Today, I am a naturalist...

No, it STILL doesn't mean naturist.  And this time, it was my turn.  I told my employers that I wanted to learn all aspects of the business (making myself indispensable).  Apparently, they were listening.  With only one boat going out today, they put me on as a naturalist-trainee.  Frankly, the folks that they have doing this job with degrees in marine biology know more about what we're looking at, but I do have life experience and I know where we are and what island is what.  I enjoyed visiting with guests today.  No, we didn't see Orcas, but we did see harbor porpoises, seals, Steller Sea Lion, and several bald eagles.  Probably the best sighting today was a bald eagle taking a bath in rest water in the rocks - and it wasn't even Saturday night!

It is a different perspective from being at the helm.  I enjoy the interaction with the guests, but driving the boats is my real job.  Tomorrow, another new training session: the office.  I'll get to see what Joan does most days, and I think it will be enlightening to see how the process goes from booking to boarding.  And then, back to driving.

It was a cold start to the day, with low overcast, wind, and an occasional spit.  Honestly, the views of the islands are pretty dramatic as they are silhouetted in various shades of blue.  We ran way north, hoping to find whales.  No one saw them, though.  Several other whale watch boats followed us on our trek north.  What we did see was pretty impressive, though.  We had guests on the boat from all different parts of the US and Europe.

Each day is a new experience.  This job is a lot of work, but it sure isn't boring.