Craziest things and objects encountered on the water

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by patprice

And this posted on FB by a friend on passage from South Georgia to Cape Town.



DRINA South Georgia Expedition 2017.

Thursday 18.January.2018 An extraordinary, almost unbelievable 24 hour period



Yesterday started pretty much like any other. Just on dusk however – our position just over 1,000 leagues from Cape Town – with light that might make most doubt their eyes – we felt a sudden lurch in Drina's progress – as if we had struck something. Scrambling on deck we stared in horror as a giant squid of Vernian proportions had attached itself to the foredeck. We reached for boat hooks and the bodgie-sticks we had used for fur-seals in South Georgia. By the time we had positioned ourselves for battle the giant squid had already attained solid purchase in Drina's crosstrees and top hamper. Drina's two loyal crew tried – all the while dodging the flailing tentacles – to coerce the giant squid back to the deep from which it came. Dodging both the razor sharp beak & tentacles with suction cups as big as dinner plates was only possible through a coordination and teamwork which can only be developed through months of living and toiling side by side.



In the heat of battle we were caught completely unawares as we were struck once again, this time on the starboard bow. Having been flung into the deck netting we were less than 1 ft from the waterline, Drina's hull being born down by the weight of the giant-squid. There we were confronted with the immense eye – the size of porthole – which paralyzed us with fear. Never before have we ever seen such intense fury expressed in a living creature, as if all of nature's millions of years of evolution had culminated in a organism intent on destruction. It was the eye of an enraged *white sperm whale. (*Later recounting of the episode over a sobering rum revealed that we had both observed a mottled, brownish, cappuccino color to the tail section).



Fortunately, Drina's solid, now ice-tempered bow absorbed the leviathanic impulse, which we suspect was a deliberate glancing blow by the enraged whale (who we have since come to refer to as 'Cappuccino Dick'). In any case, the blow to the hull had the desired effect as the giant-squid was dislodged from Drina's rigging and into the South Atlantic. The tussle that ensued was mesmerizing, but we were obliged to crowd on more sail to gain sea-room as quickly as possible from the battling leviathans. Our faithful Captain had already altered course to carry us away.



The sperm whale clearly had an advantage as its scrimshaw laden jaw clamped savagely, severing at least two tentacles and we suspect, piercing the squid’s main body. The Kraken was not one to give up easily and we saw its giant beak gouge deeply into the whale's torso, just aft of the whale's furious, all-seeing eye. A moment later, as the two were embraced in what resembled a death roll, a huge wave of black ink erupted from the giant squid. The two dipped beneath the swell, thrashing the surface with all the energy incarnate of a typhoon. The ink calmed the water to oily glass as the diameter of the slick crept ever larger. Drina sped away into the dusk, leaving the jet-black slime to be absorbed into the inky darkness.



So ends the tale of the battle between the Kraken and Cappuccino Dick.



Other big news is that we have finally cracked 10 degrees Celsius sea water temperature.



Yup … pretty slow day otherwise.

1000 leagues? "Cross trees and top hamper"? Is the Drina a time-machine?

[uspatriot]

A couple bails of coke floating off the coast of Florida in the 80's

[uspatriot]

Originally Posted by Group9

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...1&d=1516386213

Here is the craziest thing I ever found floating in the water, southwest of Grand Cayman. 300 kilos of cocaine.

Now Retired with that big yacht!

[rhubstuff]

1973, cruising in the Abacos. Late at night in the northwestern sky, a rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, rose to about 45 degrees from the horizon, and exploded into a thousand flaming bits that fell towards the ocean. I had worked at the Cape after college, so I knew immediately what it was. I still wonder who lost a payload.

[montenido]

While delivering my new boat to Los Angeles from Sausalito last June, we encountered miles and miles of small brown jellyfish in Monterey Bay. They certainly must have numbered in the millions. As we neared Moss Landing, a huge sea turtle came flying vertically most of the way out of the water near us. The turtle was almost 4' wide, and had a huge head that was sporting a moss cap. The jellies were impressive, but the turtle must have been close to 100 years old at that size.

BTW, give Moss Landing a pass if it is on your travel route. What a sh#t-hole.

Cheers, Bill

[Garrettw]

Saw a fridge float by in Galveston Bay during a flood event a few years ago. It was followed closely by a huge hog carcass.

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by Group9

The owner was shot to death in 1993, about a year after this picture. . So, I think I'm okay.

The heirs are still alive...

[Miz Pea]

Back in the early 1960's, my parents built a house on Merritt Island, FL. It was only the second house built on the island. My brother and I collected styrofoam scraps from the construction sites of houses being built after ours, and we constructed a huge raft with the styrofoam sandwiched in between sheets of plywood.

We cut bamboo for poles, and we poled up and down the Banana River, fishing and swimming and doing kid things like pretending to be pirates. Where we lived, the Banana River had a very shallow bottom slope extending out about 150 feet or so from shore, so poling the big raft worked well.

One day I was out on the raft by myself, heading into a light wind wind for quite a long way, and I put down the pole, lay on my stomach looking over the windward side, and just drifted. I watched the fish, baby sharks, horseshoe crabs and other sea life scuttling around the sea floor, and then seemed to drift over a huge shadow that was as big as the 12 x 8 foot raft.

As I looked into the eyes of a creature resting on the bottom, I realized that I had floated over the biggest ray I had ever seen. It was always annoying to catch stingrays when we were fishing, so I knew the shape... but I was in utter disbelief at the size of this monster, and frozen in place with my fingers gripping the edge of the raft.

I was scared to death, knowing that if the ray decided to ascend she could easily knock me off the raft, and I suddenly seemed much too far from shore. Her eyes followed my eyes as the raft slowly, slowly drifted over her.

We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like 25 minutes, but it was probably less than 10. She rippled the edges of her giant wings once, and I almost passed out with dread. Pretty intense situation for a ten-year old.

The raft finally drifted past the monster. I sat up, feeling weak from the aftereffects of adrenaline, and watched as the giant shadow on the sea floor remained in place as I drifted further and further away. About 40 yards further I finally stood up and starting poling the raft toward home. I kept looking over my shoulder, but she never surfaced, and I never saw her again. Or any other ray half that size.

Not quite as interesting as a giant squid and a white whale, but an experience that served me very well, as it made me keenly aware of on-the-water and in-the-water safety at a very young age.

[ausaviator]

I very recently I located approximately $300-400k of drugs washed up on a river bank in a bag. Some were slightly water-logged but still very valuable/usable. Handed over to the plods. Biggest haul they had seen.

[Robert Tilbury]

of the NSW Australian coast would have been 30nm off sydney was a red ford bronco ,, Lights on ,
No one in the car ,(we had to check ) we called it in to the marine rescue they come out and sunk it ,

Wish i had pictures .

[ausaviator]

A Bronco eh... aside from the uniqueness of what you saw, Bronco's are very rare in Australia. At present there are 5 for sale across all of Aus.. if that helps put it into perspective.

[Robert Tilbury]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

A Bronco eh... aside from the uniqueness of what you saw, Bronco's are very rare in Australia. At present there are 5 for sale across all of Aus.. if that helps put it into perspective.

wow only 5 ,,,,, there are 3 in nowra ,,(not for sale just drivers ) back in the 90`s when i saw it floating there were loads ,, some canadian (right hand drive ) some USA Left hand drive converted ,,,

Funny when i had a water front house on the georges river a bloke with a bronco (Forgot ) HAHAHA to put the hand brake on and his went for a swim ,,,,,
So thats 2 floating i have seen ,,,,,,

Hope this stuff dont come in 3`s <<

[Melissa36]

Originally Posted by Group9

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...1&d=1516386213

Here is the craziest thing I ever found floating in the water, southwest of Grand Cayman. 300 kilos of cocaine.

Probably has a CIA tracking device on it.

[SailingTerrapin]

While crossing the Pacific, we sailed past a floating shipping container with a pod of sperm whales swimming around it. Makes us wonder what was in the contain. We're also very thankful we didn't hit the container!