Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "$140.00 Boat Ride" Story

Monday, May 7, 2012

The "$140.00 Boat Ride" Story

It was an ordinary day. Sea is still and the air is calm. Slight bit of moisture is dropping from the dull, listless, gray sky. And, we are going whale watching! Had been in email contact with Dave H. for a few weeks after seeing a thread on TravelTalkOnline about a new adventure that he has just started with his wife Adriana on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten. Through the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten, Dave has offered to take whale watching tours for up to 10 people on Sunday mornings for about a month. He is donating 20% of the proceeds from the trip to the Foundation and in return Tadzio Beruoets, manager of the Foundation, acts as the whale watching guide. We arrived at the dock at 64 Welfare Road in Simpson Bay about 8:45 AM not knowing if we were still taking the trip because of the light rain. The boat is a 27 foot power boat with a fill bimini for shade, but don't think we will have to worry about the sun today. At 9:00 AM, Tadzio arrives with some bad news. Someone broke into the Foundation's headquarters and stole his Hydrophone, which we were to use to "hear" the whales in the water, along with his computer which had years of research in them. He looked extremely distressed, but agreed that we were heading out on the seas to try and find the whales. He told us there is a population of humpbacks that are in the waters nearby, and there have been 60 sightings recently of humpbacks and 110 sightings of dolphins. The whales have traveled here from Greenland to mate and have their calves in warmer waters, and when the calves are strong enough to travel, will return to Greenland. We head from the docks in what has now become a steady rain, through the Simpson lagoon towards the drawbridge on the Dutch side of the island. Pass under it and through Simpson Bay towards the open ocean. We can still see land when the boat slows and becomes still. Tadzio is pointing at something and we all watch. Is is extremely quiet, as if the whales will hear us if speak Very eerie! Off in the misty distance we can see the silhouettes of the islands of St. Barths, St. Eustatius and Saba. For me, all I need is the "special music" and a fin or two slicing through the still waters and it would be Jaws all over again. I sure hope this boat is big enough!! I'll tell you the bimini has really helped keep the rain off us and our cameras. False alarm and we continue on. As we near Point Blanche, we head into the protected territory of the Nature Foundation where no fishing or diving is allowed without special permission. The skies are starting to brighten and the rain is subsiding as we pass Guana Bay, Oyster Bay and Orient Bay. Still, no sightings except for the pelicans, frigates, and boobies that call rock croppings home. We have reached the northernmost point of the island now and will head westward, along the French coast with the English island of Anguilla off in the distance. It is in this channel that Tadzio tells us that fishermen have made recent whale sightings. We slow again and watch ....... and watch ...... and watch. I wonder what would happen if a whale would breach right next to us right now. Would I be prepared for the photo of a lifetime? I grip my camera tighter. No sightings on this calm stretch of open water. We make our way past Creole Rock, Grand Case Bay, Happy Bay and Friars Bay. Then someone yells, "There's one in front of us," as we all grab our cameras and start to search the sea. A large green turtle surfaced just long enough for me to get a shot of its shell and, after seeing us, heads back into the sea. At least some excitement! Tadzio is breathing a sigh of relief, I'm sure. Ten minutes later we head towards Marigot, the capital of the French side of St. Martin, and through the drawbridge, back to the dock. It has been a dreary, dismal day with the only sightings the turtle and a few flying fish. I know we are never guaranteed a whale sighting, but it still is a disappointment when all you get is a $140.00 boat ride. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.