stick with me for different reasons.

The first one happened when we were leaving northern Calif. for the start of our long term cruising, and it is the one closer to my heart. As we left the harbor, along the coast which has low fog extending night and morning, we looked astern, and there, in back of us was a luminescent, sparkly arc in the sky. We called it a fog bow, it was shaped like a rainbow, but bright white light. It was beautiful. ....Could it have been my home State saying goodbye to me?

The other was seeing the Aurora Australis coming along the Freycinet Peninsula, headed for Hobart, Tasmania, on our very first trip here. At first I thought they were the loom from Hobart, but the greenish tinge pulsed (looms don't pulse, and besides, we were too far from Hobart just then)...and eventually the penny dropped. Had I realized it was the only time I'd see them here, I'd have wakened Jim, but he slept safely on. For me, it was like a welcome.

Ann

Very cool !

[capemiker]

There are so many fricking gallons out here, it’s disgusting!
How many times have I diverted course in case it was someone in distress🤬🤯[emoji35]