Batting .500...

No, I'm not a baseball player.

It has been an amazing season of whale watching this summer.  Today, I had two trips... on the first one, we did not see whales.  That hasn't happened much this summer.  The guests were understanding: the resident Orcas were too far north or west to get to.  There were no reports of transient whales until we were well into our trip... and not enough time to get to them.

For the second trip, I let the guests know that the only whales in the area were quite a ways away.  Further than we could get to in the usual tour time... "Anyone on a tight schedule?"

I let them know that I would do my best to get them to the whales, but it would run beyond a "three hour tour."  No one objected.  I asked, "What if it runs 4 to 5 hours."

The consensus: "We want to see whales!"

We are going for it!  We had to go east and north... north of Lummi Island.  From the reports, there were several groups of transient whales merging... this could be really good!  Or, they could turn direction, and we might not be able to catch up with them.  No pressure, huh?  ;-)

It took us almost two hours to get to the transients, but it was SO worth the trip...

Some great surface activity!

Check out the young one behind Momma...

The guests could not have been more excited!  It was a long trip, but very satisfying.

My work days are now down to single digits.

Decades...

Looking back, we have kinda done things by decades: there was a decade (or two) of motorcycle touring, a decade of flying, several decades of RVing and boating.

Over the past winter, we decided we were ready for a change.  Wild Blue has been a constant in our lives since we picked her up at the factory.  I have frequently said, "The best accessory for a C-Dory is the trailer!"  With a trailerable cruising boat, you can haul to the best cruising areas at the best times.  We have done that for just over 8 years with Wild Blue (and some sailboats before her).

We decided we were ready for more land traveling again.  Our original plan was to put Wild Blue up for sale at the end of this summer season.  Apparently, our friends Tim and Mary (sailing forum friends from California) could see this coming.  Earlier this summer, Tim asked me, "Do you know of a C-Dory like yours that will be for sale soon?"

"Well, we should talk..."  We were ready to be done trailering the boat.

We did.  Tim and Mary came to Friday Harbor to check out Wild Blue.  We came to an agreement, and they are the new owners.  Some say, "The two happiest days in a boater's life are: they day they buy their boat, and the day they sell their boat."  I am happy that Wild Blue is going to a great couple who will use the boat and treat her well.

So, our "next chapter" has begun.  We are not in the immediate market for "the next boat."  We are looking forward to some time with no schedules.  Visiting with our daughter and son-in-law soon.  And, seeing what is around the next bend.

More as it unfolds.

Scooting...

Out and about early with the scoots today...

We put together a plan: RIDE!!

We loaded onto the ferry with a couple BMWs and a Kawasaki... we pulled up to the ferry landing just as the ferry was arriving - I like this timing!

I was surprised how not-packed the ferry was...

I had to chuckle a bit while visiting with the guy with the Kawasaki - he said, "I think those mopeds are way more dangerous than a motorcycle."

"I'm fine, thanks, and how are you?"  ;-) 

Nice views from the ferry this morning...

And the riding: through town...

Out on the highway...

And onto the fun roads...

Dang - the orange signs...

These signs are more fun...

The riding...

Yeah, the time is getting short - the riding in this area is BIG fun... got to get it in while we can.

This isn't the Disney Channel...

The only whale report I had when I first went into work had the residents WAY north.  Further north than time would allow, without someone missing the ferry or a seaplane.  I was hoping those whales would kick it in gear and haul ass south.  They have done that quite a few times this season.  Not today.

A half hour before departure, a report of transient whales near Partridge Bank.  Not close, but closer than the whales up north; this trip is doable.  Most of the time, I would rather see the residents, because they tend to spend more time around the surface... but, one has to make a plan, then go for it.

A half hour after departure, I got a report that the whales we were heading to had turned direction and were moving away from us.  Not what I wanted to hear.  Fifteen minutes later, they had turned again and were heading towards us.  Ups and downs - this was a definite UP.

When we got to the whales, there were only 3 other boats on the scene; 30 seconds after we arrived, there was a breach!  Then, some porpoising - these whales were on the hunt!  A harbor porpoise came out of the water just ahead of them... this poor guy was about to have a really bad day.  One of the transients caught it as it came up for a breath... took it under... then tossed it upside down into the air.

This is one of those scenes where people say, "Ohhhh!" in an upbeat way, then "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!" in horror, when they realize that the harbor porpoise isn't going to survive.  Everyone thinks they want to see this... some later wish they had turned their eyes away.  This is raw nature, and shows the power and hunting skills of the killer whales.  There was a juvenile with this group, and he got to play with the kill, too... it's how they develop their skills.

After the kill and the chowing down, there was some "celebration" - lots of surface activity.  A somersault, some spy hops, a few jumps, and some "headstands" where the whale waved its tail in the air.  Then something I haven't seen before: a whale swimming backwards and coming out of the water tail first.  Oh, there is probably a name for that maneuver, but my naturalist onboard hadn't seen it and didn't know what to call it.  The whale did this several times.  Both of our Friday Harbor boats were there to see this, and I could hear the naturalists on both boats whooping it up!

One of the best parts of this viewing: the whales stayed pretty much in the same spot - we were able to shut down the boat and just view without moving.  The water was calm, so it was easy to see all the activity.  Just a fine day of whale watching, and really getting to see them in their environment, doing what they do.  I think the guests onboard knew they were seeing something special today.

One of our guests got the shot of the whale tossing the porpoise in the air!  I didn't bring a camera today.  I've had days where I bring a camera and don't have time to get it out.  Today was one of those days where I would have had the time and the position.  If this is what happens on a "no-camera day," I'll take this!

We now have two weeks left of work.  This evening was our last evening trip for the season.  Our Roche Harbor boat will still have two trips a day for a while, but one trip per day for the Friday Harbor boats (unless they slip a charter in on us).

Getting married...

No, Joan and I are already married.  I had a charter today: a bachelorette party of 8.  Nice young ladies.  The wedding is next weekend.  When the bride-to-be was a young girl, her parents adopted an Orca in her name.  The girls were here to have a good time; they had food and drinks onboard (they had purchased a Washington State liquor permit, allowing them to have their own liquor on a charter), so it was a party... but they really wanted to see whales.  Not just any old whales - Orcas.

When I went in to prep the boat, there were no reports.  A half hour before these folks were to board our boat, I still had no reports.  Then, that call on the fleet radio that we were all hoping to hear: transient whales had been sighted in Juan de Fuca, heading towards Smith Island.

Bingo!

This was an early charter; our timing was good.  We were the third boat on the scene, and the transients were "surface active."  We were able to spend a good hour with the whales, and it wasn't packed with boats.  It was foggy when we left Friday Harbor, but no so thick that it slowed us down much.  By the time we were south of Cattle Pass, the visibility was excellent... still a low ceiling, but you could see for miles under the overcast.

It was a nice viewing... no, I didn't have time to take photos... but, really, it happened.

The ladies were hoping to catch the mid-afternoon ferry back to the mainland... we had them back in time that they could hit up a happy hour or have a bite to eat before getting on the ferry.

On our way back into Friday Harbor, I heard reports that the residents were heading back in from the west... a good day for whale watching in the San Juans.

It took until late afternoon for the sky to go from gray to some bits of blue, but I have learned to not judge a day by the weather.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny.  And, it will be "our Friday."  :-)

Time to spare?

There used to be a saying amongst recreational pilots: "Time to spare?  Go by air."  Maybe that's still a saying?  Flying was a previous decade (I will do a post soon about "decades").

Our saying these days: if you have spare time on your hands, buy an RV or a boat - there is always something that needs attention.  ;-)  I try to check things regularly on both the boat and RV; even things that you don't use everyday.  Wild Blue has two bilge pumps.  One is near the stern, as you'd expect.  The other is just inside the cabin.  I call the cabin pump the "Oh, shit!" bilge pump.  There would have to be a LOT of water in the boat for it to get to the level of that pump.  There has never been a need for that pump on our boat.  Still, I make a point of checking the pump now and then.  That is the original bilge pump (the other has been replaced a time or two).  Today, it decided to retire.

My first thought: maybe it is the switch or a fuse.  No, nothing that easy.  I tested the pump with direct 12 volt... it is dead.  I checked the Rule (the manufacturer) website, and (of course) they have discontinued that particular pump.  To get the same gallons per hour (1,100), you have to go with a bigger pump.  Since it has never had to pump a single gallon, I considered a smaller output pump.  Nothing has the same "footprint" as the old one, so I went with the same GPH.  And only twice the price of the old one.  But, it is 50% bigger.  No, it doesn't pump any more or faster, it just takes up more space.  If you have ever worked on a boat, you know they are designed to be worked on by evolutionary beings who weigh 90 pounds, but have arms longer than an ape; skinny hands with fingers that are 10 to 12" long.  Magnetic finger tips to keep from dropping screws and fasteners.

I don't fit that profile.  Fortunately, this pump is reasonably accessable...

The wiring was pretty straightforward, but I had to seal holes where the old base was and mount the new "improved" (larger) base.  The epoxy/sealant in my tool kit had turned solid months ago... another trip to our favorite store in Friday Harbor: Ace Hardware.  They have the smaller tube - 1/10th the size of the big tube, for only 5% less money.  I'm kidding, of course - it is around 4.3% less.  Must be the packaging.

I had all the butt connectors (yes, that is what they are called) I needed for the wiring in my tool kit.  One in a row!  I wired the new pump and tested it before mounting the base... yep, it works.  With the small tube of sealant, I was able to put it where it needed to go without getting any sealant in my hair, on the carpet, or on my underwear (I have no idea how it gets there - really, I wasn't scratching anything the last time I used 5200).  Checked out the pump when it was all done... and it still works.

Looks impressive...

Hope there is never a need for it.

Where did everything go??

I am beginning to communicate with Izzy.  Not like with Molly, where we both understood everything each other was saying.  But this morning, it was clearly, "Where did everything go?"

Looking out the windows this morning, I was asking the same thing...

The weather weasels are predicting clearing conditions around noon.  It has a long ways to go.