Driving the boat out of Roche Harbor today. It is a completely different experience from the fast boat yesterday. That said, I enjoy this boat; it has a good ride and is comfortable for the guests.
And - a trifecta! Sorta. On our first trip today, we found a couple humpback whales on the way to the Orcas. On the second trip, we saw a Minke while setting up our position for the Orcas. So, it wasn't 3 different species of whales in one trip, but in one day. Close.
On the first trip, when I reported the position of the humpbacks, we were about a mile and a half from where there were other boats on the Orcas. Seems that all the commercial boats on the Orcas turned and hauled ass towards the humpbacks... leaving us to find the Orcas again when we left the humpbacks.
I had my hands full on that trip, and didn't even attempt to take any photos.
On the second trip, we were out later than the afternoon boats, but before the evening boats. We got to the nearest Orcas (L-22s), and there were no other boats with them. They were feeding and milling, not moving with any particular direction. That means we got to spend plenty of time with them, with the motor shut down. Drifting with the current. It was glorious! The water was flat. The sun was getting low, making for pretty light. And, we had them to ourselves.
Our first look...
Looking towards the west, I took this shot for my Honey - she really likes this time of day, with the sparkly water...
The whales were being surface active, including surface vocalizations... one of which sounded like a "raspberry" - the guests loved it!
That shot above is... no boats around us. Serene; downright spiritual.
I let the guests know that this would be our "last looks." Time to head back.
One young lady said (emphatically), "NO!" I nicely explained to her that this boat wasn't a democracy, but more of a benevolent dictatorship. ;-) About that time, one of the whales changed direction and came up close enough that I shut down the engine. "I guess there is someone who gets the last say - the whales!" The people were delighted to spend a few more minutes enjoying the views...
In this photo, you can see the saddlepatch, the light-colored area behind the dorsal fin...
That helps us identify which whale we are viewing. When they moved far enough away, I started the engine and slowly left the whales behind us. I gave the position to two more boats who were headed that way.
Moving north, we passed Lime Kiln Lighthouse...
Pretty light. This is the place many people think the whales "hang out." No, they go where their food is. We were just passing by on our way back to Roche.
I was truly enjoying the water, the views, the boat - Haro Strait was wonderfully calm. I even enjoyed the slab-sided ship that passed by us in the shipping lane...
And, the silhouettes, looking towards Vancouver Island...
A truly lovely day on the water.
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