Definitely, the best thing about this job: it is never the same trip twice. Even if there are two trips the same day.
This morning, when I checked around 11:00, there were no whale reports. I would really like to see whales today and tomorrow... well, OK every day I'm out there. But, that would make it all of June without getting skunked (not seeing whales). I almost regret writing that - don't want to upset karma.
Today, one large family group had chartered the boat. Nice people. Fun. Maybe a bit boisterous, since I had to settle them down to get through the safety talk. I knew my 1st mate/naturalist would have her hands full... the people wanted to talk amongst themselves, not listen to a naturalist. I told her to "kick back - don't try to teach them stuff they don't want to learn. When we get to the whales, they will be interested in some of what you have to say. But, it's their boat, and if they want to chit-chat, that's what they get to do."
When I checked on them, they were having fun. They were excited to see the whales... well, before we got to the whales, they thought everything was a whale... "No, that's a log. That? That is a seal." I just had to chuckle.
We got to see most of J-Pod and a couple of L-Pod. The whales were moving at a pretty good clip, so we had to move along with them. We took the scenic route on the way home. The day had started out gray with an occasional spit of rain, but turned out to be partly sunny by the time we were heading back. The guests were delighted with the trip. Me, too.
I had to work the helm the whole time, to keep the boat in the best position for their viewing, so I didn't have time to get any whale photos. Fortunately, the water was nearly calm, making for a great ride (and nobody yakking). There was a collective groan from the guests when they saw a big private yacht run right up on the whales... I guess they did learn some things today, since they showed their appreciation for respectful wildlife viewing.
The only photo I took, on the way back to the harbor...
Pretty water, bits of blue in the sky. Nice day.
2 comments:
How were the steaks???
The steaks were great, Mark. We didn't get to them the night before, so last night was our "grown up meal." ;-)
Didja ever notice that food tastes better on a boat?
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