Member-only story
Among the Whales
Contemplating the secrets of the deep
This is not what I had expected. When the last hint of the Maine coast fades into the mist, it seems like we have entered another dimension. The 65-foot boat that my wife and I boarded in Portland looked formidable back there. But now sandwiched between sea swells and featureless clouds, it does not appear equal to the vast expanse churning before us.
The boat’s bow cuts through the chop. The chill of late-spring, maritime air cuts right through our layered clothes. All but two of the dozen other tourists have taken shelter in the cabin.
Judy smiles with eyes half closed as we motor along. Judy delights in the impermanence of the sea — how one swell merges into another, then into another, and on and on like that without end. Twenty miles from shore I feel uneasy, disoriented, uprooted from my earthy comfort zone.
The captain spots a pair of minke whales in the distance and brings them to our attention. That makes it official. This is a whale-watching excursion. In response to smallish whales at least a quarter-mile away, all I can say is: “Nice.” Judy is even less impressed. The captain doesn’t steer the boat towards them or even slow the boat down. He obviously has something else in mind.
