A surge of adrenaline hit as I spotted them – an instinct to capture the moment kicked in, and I quickly reached for my phone. I thought the dolphins would appear just briefly, popping out of the waves before vanishing into the vast blue landscape. But that fleeting moment stretched into an hour, and soon it felt almost natural that they were there. I put my phone down and relaxed into this unexpected new normal.
Alex and I were sailing from Bembridge on the Isle of Wight to Studland Bay on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. With favourable tides and wind, we decided to take the scenic route, an anti-clockwise course around the “back of the island,” south along the Isle of Wight. This meant passing St. Catherine’s Point, an area well-known in the sailing world for its notorious currents and rough waters.
The dolphins first appeared just as we approached the headland of St. Catherine’s Point, gliding effortlessly through the waves. They stayed with us until just before Freshwater Bay, almost like guardian dolphins guiding us safely past the headland. Even though the conditions were favourable, the sea was still rough with rolling swells. Normally, I’d be struggling with seasickness, but the dolphins were a welcome distraction – and I forgot all about feeling queasy, lost in the joy of their company.
Ness' bit of everything 