Another fine day with the whales...

I came in early to fuel the boat; I called the fuel dock and was told there was space.  By the time I got out of our slip and around the corner, we were number 4 in line and a few seconds later, there were 3 more behind us.  We weren't in a tight time situation... good thing, because the boats that got to the fuel dock before us were BIG... and it takes a lot of time and $$$ to fuel them up. ;-)
When it was time to board passengers, my boat got out first today - I decided to head south.  I had a solid report on the whales, the weather looked good, and they were reasonably close.  Our other boat wound up being 20 minutes late getting out (waiting for guests on a sea plane), they decided to go north.  The good news: we both saw Orcas!

We got to compare notes before I went home and they went out for an evening trip - sounds like we both had good views and happy guests.  One of the highlights on our trip was after viewing whales: we came across a bald eagle sitting on a rocky outcropping as we came around an island.  As if on cue, the eagle took flight, dived towards our boat, and pulled a fish out of the water about 30 feet from our boat!  A cheer came from the guests!  Then 4 big Stellar Sea Lions hauled out on the rocks.  Plenty of other wildlife.

This was what I would call "an easy day": comfortable water conditions, decent weather, whales close enough that we could spend all the time we wanted with them, other interesting wildlife, happy guests, and back to the dock right on time.  :-)

Joan was done with work at the same time I was (of course, she went in over 4 hours earlier than I did), and I got to walk her home.  She had a fine day, too.

It is so good to have the Orcas back in the area.  After 6 weeks of seeing them every day, I got kinda complacent, thinking they'd always be there.  I won't do that again. ;-)  Don't tell them, but it is fun seeing humpbacks and minkes, too... this place is just well known for the Orcas.