Additionally, as we slid through the water, our wake disturbed millions of zooplankton. Individually, each would give off a short dim burst of light. Collectively, the gave the waters behind us a blue iridescent glow.
Most spectacular, however, were the dolphins. Seeing a pod join us and play in our wake is old news. Last night, however, as we sailed along silently, we began to hear the chirps of dolphin conversation below. As we stepped on deck, we saw that swimming dolphins disturb zooplankton much the way the WTP does. We saw about a dozen dolphins darting around the boat and playing in the bow wave, only a few feet away from us.
More accurately, we didn't see the dolphins; we saw ghostly glowing outlines and cloudy trails of faded blue light darting all around us. As the animals breached the surface to breath, the glow would disappear; replaced instead by their dark bodies. But as they dove, the waters would alight again.
We sat on the bow for almost an hour, mesmerized by the light show as Beauregard (our self-steering windvane) kept us on course. Trevor almost had to be tied to the mast, as these glowing sirens seemed to be calling him to join in the fun.