Ocean Sunfish

Rockland, ME

It's been a long time since I posted. Viviane was with me for a week and plans changed. We spent a lot of time looking at properties rather than pushing east.

I cruised through Casco Bay, Harpswell and Phippsburg before doing a longish 12 hour hop to Rockland Maine. There was no wind at all for the first two thirds of this day. That's always frustrating to a sailor but it's also quite beautiful to be out on the ocean with nary a ripple on the water. It really facilitates spotting and observing wildlife.

I stumbled upon the most interesting sea creature I've ever seen. I noticed a strange protrusion breaking the surface and adjusted course to pass closer. I thought it might be a whale or porpoise tangled in fishing gear. It turned out to be the oddest looking fish I have ever seen. Quite large, probably over 200 pounds, and just lazily sunning itself on the surface. I was able to get some great video thanks to the calm seas.

Mola

I repeatedly checked my cell phone for internet connectivity as I continued on my way because I was dying to figure out what it was. Just outside Tenant's Harbor I was able to Google again and discovered it was an ocean sunfish.

It's exactly these kinds of discoveries that make the whole trip so interesting and enjoyable.