A whale is a whale...

Right?

Ummm, no, not really.  We work hard to find whales for our guests to view.  Everyone wants to see Orcas when they come to this area.  If you read all the advertising around here, you'd think the whales are swimming next to the boat while it's still at the dock, and handing out brochures for the San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau.  ;-)

Yeah, that's not quite accurate.  These are all wild animals.  No, they are not tagged with radio transmitters so we always know where they are (I hear that a lot).  No, they are definitely not "always off the west side of the island at The Whale Watch Park."  Did I mention: wild animals?  They can easily travel 70 miles or more in a day.  And sometimes, the Orcas just disappear for a while.  I think we had a 10 day stretch last year where no one saw Orcas.

Yesterday was one of those "no one saw Orcas" days, but the super-active humpback made most of us forget about that.  I did hear one guest say, "Too bad it wasn't a Killer Whale."  It made me chuckle... that humpback did everything except tap-dance with a top hat and cane.

And, the sun was shining.

That wasn't the case today... we woke up to a steady rain.  For those who think I have a "cushy job," I worked for 3 hours today, mostly in the rain, on the smaller boat.  It was her turn to get out there today.  Well, it was everybody's turn to get out there today... I think every operator in the area was completely booked.

And, did I mention: it rained?  By the time I boarded guests on the boat today, I had good news, and not so good news: the rain had pretty much stopped.  The first mate had rain slickers ready for everyone, just in case, but we didn't need them.  The not so good news?  No whale reports.

Just before receiving guests, the new boss told me, "I'm riding with you today."

"It's your boat.  You can help me find whales."  I did my safety talk and we headed out of the harbor... and a report of "I saw a Minke whale south of Cattle Pass."  No Orcas, no humpbacks, we were on a Minke-hunt.  Along the way, we saw eagles, seals, harbor porpoise, all kinds of water fowl, and several Stellar Sea Lions in the water.  The boss described the Stellars as "the grizzly bears of the sea."  I like that description.

South into Juan de Fuca in search of Minkes.  Minkes are whales.  Longer than most Orcas, but much smaller diameter bodies and a very small dorsal fin.  Frankly, they aren't as impressive as Killer Whales... but, they are elusive and fast.  Shaped like a torpedo, they really move through the water, and when they break the surface for a breath, it isn't as dramatic as the Killer Whales.  But, they are whales.

And fortunately, the guests on our boat were having a good day, and really got into the Minke search.  I counted at least 5 different Minkes today, more than I have ever seen in one day before.  I took the guests behind another island where I had seen an eagles' nest last year.  Yep, they were home.  I took the scenic route home, keeping my ear to the radios in case there were any Orcas sightings... nope.

The first mate and I cleaned the boat, and about 10 minutes after I got back to our boat, it started sprinkling again.  Good timing for the guests on our boat.

The marina seems even busier than yesterday.  No doubt, the rain brought in folks who might have otherwise anchored out.

On the bright side, the wind is near calm, as is the water... we had a great ride today, nice since we passed through Cattle Pass twice.  Plenty of current and eddies on the way north, but barely a ripple for waves.

No photos today - I mentioned that the Minkes are fast.  Yesterday, that humpback was just strolling along in a nearly straight line... it was pretty easy to predict where he would pop up next.  The Minkes zig and zag all over.

Oh, and how'd it go with the boss on the boat?  I asked for a critique when we were done, and I still have a job.  ;-)  He was very helpful with the new first mate, providing a good portion of the info.  I think we all had a good day.