Fall 2000
Dec. 18, 2000	A Season of Abundance and Grand New Tidings!
Dec. 10, 2000	Life's Joys, Life's Pains
Dec. 3, 2000	Coast Weekly Whale Article
Nov. 29, 2000	They're Still Here and Guess What!?
Nov. 23, 2000	A Day of Thanks (by Heidi)
Nov. 15, 2000	We're Back on the Water!
Nov. 5, 2000	One of Our Best and a Fond Farewell to the Wood Family
Oct. 23, 2000	Burials at Sea, a Wedding and Creatures Great and Small
Oct. 10, 2000	Hello & Goodbye
Sept. 28, 2000	Return Customers

12/18/2000: A Season of Abundance and Grand New Tidings!

We have a hard time figuring what season this is. The weather has ranged between bouncy and kind of rough to greasy calm and warm. Saturday was a no sightings day, proving it can happen. But on Sunday, Steph found a couple of gray whales to watch, then a couple of humpbacks (yes! STILL here) and then a massive pod of common dolphins that filled the water all around Sanctuary. The Warren Wood family joined us one more time before returning to the midwest. They have been out with us on some of the most magical whale trips of the whole year and we will sure miss them, but we wish them well.
This past week, we received word that the Small Business Administration approved our loan for boat #2. She is beautiful and unlike anything on the coast of central or northern California. She is a luxurious power catamaran. Cats are used by a lot of companies as ferry boats because they are so smooth and fast. Our new boat has inside seating for over 50 at tables, outdoor seating on two decks. She has a full galley and a bar. She can carry 149 passengers. But best of all, she has FOUR UNDERWATER VIEWING PORTS! This means she will allow us to see into the world of the whales and dolphins that until now, we could only guess at.
There is a wonderful story about her name. Two years ago, when Steph and I were first running whale watching trips instead of whale research trips, we came upon a very large gray whale. We thought she might be a female since she was so large and the females are often larger than the males in the baleen whales. She was pointed away from shore, but she barely moved. She gently swirled her pectoral flippers out from her sides, but she didn't move her flukes much at all.
That was odd enough, but in addition, there was a pod of several Dall's porpoises in the water near her. These porpoises look like baby orcas. They usually zip up to a boat and then zing past it, but when boats aren't around, they cruise in a more sedate manner. These Dall's were swimming around the big gray whale in a clockwise circle. They were just a matter of feet from her. They swam slowly, methodically, as though they had a job to do.
We had a 7 year old boy onboard. He had watched, mesmorized, for several minutes as the Dall's circled the gray whale. Finally he turned and looked up to us and said with conviction, "She is the Princess of Whales and they are her knights, escorting her."
Steph and I were struck by his statement. Steph turned to me and said, "That's the name of our next boat." But it wasn't. We named Sanctuary in honor of the ocean and its creatures, dedicating her to strengthening the protection of both. But for our second vessel, which increases our size to a fleet, we knew this would be her name. And what a fine vessel for such a regal name! She is graceful, powerful and infinitely comfortable. Whether she's out whale watching or providing Silicon Valley companies with a stunning location for an off-site conference, Princess of Whales is going to dazzle everyone on the Monterey Bay. If you'd like to receive notice of her arrival which is slated for Moss Landing later in January, go to Talk to Us and get on our mailing list! We will be sending out invitations to her open house(boat) parties as well as special offers you can't get anywhere else. And since Sanctuary will continue her reign in Monterey, there will be cool coupons for her in these mailings, too.
Gift Certificates are great presents and can be used for either boat. We can email them so if you are running behind, catch up by calling or emailing us for some great presents that are way too big and fit just right: WHALES.

12/10/2000: Life's Joys, Life's Pains

Yesterday was cool, partly cloudy and stunning. The Monterey Bay was taken away and in its place was a barely undulating sheet of satin. There was no wind. It was one of those days we see throughout the winter that has strangers commenting to each other. They say things such as, "I don't know about you, but I'm from Minnesota and it's 12 degrees there right now. I'm not sure I'm going back!"
We had robust, cheerful people on Sanctuary. They were up for an adventure, the key ingredient to a great trip. We set out for the edge of the Monterey submarine canyon because this is where the Blue Whales have been gorging on abundant krill, postponing their migration south to the waters off Costa Rica.
A couple of our buddies were running trips and we all milled about, waiting for the whales to surface. When two did, they steamed right between our boat and another, blowing with a "WHOOOOSSHH!" then inhaling, swimming along. They curved their sleek bodies for another deep dive and one displayed its redwood tree-sized tail stock, then its fantastic, sharply pointed flukes. Our passengers reacted in all sorts of ways. Some laughed, some clapped, many gasped. Cohorts in adventure.
We watched several surfacings of the two blues before moving over to see another pair. Then two or more appeared behind us, so we headed their way on our trip back to Monterey.
Talking with our passengers, I learned that several are locals from Salinas who have always meant to go whale watching, but never had until this day. They are plotting Christmas presents of gift certificates for family. Others were from Alameda, a couple of hours away, and they shared the feeling they'd just been in the presence of serious magic.
The woman I spoke with longest was onboard with her husband and their four year old son. She is an intelligent woman, warm and forthright. Their little guy is a spunky, pink-cheeked boy who exudes an enormous lust for life. He and his parents sprawled on the foredeck to watch the whales and their shared excitement was a delight to watch.
I learned they're from the Netherlands (as many of our most ardent whale lovers are). Her husband travels on business frequently and when his trips are prolonged, she and their little boy join him for a part of the time. They have what most would consider a charmed life. "Health, love, wealth & time to enjoy them," as it says on a pewter plate in our house. But they also have an autistic child at home who needs a lot of care. He is big and strong and difficult to control. She told me they considered moving to California, but decided against it because their older son needs to be in familiar places. Their extended family lives nearby and provides a support system.
He craves uniformity and is frightened and threatened by travel and change, the very things she, her husband and their young son appear to thrive on. To ensure he has the best life possible, they chose not to move away. As she spoke, I marvelled at how she has come to terms with the stark contrasts of her life. Humbled by her strength, I tried to take a lesson from her. Maybe I have; I certainly have found myself thinking of her a lot this morning.

12/3/2000: Coast Weekly Whale Article

A lengthy and very interesting article appears in Coast Weekly this week. It covers the humpbacks' "friendly" whale behavior as well as the plight of whales in general, offering some good insights. There are a few flaws, such as gray whales do not traditionally come here to gorge (blues, humpbacks and dolphins do). Also, whales are mammals and as such, have pectoral flippers, not fins (to further confuse things, they do have dorsal fin on their backs). We got some dandy coverage, but Sanctuary Cruises was not mentioned. In spite of these glitches, it's well written and fascinating. Read it here.

Yesterday, we sure had an exciting trip. We ran west for several miles before a buddy reported he had Northern Right Whale Dolphins to the north a mile or so. These dolphins have no dorsal fin and they don't make much of a splash. They are dark with white bellies and white edged flukes. We got to see a whole bunch of them and were happy enough, but then a whale blew right in the middle of the dolphins! Then another one surfaced and blew next to it! We had hundreds of dolphins and two humpbacks. It was a beautiful, sunny day and sea life abounded. Pretty darned good for the folks from Richmond, Virginia; the fellow on his third trip out with us; the folks who have high stress jobs and who came out with us to get back a sense of who they are; the woman from Oakland who shouted, clapped and laughed; the mother with her little girl who carried a stuffed toy otter, wrapped like a baby; the couple from Auburn who shot video to show their three kids... What an enchanted world we live in. To think, we get to share it.

11/29/2000: They're Still Here and Guess What!?

What a wild November we have had! We're still seeing blue whales and humpback whales. We have had hundreds and even thousands of common dolphins dancing around us. And yesterday, the first two gray whales of the season were spotted just off Point Pinos, the southern boundary of the Monterey Bay. Whales are usually fairly sketchy this time of year. We do see them, but not on every trip. Today, for instance, Steph ran a trip in the morning and saw two kinds of dolphins and blue whales. But on this afternoon's trip, all they saw were some Risso's dolphins. Very interesting animals and great to see, but not a great whale, one of the big baleen whales. It is pretty darned spectacular to still have the strong chance of seeing our "summer whales" while sneaking a peek at our "winter whales." For two great women from Switzerland, this morning was a dream come true.

11/23/2000: A Day of Thanks (by Heidi)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and we'll celebrate it with laughter and sadness. It will be the first Thanksgiving since my mother died and it's difficult to imagine not arriving at her house and seeing her sashaying about, showing off her smashing new, wild outfit. Her plants have moved to our houses, so they won't be there, looking stunning. The wonderful seashell fountain she made now burbles in our house; it won't be there.
But we will all gather at Mom's to celebrate the humanity she gave us. Her humor, warmth and slightly bizarre way of viewing life all rubbed off on us and we are the better for it. I don't see a shooting star or glowing satellite in the night time sky, reflecting the brilliance of the sun, without saying, "Hi Mom!" I probably never will.
We will also give thanks tomorrow for our business being the success it is. Businesses are worse than kids. They can take all your time, creativity and patience, leaving little for anything else. But, as with children, when the business you have crafted takes flight and is met with enthusiasm, you beam with pride. Sanctuary Cruises is our baby, along with Fluke, our sweet golden retriever; Princess, Mom's 20 year old Siamese; and Chigger (AKA Lucky Freeway), the 2 month old kitten I rescued from 3 lanes of freeway traffic. We have quite a family! So, from our family to yours, a heartfelt "Happy Thanksgiving."
And finally, a recent article in Scotland's largest and most respected newspaper, The Sunday Herald, tells the story of a man fulfilling his life's dream of seeing a blue whale. It was last month and he was with us. He liked the way we do business, for which we are exceptionally pleased. You can read the article online by clicking on this link. It's rather slow to load, so have patience!

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/newsi.hts?section=Magazine&story_id=12582

See you soon! Heidi, Steph, Fluke, Princess & Chigger

11/15/2000: We're Back on the Water!

Sanctuary went back in the water yesterday following her annual haul out. She has a new coat of bottom paint and a jingle bell wreath on her bow. It was a brisk, cool, clear day. The water was strewn silk. Steph had noted a huge pod of common dolphins splashing near shore the day before and darn if they weren't back yesterday to herald our return. It was the same way last year! We headed out for sea trials, we told each other, but face it, we went straight out to the dolphins.
There is little in life that can compare to having dolphins dancing on your bow. They charged toward us and crisscrossed under us, leaped out of the water alongside us and slapped their sassy flukes as they landed. A mile out, two humpback whales breached simultaneously. We stayed out there for a short while, then went back to the dock and cleaned up our happy boat. We're back!11/5/2000: One of Our Best and a Fond Farewell to the Wood FamilyToday was a milestone for us in several departments. It was Sanctuary's last day of work before her annual haul-out for maintenance. Last year, we were involved in a large rescue of kayakers right before we hauled, so today was rather calm by comparison in that regard. But we had a great bunch of people on board, inclusing the Wood family. If you read down a few log entries, you'll see that Warren Wood has been the common thread on two of our most memorable whale trips. Warren is an engineer and he was out here to work on a project which was canceled, so he and the family are going back to Missouri. Warren will leave later this month and the family won't be far behind. This was their last whale trip with us, at least for a while. They really hoped to see blue whales before they left California.
As luck would have it, they made reservations for the afternoon trip yesterday, but we were escorted in from sea on our morning trip by a dense fog. I talked to the crowd gathered for the afternoon trip and said were it me, I wouldn't go out; I'd wait until tomorrow. A whole bunch of them rolled their reservations over to this morning, including the Wood family, so the pressure was on. But Warren has brought a wonderful magic to an already enchanted boat on both of his previous trips, so I felt we might be in for a treat.
I spotted from my vantage point on top of the wheelhouse. We headed west several miles into an increasing swell. We had high clouds and it was cold, but no fog. Good. Well outside of Point Pinos, I thought I saw a very distand blow off our starboard bow. I scanned the entire ocean, but paid closest attention to that area. Then I thought I saw another series of faint blows. I told Steph and he headed that way. After many more minutes, the Wood family, happily ensconsed on the bow and cheering as we charged along into the swell, spotted what I was seeing. Sure enough, some big splashes were well ahead of us out there.
I suspected two blues. But before we got to them, we circled a Mola mola, the sunfish with a mouth shaped like it's exclaiming, "OH!!!" Then we fell in with some Risso's dolphins, which are really cool to watch. A quarter mile farther, there was a blow! Then another one! We stayed on our trackline, closing the gap until we could get some fairly close looks at a blue whale that was easily twice the length of Sanctuary. The Woods had their blue whale. Then another appeared several hundred yards away. We followed it for a few minutes before looking to the west and southwest. The sun had come out, the swell dropped. It was beautiful out there.
A humpback breached a mile away from us. There were several bushy blows from two animals. Another blue whale blew to the right of them half a mile. Farther out, I saw 2 or 3 more humpbacks. We were near our time to head in, but off we bounded toward the humpbacks. En route, we had a speed demon pod of northern right whale dolphins cross our bow. They seem to do everything at high speed.
We got to show them and the humpbacks off in grand style. One whale surfaced near enough to the boat that it startled passengers. The sound of a blow is indeed one of life's finest rushes. Finally, we had to head for the harbor, but the excitement wasn't over yet. We saw more whales as well as a bunch of Pacific white-sided dolphins on the return trip. Now that's how to say good-bye to the Woods and it's fair to say that everyone on the boat appreciated the experience of a lifetime.
So, tomorrow, Sanctuary gets her bottom pressure washed and a little more sparkling fresh paint. She doesn't need much; she shows the devoted care we give her. She'll be back in the water Wednesday and we'll be back to work on Thursday. Pretty soon, we will say farewell to our "summer" whales and excitedly look for the first of the gray whales of winter. Two years ago, we were holed up in a cold, damp campground outside of Neah Bay, Washington, fighting for the gray whales and standing up against the Makah Indians, who seek to kill them. In an odd twist of fate, the Makah's refusal to let us help them develop a whale watching business (for free) prompted us to start Sanctuary Cruises and we are thriving. It will be one heck of a reunion when the grays hit the Monterey Bay!

11/5/2000: One of Our Best and a Fond Farewell to the Wood Family

Today was a milestone for us in several departments. It was Sanctuary's last day of work before her annual haul-out for maintenance. Last year, we were involved in a large rescue of kayakers right before we hauled, so today was rather calm by comparison in that regard. But we had a great bunch of people on board, inclusing the Wood family. If you read down a few log entries, you'll see that Warren Wood has been the common thread on two of our most memorable whale trips. Warren is an engineer and he was out here to work on a project which was canceled, so he and the family are going back to Missouri. Warren will leave later this month and the family won't be far behind. This was their last whale trip with us, at least for a while. They really hoped to see blue whales before they left California.
As luck would have it, they made reservations for the afternoon trip yesterday, but we were escorted in from sea on our morning trip by a dense fog. I talked to the crowd gathered for the afternoon trip and said were it me, I wouldn't go out; I'd wait until tomorrow. A whole bunch of them rolled their reservations over to this morning, including the Wood family, so the pressure was on. But Warren has brought a wonderful magic to an already enchanted boat on both of his previous trips, so I felt we might be in for a treat.
I spotted from my vantage point on top of the wheelhouse. We headed west several miles into an increasing swell. We had high clouds and it was cold, but no fog. Good. Well outside of Point Pinos, I thought I saw a very distand blow off our starboard bow. I scanned the entire ocean, but paid closest attention to that area. Then I thought I saw another series of faint blows. I told Steph and he headed that way. After many more minutes, the Wood family, happily ensconsed on the bow and cheering as we charged along into the swell, spotted what I was seeing. Sure enough, some big splashes were well ahead of us out there.
I suspected two blues. But before we got to them, we circled a Mola mola, the sunfish with a mouth shaped like it's exclaiming, "OH!!!" Then we fell in with some Risso's dolphins, which are really cool to watch. A quarter mile farther, there was a blow! Then another one! We stayed on our trackline, closing the gap until we could get some fairly close looks at a blue whale that was easily twice the length of Sanctuary. The Woods had their blue whale. Then another appeared several hundred yards away. We followed it for a few minutes before looking to the west and southwest. The sun had come out, the swell dropped. It was beautiful out there.
A humpback breached a mile away from us. There were several bushy blows from two animals. Another blue whale blew to the right of them half a mile. Farther out, I saw 2 or 3 more humpbacks. We were near our time to head in, but off we bounded toward the humpbacks. En route, we had a speed demon pod of northern right whale dolphins cross our bow. They seem to do everything at high speed.
We got to show them and the humpbacks off in grand style. One whale surfaced near enough to the boat that it startled passengers. The sound of a blow is indeed one of life's finest rushes. Finally, we had to head for the harbor, but the excitement wasn't over yet. We saw more whales as well as a bunch of Pacific white-sided dolphins on the return trip. Now that's how to say good-bye to the Woods and it's fair to say that everyone on the boat appreciated the experience of a lifetime.
So, tomorrow, Sanctuary gets her bottom pressure washed and a little more sparkling fresh paint. She doesn't need much; she shows the devoted care we give her. She'll be back in the water Wednesday and we'll be back to work on Thursday. Pretty soon, we will say farewell to our "summer" whales and excitedly look for the first of the gray whales of winter. Two years ago, we were holed up in a cold, damp campground outside of Neah Bay, Washington, fighting for the gray whales and standing up against the Makah Indians, who seek to kill them. In an odd twist of fate, the Makah's refusal to let us help them develop a whale watching business (for free) prompted us to start Sanctuary Cruises and we are thriving. It will be one heck of a reunion when the grays hit the Monterey Bay!

10/23/2000: Burials at Sea, a Wedding and Creatures Great and Small

This was a week of big steps. Several families joined us for burials at sea. Often I thought of the recent loss of my mom and the hole she left behind. One woman reminded me that life is a blessing and not to be taken for granted. That we don't really deserve to pine for more time with loved ones; we're simply lucky enough to have them for any amount of time. These were brave words coming from a woman who was burying her husband. She'd said earlier that he had been gone several months, but that it was still hard letting go of his ashes.
Then there was the fellow who buried his wife off the coast near Lovers Point. He kept his composure most of the time, but his red-rimmed eyes just about broke my heart. As he shook my hand, prior to departing Sanctuary, he said his wife had loved these waters and she wanted it this way. He added that when his time came, he would join her. I tried to say something and instead, I teared up. Maybe I ought to hold myself apart from these people, keep a professional distance. Instead, I hug them and sit with them, hearing their stories about their wives and husbands and fathers and mothers and sometimes, perhaps the saddest of all, their children who preceded them in death. I can't bring them back, but I can take note that they once lived and that they are loved.
Steph conducted his first wedding this past weekend and he couldn't have found sweeter people. The bride and groom have lived together for thirteen years. They have two beautiful children who are graced with poise and warmth, traits they share with their parents. The couple did not want a religious ceremony and they wanted to be married on a boat. Other than that, they left it up to Steph. The weather was lousy. We had big swells and wind. But the family that arrived at the dock dressed in their finest was unconcerned. It was an intimate gathering, just the four of them. When Steph suggested we tie up over at the fuel dock at Breakwater Cove Marina to conduct the ceremony, they happily agreed.
We zipped over there on Sanctuary and took photographs just before the sun dipped into the cypress trees to the west. These people just glowed. I think the pictures came out nicely but I magnanimously gave them the disks from our digital camera without taking one shot for us, so you'll just have to trust me on that. The ceremony was short, the champagne toast was filled with giggles. Once they had finished their toast, we took them for a short, bouncy ride on the Bay before returning Sanctuary to her slip. As they stepped off the boat, each of them thanked us for such a great job. I chuckle when I think of it. They were just darling, kind people. Best of all, we don't have to hope they will stand the test of time; they already have!
Whales, dolphins and Mola molas (ocean sunfish)have given us many fine experiences this fall. We had a blue whale come up by our boat that was so big, so muscular and so loud that our passengers' mouthes dropped open and stayed there. Humpbacks have not been here in the big numbers they were in the spring, but they have provided so many great sightings that it's okay. When a whale hovers near your boat, then rises out of the water right next to it, it is, as I have been known to remark, "Cool on cool." That is life on Monterey Bay.

10/10/2000: Hello & Goodbye

The past week was momentous, which is an understatement. Last weekend, Steph and I had a return customer on our afternoon whale watching trip. It was Warren Wood, who was out with us a few weeks ago when a humpback whale repeatedly came to our boat to visit. It turned sideways alongside Sanctuary's hull. It did headstands, holding its flukes out of the water. It was such an unusual experience that we warned Warren there was no way it would be duplicated. He agreed, but his brother was visiting from Arizona. Seeing whales at all would be pretty cool for him.
This second trip with Warren was not a duplicate of the first, it was better. A humpback whale that was perhaps 3/4 grown came over to Sanctuary. I have pictures showing the sequence of the whale approaching from behind us. The water was clear and visibility was fabulous. We could see the whale glowing beneath the surface. Time after time, it cupped the hull, rising to the surface just a few feet from it. Its head came straight out of the water in a slow motion ballet as the whale turned to see us.
Superlatives fall flat when I try to describe this obvious curiousity about us shown by the whale. Just imagine it. Think about how, over the course of a few decades, whaling stopped on our coast and the California gray whale started to exhibit growing curiousity, even friendliness, with human visitors on the lagoons of Baja.
Now we have humpbacks on the Monterey Bay slithering up the sides of our boats to get a better look at us. I have often said, "Imagine what they could teach us if we only had the wisdom to listen." Yes, imagine. This is something I ponder frequently in considering our life choices and how Steph and I have come to this point in our lives where whales turn lazy circles in aquamarine water, watching us.
Life blurred past us after the weekend as we prepared to host my mother's memorial celebration on the following weekend. With each day that brought us closer to the party in the redwoods, all of us found ourselves confronted once again with Mom's loss. You don't lose such a sparkling, spirited woman easily. Saturday found us gathered with family and friends from earliest childhood on up through the decades. Food and flowers were everywhere. Mom's kids did her proud with eulogies that were warm and funny, just like her.
That night, a bunch of us camped at the park. We sat around a fire catching up on the lives of people we see too rarely. One of them was Frank Cipriano. You may have read about Frank's whale research; he's the scientist who tests whale meat sold in Japan under the guise of minke whale meat, the minkes having been slaughtered by the hundreds in a so-called "scientific research" project. Frank conducts DNA tests on the whale meat and has proven it isn't all minke, but an assortment of whales, some highly endangered. Frank is a really good guy and all whales owe him a debt of gratitude. I asked him a question I have meant to for a long time, which is why he got into his field. His reply was so simple, "I've always loved animals."
So did Mom. So does her entire family. It is a golden thread that binds diverse personalities into strong ropes. And now, I have to end this log entry because I have to go pick up a cat. Driving north to Mom's memorial, I saw a tiny black kitten the size of my hand on the freeway. It wobbled as it walked and it was wailing, mouth wide open. I swerved around it, pulled to the side of the road and stopped. I ran down the freeway. There was no traffic nearby but all three lanes had cars and trucks approaching within a half mile.
Stumbling in my clogs, I kicked them off and continued to run, terrified I'd soon be witnessing this kitten's death. As traffic neared, I swung my arms over my head and motioned for them to stop. I went from one lane to the other, stopping traffic, still running. The kitten turned to face the frozen wall of traffic which was not 50 feet from it. I swooped in from behind the cat, snatched it up into my hands and ran off the road so the traffic could get moving before there was an accident. Several people waved, cheered and clapped as they drove by. The kitten thanked me as best it could by biting me several times.
I took it to my sister Sara's house in Scotts Valley and we discussed what to do with it. Once the kitten calmed down and realized we're the good guys, it ate some food and drank a little milk. It purred. We had to cook for Mom's party, we had to drive up to the redwoods. Dealing with a very young kitten wasn't in our plans. Sara called the Scotts Valley Veterinary Clinic and asked if they could board it. No, it was too young. No one boards such young cats because they are too young for shots. Then they offered to find a foster mother for it. It turned out to be Jennifer, who works there. This sweet person took in the cat I have nicknamed "Lucky Freeway." I am impressed with Jennifer and the clinic. Animal lovers, kindred spirits.
I'm going back to Scotts Valley to pick up Lucky Freeway. Poor Fluke, our golden retriever. First, she had to make room for Princess Tuna Fish, Mom's 20 year old Siamese. Now this. I can't bear to tell her. This is a story Mom would love. Who knows? Maybe she orchestrated it!

9/28/2000: Return Customers

As we head into our second fall, we're getting a lot of folks who have been out with us several times already, who want to check out the seasonal changes in whale watching. Many have become friends. We share each others' challenges and celebrate each others' successes. And so it is with the whales, dolphins and other sea life here. Whales with identifiable markings come back and we feel as though a friend has returned. Common dolphins, often seen off Monterey in the thousands in the winter time, take a hike in the summer. But with fall, we've begun to come across pods of a few hundred already and anxiously await more. The moon jellies in their delicate hues of pinks and lavenders were all around Sanctuary yesterday as we watched blue whales. A Mola mola (sunfish) captivated passengers with its fin waving in the air and its surprised look (its mouth is shaped as though it's saying, "OH!!!"). Pacific white-sided dolphins joined us for some high jinx as they zipped back and forth under our bow and caused a baby boy to break out in a smile as wide as a pumpkin's. The changing of the seasons, the changing of the guards. Old friends coming back and new friends discovering that whale watching takes patience and faith. Finding that a bond they might never have suspected with the sea takes place and they leave the boat the better for it. Only to return again. And again.