Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

adjust the binocular focus to watch a bird I saw a flying fish in the field of view,
as it seemingly hovered for several seconds in the trough of the swell. The wind
against it had slowed it down until it was almost stationary. In the next few
days we would come upon them in scores. Earlier in the day I had climbed to
the crow's nest to see the Salvage Islands to port; they appeared as small
volcanic cones on the horizon. After lunch the island of Tenerife was visible on
the port bow; there was some discussion at first as to whether it was a cloud
effect, but when these cleared a little later the north end of the island could be
plainly seen.
The opera group met after lunch for first rehearsal, which went very well.
Immediately afterwards we had a 'Brains Trust’, but the questions were not
very stimulating and I left to go on the bridge from which by now both north
and south extremities of Tenerife could be seen, although the central heights
were in cloud. The Pico de Teide could just be made out. To the southwest, part
of the island of Palma was visible at the eastern end of a menacing rainsquall. I
took the following information from the Africa Pilot:
"Tenerife is the largest and most remarkable of Islas Canarias. It is
traversed centrally nearly the whole of its length by a very high range of
mountains, the sides of which slope steeply towards the sea. Forests and
brushwood cover parts of the higher ground and some of the valleys
abound in vegetation. Pico de Teyde is 12,140 feet high and the cone is very
small in proportion, being only 536 feet in height; the crater at its top is
about 120 ft deep."
"Palma has two mountain ranges, the highest point being Pico de Cruz
which is 7,736 ft high..." "Cliff bound Hierro is almost inaccessible."
The sun was setting behind Palma, which was by now shrouded in thick
black clouds and the cliffs at the north and south extremities were silhouetted
against a flaming orange-yellow strip of clear sky. Soon after Gomera appeared
to port and later the moon came out when we were abeam of its long, rugged
mass, the stars very bright and the track of the moon leading across the sea to
the island like the trail of some titanic snail. We stood talking at the forepeak in
the bright moonlight for hours and Pat Toynbee and Steve were reciting their
parts for the ‘Shakespeare Festival’. It was then 9 o’clock and two hours later
we were abeam the light of Fuente Calliente on Palma. This dipped shortly after
midnight and we came abeam of Hierro at about 1.30 am, but did not see the
light of Porta Conchilla around the southwest corner until shortly after 3 o’clock
in the morning.
Hierro was still on the horizon the following morning, with a streamer of
cloud blowing out to the east – ever changing but remaining the same length.
The sky was pale with fluffy yellow cumulus dotted about. The steering gear
went wrong again and we began to go round in circles; fortunately it was soon
put right. We were averaging 10.3 knots and expected to reach St Vincent on
New Year’s Eve, hopefully in time for the fiesta ashore. While sitting on the
deck after breakfast I watched a flying fish, a small one, pursued by a black and
white dolphin about four feet long. About 400 yards abeam to port a large
87