It’s not uncommon for us (and other sailors) to be escorted by pods of dolphins. People who study marine life seem to have differing opinions why they do this. Some speculate they’re able to expend less energy by slipstreaming—i.e., they’re wanting to hitch a free ride. Others opine that dolphins are very curious animals: they simply want to check out any large floating projectile not found in nature, see who’s on it and what they’re doing. Whatever the reason, a dolphin escort is always a source of tremendous excitement for the crew. We’re advised not to feed dolphins day-old pizza or… well, anything at all. In fact, it’s illegal.
A dolphin pod escorting a QBE sailing expedition (July 2022)