My batteries died!

No, not on the boat... or the truck... or the scooters; on my little point & shoot pocket camera.  I had two trips again today.  On our first trip, we found whales by going south again.  The whales were reported to be moving north - ideal!  We ran with J and K-pod to about Smallpox Bay, and then they separated: J-Pod ran north, fast; K-Pod ran south, even faster.  We had a good viewing with the two pods together, but I decided to follow the Js north, since that is where we had to return.  I took a few photos of some of the morning activity.  Ships in Haro Strait...

I started to get some photos of J-Pod...

And then my camera batteries died.  Oh, I could have picked up some AAs at the store between trips, but I didn't think I'd need it.

My late afternoon trip started out with a less than great whale report: the Js had run so fast and far north that I wouldn't be able to catch them.  The last report I had on the Ks had them moving southwest into Juan de Fuca.  It is a hit or miss proposition getting any kind of radio reception at our slip in Roche Harbor... so, no way to get a whale report from any boats that are actually out there.  I had pretty much decided I would push north, and hope that the whales either slowed down or changed course.  Before I got out of the harbor, I got a surprisingly good report on K-Pod (that had gone south): they were heading back north.  Fast.  By my calculations, I would intercept them somewhere just south of Lime Kiln.

Yep.  And, they were active.  A couple nice breaches.  A pectoral slap from one of the big males.  Did I mention: my camera batteries were dead?  Like a rerun of the morning trip, but Ks instead of Js, they were escorting us back towards Roche.  Near Open Bay, they slowed down.  I shut our boat down so we could watch without running - I really like our guests to hear that great exhale sound when the whales blow.  As we approached Kellet Bluff, the whales completely stopped.  And then, one large male, K26, popped up near the boat... and just sat there above the water (called: logging).  Did I mention: my camera batteries were dead??

Yeah, I know: without photos, it didn't happen.  Quite the moment... just not a "Kodak moment."

We brought a boat full of very happy guests back to our dock.  Another long, but satisfying, day.

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Joan had a first today.  She gets a lot of calls from people who have no idea where the San Juan Islands are... often, people are in Seattle, and think our boats leave from the Seattle waterfront.  Then, Joan gets to explain the hour and a half drive to Anacortes, the two hour wait for the Washington State Ferry, the hour and 10 minute ferry ride, and finally: where San Juan Island is located.  Or, catch a seaplane from Lake Washington or Lake Union and fly right into Friday Harbor, then board our boats.  But, today, she got a call from a woman who wanted to go out with us TODAY... the woman was calling from an island... not San Juan Island... she was calling from Rhode Island.  Yes, that Rhode Island... as in: on the East Coast.  Joan is usually able to contain herself, but this time she burst out laughing.  "Um, do you have your own super-sonic jet?"  No, she didn't say that.  She is too polite for that.

I put fresh batteries in my camera this evening.