12.09.2026 – Special home for ocean life
September 20, 2026
First of all, the “foot” is an English unit of measurement.
Today, massive rotor blades, measuring 61.6 meters (202 feet) in length, were transported along the roads and through the tunnels from Ribeira Brava, via Calheta and Prazeres, to Paul da Serra for new wind turbines on the plateau. This caused traffic jams and delays on the way to our departure port. Nevertheless, we were able to set off on time.
The striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) we saw leaping so beautifully this afternoon grow to be 2.4–2.6 meters long, depending on their sex. That translates to 7.9–8.5 feet. At times, they seemed to be flying, something they love to do, as air resistance is even lower than water resistance.
Flying fish can easily glide 100 meters above the water’s surface when they take flight to escape predators or our boat. That is 328 feet, an impressive feat.
Our traditional fishing boat, the “Ribeira Brava”, is 12 meters long and 4 meters wide at its broadest point; in other words, it is a good 39 feet long and 13 feet wide. The gunwale sits approximately 1.2 meters above the water level, rising to over 2 meters at the bow. That corresponds to 3.9 feet, and over 6.5 feet at the bow. And because it was so comfortable by the gunwale, one of our guests let his feet dangle over the edge.
These weren’t the only feet on the “Ribeira Brava”.
However; as a tribute to our senior captain, Senhor Luis, here are his footprints alongside the feet of our skipper, Zé.
By Claudia Gomes
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Bottlenose dolphins
13:00 Striped dolphins
Steno
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins
13:30 Striped dolphins
