Dolphins, Drones, and a SpaceX Surprise

Some days on the water feel like a gift. This was one of those days!

We were sailing along when a pod of dolphins showed up like they’d been waiting for us. They swam right up, riding the bow and turning sideways to look at us with those curious, intelligent eyes. I swear they’re just as fascinated by us as we are by them—like, “What are these people doing up there?” You can see them tilt to get a better look, scanning us the way we watch them. And the way they dart toward the boat with this joyful energy? It feels like they're just as excited to see us as we are to see them. I’ll never get tired of that feeling.

As if dolphins weren’t enough excitement for one trip, I decided it was time to take the drone out for its maiden voyage. Enter: the Skydio 2+. This thing has obstacle avoidance so advanced it practically thinks for itself—which sounds great, right? Until it refuses to land on a moving boat because it’s “too risky.” The footage was stunning, smooth as butter, but getting it to come home was another story. I spent a good few minutes having a one-sided argument with a flying robot that was convinced it knew better than me. For a moment, I genuinely thought the Atlantic had claimed its first drone.

But we made it. The drone survived. My nerves, not so much.

At the end of this leg, we sailed into Cape Canaveral and spotted a SpaceX booster sitting on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. They were prepping it for transport—most likely to refurbish it and get it ready for another launch. Watching that piece of spaceflight history quietly waiting to be hauled away felt surreal. Here we were, eating dinner at a wonderful restaurant, and there was a rocket that’s literally been to space. Casual.

It’s days like this that remind me why we’re out here. You never know what you’ll see—whether it’s dolphins, drones, or rockets.