Dolphins Dancing in the Bow Wave...

Every ocean sailor remembers the first time a pod of dolphins joined his or her boat and frolicked around it, dashing in and out of the bow wave and, sometimes, leaping entirely out of the water. It's one of sailing's magical moments and, on my recent crossing of the Gulf Stream from the Bahamas, we were treated to nearly an hour of dolphins playing in the bow wave, diving under the boat, racing off and then, racing back to do it all over again.
Here's 90 seconds of the magic....enjoy, as I did. 

And - some exciting news for those planning on cruising the ICW on their way south. SAIL Magazine is hosting a special day long ICW seminar during the Annapolis Boat Show. This seminar will give you all the tips, tricks and techniques you need to safely, comfortably and enjoyably do the ICW segment of your trip south to Paradise.
Leading off the stellar cast of speakers is SAIL Magazine Contributing Editor yours truly... you'll also hear from Bruce Schwab on electrical tech issues for your boat, Jeff Grossman and Jean Levine on cruising for couples (invaluable advice here!), Mark and Diana Doyle on anchorages and dockage (another great couple with good information you need). All of this will be followed by a one hour Question and Answer session where you can pose your own questions to the speakers, who will be joined by experts from Waterway Guides, Seven Seas Cruising Association and BoatUS. All of this is followed by a cocktail hour where you can buttonhole your favourite speaker with still MORE questions.
Trust me on this - if after this seminar you can't comfortably handle the ICW - you need to buy an RV instead!
For more information, including how to register for this event (seats ARE limited), go to SAIL ICW Seminar.
Look forward to seeing you there.