Aboard No Boundaries
July 28, 2009
Some people travel to exotic places and pay people to guide them to the exotic sights. I think they all have wonderful experiences, and I have received all sorts of pictures and cards from people who took vacations that way.
However, cruising is putting us in reach of some fabulous sights for which we pay nothing extra. If anyone added up the cost of buying the boat and equipping it for blue-water cruising, it would quickly become apparent that this is not a free ride, but now that all the bill-paying is done, the sights seem to be free.
For example, when we sat in Cohansey Cove and watched cloud formations that looked like magic lanterns and erupting volcanoes, we felt as if we had been given the key to a fabulous treasure. All we did was show up, and the show happened without any effort on our part.
We have seen a lot of wonderful things along the way, but probably the most amazing thing so far is the whales.
As we passed Race Point off the tip of Cape Cod, we saw in the distance ahead a little inflatable boat sitting in the water. We noticed what seemed like unusual motion in the water, and suddenly it became clear to us that whales were breaching and diving there. We could tell that there were six or eight of the huge animals, and they were having a wonderful time. They were so near to our course that we didn’t need to change anything in order to watch them.
What amazed us, however, was to find that boats suddenly began zipping toward that spot from everywhere around us. Even a huge boat that we had thought was a ferry when it passed us earlier came rushing over to be close to the whales. Its decks were crowded with people yearning to see such a sight up close.
By the time we actually reached the site, only one or two whales were still there. They must have been tired, because they simply rolled over and slid under the water, never to be seen again. We were disappointed, of course, and it must have been disappointing to all those other boats, especially the one with as many as a hundred people aboard. However, as we looked around in all directions, we saw the spout of another whale, and once again a whale came up to the surface and then slid under again.
As we cruised northward, we saw this sight again and again. Once we watched as a whale glided along just under the surface, then spouted and came up to the top. We observed that most of the whales came up about three times before diving deep and showing us their huge tails. We must have seen a couple of dozen of them over the course of three or four hours. I don’t know what it would have cost to pay some guide to take us where whales were to be seen, but I don’t think any of them could have predicted that our course would be right where they were playing that day.
It was absolutely wonderful. And this sight is only of the many fabulous sights we have seen.
Today, as we left Seal Bay, a beautiful place we have inadequately tried to capture in photos, we saw a large group of seals sunning themselves on a huge rock. Until today, we had nothing but fog and more fog, so there was no sun to enjoy. Today, the seals and the people alike reveled in the gorgeous sunshine.
As we cruise, I see the work of God everywhere, and in the sight of seals and whales enjoying their world, I see God’s hand. There is so much about this world that nobody understands. How do so many creatures live so successfully without any humans to tell them what to do? How do they survive without manuals and government? One wonders, but for us, it is enough just to enjoy being part of the same world.
We can all be glad that people didn’t create the world. If people had done it, there would be so much sameness and uniformity that we would all be tired of it already. God’s world is full of surprises. Humans don’t do very well at predicting weather. Humans never know where a whale will appear. I am deeply thankful that God made a complex world that never fails to remind us that we don’t know everything yet. I love the surprises with which God has seen fit to bless us in our new life. Maybe it would actually be possible to predict weather and whales, but as far as I am concerned, I’ll take surprises over predictability any day.
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