Blog 003 – Sea Cows

Steve washing the sail

Sea Cow

Today while we were washing our main sail on the lawn we happened to look out over the water and saw slow moving oblong-shaped circles. Upon closer look there was an object floating just beneath the water next to the dock.  Being newbies to this side of the country (east coast) and at the marina, we had no idea what it might be. Maybe a really big fish or an alligator or…a manatee! Yep, we found ourselves staring at this slow moving mass-another one of those first time things. We went down the dock for a closer look. Margret on the yacht Synergy came with us and she was about as excited as you could be. She ran ahead and knelt down and was able to pet this young creature as it was eating the algae off the dock. We went and grabbed a camera (should have grabbed the GoPro for some underwater shots-next time). We were able to get a short clip before the batteries ran out!

Here’s what we’ve learned about manatees in the time we have been here. They love to slurp fresh water! The water here is a brackish salt water from the Atlantic Ocean mixed with fresh water from rivers flowing into it. We were told a story about a boat owner who gives them fresh water from a hose and they will sit in the water, mouth open wide and drink for a long time. We learned they like a good back scratching. We heard another story about someone taking a long handled brush and cleaning them up. They love it! They will roll over making sure every part gets clean before they move on. They seem to be very calm around humans. This one didn’t have any scars from being hit by boat props, that was good to see. We have a lot of rules for motoring slowly around these beautiful creatures. Ok, they really are ugly but beautiful in an all-babies-are-cute kinda way. They are an endangered species and are protected by law. Unfortunately, there are collisions with these creatures often because they tend to sleep just below the surface of the water. This makes them hard for boaters to see.

Fun facts: They are called sea cows because they eat 1/3 of their own weight in sea grass and algae every day. They are mammals, so they breath air and most times their big snout is the only thing that can be seen above water. When the mamas give birth underwater they lift up the baby just far enough so the baby can breathe right away. They can swim up to 15 miles per hour in short bursts even though they are normally very slow moving creatures.

I hope our grandchildren get a chance to see them someday.