Abby | M/V Osprey | 7/25/2021
Captain Gabe, Alexandria, Laura, and I left Friday Harbor with no sightings or reports of whales in our waters. It was clear early on that we would head north in search of nutrient-rich waters and potentially some baleen whales. We all clutched our binoculars and crossed our fingers for exhales to present themselves like confetti across the calm evening waters.
Harbor seal pups lifted their heads as we passed rocky haul-out sites. Harbor porpoise stealthily dotted the far reaches of our inland waters. As we passed between Waldron and Stuart Islands, a report came in: two humpback whales within our range.
We pushed water from the bow as we moved through Johns Pass, between Stuart and Johns Islands.
Rainbow exhales of evening
Sassy whales abound
Barracuda, Delta; found
Once we found Barracuda and Delta, we followed parallel to their direction of travel, as well as the Canadian border, only 0.25 nm off our port side. As it turns out, these two humpback whales had made quite the journey. The day before our tour, they were identified south of Point no Point. When we picked up on them in north Haro Strait on our sunset tour, they had traveled roughly 74 nautical miles in only 30 hours! These two were on a mission.
After spending some time with Barracuda and Delta off the west side of Stuart Island, we headed for home. We made a quick stop at Speiden Island for a regal bald eagle and some glacial erratics as the sun crept lower on the horizon. The temperature began to drop as we moved closer to the harbor. As we docked, a tangerine glow blanketed the marina while a soft pink sky warmed us all.