Mother and calf saved!

Just before leaving Barra de Navidad ----

  The little bell rang; ah! the French baker is here. Last night we all agreed that we would leave right after buying baked goods from the delivering panga. He stops first on Dock A - my dock.  I see Ana Mae skippers coming and they start running, and I start running like a giddy school girl who wants to have first choice. I hurry back to SpringDay all smiles... Chocolate croissants, quiches and tartelettes and of course a couple of french baguettes. Now we can depart.

It’s a beautiful day, en route a bird starts circling above SpringDay, I wish I knew its specie name. I wait for it on port side, eye against the camera viewer. Click, click, click and I just know that one of them is a great shot. A new experience, spotted dolphins surf our wake, I usually find them under our bow, why the different play?  I wish I knew.
SpringDay encounters another mile long fishing line in the water, we managed to go over it this time without having to cut the line.  A trapped sailfish jumps repeatedly hoping to release itself from impending death. We continue on.

Divine appointment. 

About 3 miles from Manzanillo to our left Skipper catches sight of a fishing net with floats about half mile from the rocky shore. A pause and then:  "there is a whale trapped in the net!".   Skipper broadcasts to Ana Mae who is behind us and Insignia who is ahead of us.  Skipper Bill immediately talks of gearing up; snorkel, flippers and knife… he readies himself without even knowing the details of the distress. My heart approves.

SpringDay inches her way into the unfolding drama. “It’s a baby humpback whale!” The heavy net with floats and lead weights is hindering its journey north, we don’t know how badly it is entangled, we only see its head above the water,  no body to speak of, just a long trail of floats. Suddenly, a dark and glistening broad back emerges inches from the baby, along side it and lets out a long hard breath. At once, she returns to her position, under Baby to keep it’s head above water, its body clinging  and his tired small flukes just laying on Mom.  My heart swells with worry and I pray for a good outcome.

Two years ago Thor and Lilipad took an excursion to San Ignacio, the birthing grounds of grey whales. (Thor was a 57 Nordhavn and our Lilipad was a 55 Nordhavn). A chance of a lifetime to touch a calf and mother, rubbing their heads  and even kissing the head of the baby whale. The beginning of a life, event recorded, photographed, praised and recounted numerous times. Awestruck.

Today that memory comes alive and I know that Mother will welcome any assistance. Skipper Bill is first in the water and swims eagerly, disappears under water to assess. Baby has net rope in its mouth like a horse's bridle and the net is crisscrossed over its back, its flukes are free but her tail is under the weight of the net and it cannot maintain buoyancy. Death lures. Impossible to say how long Mother whale had been lending life support to Baby nor how long she can keep this up. Bill notices that Mom's eyes are closed until a calculated move and some underwater rumbling vocals from Bill make Mom aware of his presence and he watches her reaction; welcoming.

Skipper Bill moves in, only his gaze-filled mask can behold the awesome beauty of this event. She moves toward Bill, he touches her fluke then swims behind the baby pulling himself up by grabbing at the net until he is on top of Baby who shows fear by trying to agitate its tail, but seems to pull it together out of desperation.

Swiftly his knife shears the malignant webbing and on the surface the line of floats stops moving forward and draws back into a ball.  Skipper Bill surfaces to give us an account. " I cut off the net but it still has the rope in its mouth but I'm pretty sure it will work its way out."  Mother-Child duo is swimming faster and it looks like Baby has been freed.  Peals of joy and cheers from the portuguese bridge and great anticipation for Bill's detailed account.

Ana Mae moves into position for a "cut and release "                 

-Freedom from the net-
Idling Mexican Navy perhaps watching us from a distance

 I am thankful for the outcome.  Thankfulness always multiplies the joy and helps to freeze-frame the unforgettable.  Today our friend Bill gifted his genuine bravery and concerns for the distressed, but God scheduled the moment entirely.  Nothing short of a divine appointment.

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world”.
 Words of Sarah Ban Breathnach meant for the human heart, today they may very well have been the sentiments of a mammal experiencing the human heart.

Freedom for the duo, one has avoided mourning, the other death. Did you know that the humpbacks have the most sophisticated songs amongst whales, and that they perform more leaps than any other whale?

Excited about the pictures I just took, I pulled the card from my camera to download and view them. There was however one last task to do.  I really wanted the net to be picked up and thrown away. SpringDay broadcasts my request. Again, Ana Mae volunteers to pull it out of the water.
I took great shots of Tom and Susan pulling the long and heavy net out of the water, alas! My memory card had not been put back in. Sorry guys!
Thank you Ana Mae for answering The Call. Amen!


Next is Manzanillo and Ixtapa....

Thinking of you...