Dolphins!

We spent a very peaceful night protected by the cape and the breakwater. By the morning, the wind had shifted to the south and was light. I was making omelets when Peter announced dolphins, which always stops all activity. There were dozens of them going past the boat, adults and babies. It is always a thrill to watch their bottlenoses surface and then their crescent shapes leap out of the water, their wet, sleek skin shimmering like silver in the sunlight. 

Dolphin surfacing

Three dolphins

After breakfast, Peter fixed a leaking fresh water pipe and then we set off in our kayak for the shore of Cape Henlopen. The northern part of it is off limits to protect nesting birds and their young, particularly piping plovers, black skimmers, least terns and nighthawks. It is a pristine area of rolling sand dunes covered in some places with dune grasses. We walked south along the beach and observed sand crabs near their holes and horseshoe crabs by the water's edge and swimming near shore. Horseshoe crabs are not true crabs; they are arthropods that have existed for about 360 million years, since the Devonian period. In the spring, mature horseshoe crabs migrate from deep water to the shore for mating. We saw dozens of young ones, but there are probably hundreds here in the bay. We had never seen these primitive arthropods encrusted with mollusks before. I must do some research to see if there is an environmental cause. 

Cape Henlopen nesting area

Sand crab ready to scurry into its hole

Young horseshoe crab

Paddling back, dolphins crossed right in front of us! We have now prepared the boat for being out on the open ocean, had lunch and are ready to go. 

Dolphin near our kayak