12/17/2001: Sea Lions & Grizzly Bears
At the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting last week, I was asked if I'd like to update the attendees on whale activity on Monterey Bay. The meeting was in Miramar, near Half Moon Bay. It had its usual makeup of people from research, education, recreation, conservation, diving, fishing, tourism and public and private agencies along with quite a few commercial fishers. This is where I grew up, so it was really something to be back there in my capacity as a SAC member. Steph came along as well to get some stories for a new radio series he's working on.
I told them all the recent story about the killer whales using Sanctuary as a sort of Trojan Horse as we neared the dolphins. I ended by saying that the dolphins all escaped but it was kind of a sad deal, because a sea lion was killed and eaten.
As I sat down, one of the fishers asked, "So Heidi, what was the sad deal?" Lots of laughter followed.
Another fisher answered, "That they only ate one!" There was more laughter because fishers spend much of their time trying to get their fish out of the water before it's gobbled by opportunistic sea lions (as though there's any other kind).
In late November and early December, our summer whales head out and the winter whales--the California gray whales--are starting to appear but before they're thundering through in huge numbers as they head for Mexican waters, business gets a little quiet.
It's the time of year when we take care of bigger maintenance jobs and it's when Sanctuary has her annual Coast Guard inspection. Her safety gear is cleaned and arranged in neat rows for the inspecting officer. Her paperwork is arrayed in systematic piles and as always, the boat herself sits proudly at her slip. While Coast Guard inspections can be hell for some, this is the time when Steph can feel proud of his work and the year-round attention to detail that he gives our boats.
My late fall duties include things such as freshly painted boat names on the life rafts, but my eye turns toward the more important aspects of the upcoming season; this would mean the Glitter and Sparkle categories.
Our friend Russ says he must be ever-vigilant to keep me from turning our boats into something akin to "bridesmaids at an Italian wedding." Why anyone would want to keep me from attaining such status for our girls, I don't know, but that's Russ for you.
So Princess of Whales is now sporting three rows of ropelights on her sundeck: red, green and white. She has a thick cobalt blue tinsel garland punctuated by red and green foil bows across her aft deck and a jolly Santa with a snowy white beard and rosy cheeks waves to passersby on the bridge from his vantage point high on the boat. As I arranged his waving hand recently, people driving over the bridge waved back. Our kind of people. Next came the great big wreaths for Princess of Whales and Sanctuary's jingle bell wreath. Fluke's summer tiara was replaced by her Santa hat and reindeer antlers.
Fluke is a happy and healthy ten now. Recently, I told Steph I thought she needed another dog in the house. Our two cats play together a lot (they have already knocked the Christmas tree down once and it was TIED to the wall when they did it! Ornaments that survived at all have migrated across the living room and into the adjoining hall, bathroom and even bedroom). An animal needs one of its own kind around to keep it young, so I was hoping for a 4 or 5 year old dog, preferably somewhat smaller than Fluke since we live in fairly close quarters between the boats, compact cars and a not-very-large house.
Steph became a regular at the animal shelters and he tried several dogs on for size. I can't do it; I want to save them all and leaving them behind is too painful. The trade-off here is I will make the best of whatever we get. But Steph was on a mission and he plunged in with his usual enthusiasm. If a dog seemed friendly, he introduced it to Fluke. He fell in love with a wonderful, big yellow Lab at the SPCA, but he was only 8 months old and would have been too much for us. There was a sweet black dog at the SPCA named Ebony and she sounded perfect. Polite, friendly, she even smiles. She is a little on the thin side and I thought, "Great! We can get some weight on her!" He went back a few times and Ebony and Fluke got along fine, but it was noted on her paperwork that she doesn't like cats. At all. I suspect Ebony has a destroyed Christmas tree in her past.
I have to admit something. Steph is an absolute sucker for Golden Retrievers. Neither of us is in favor of breeding dogs (there are so many dogs that need homes already!), but we both will admit Goldens are awfully sweet animals. Even Russ, who is a CAT PERSON, enjoys the annual 4th of July Parade in Mill Valley because of the Goldens that participate. "They amble along with their owners just as happy and friendly as can be," he explains, "Tails wagging, some of them carrying their favorite toy. What other breed could get together like that without barks, growling and fights?"
We made a donation to Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue, so they sent us their 2002 calendar filled with pictures of these spectacular dogs, each one a rescued animal, as was Fluke. Steph pored over the pictures with a zeal seen mostly in small children gazing at Santa or the way remote Alaskan inhabitants pounce on the newest L.L. Bean catalog.
It appeared if a Golden was about to find itself homeless, the transition to a new household wouldn't be long and it would be ours. Steph emailed the rescue folks and why sure enough, they did have a dog that was about to be surrendered to them. Her owner had a sad but understandable reason for giving her up. Oh yes, she is a sweet dog, a classic Golden we were told. Rust colored, not the dainty blonde Fluke is. By this time, I could see Steph playing with the car keys, ready to dart out with the smallest encouragement.
But the Norcal folks are thorough and they wanted to know more about us, our home and our other animals. Undaunted, Steph sat down and fired off lengthy, glowing emails attesting to our loving care of our three former castoffs. He reminded them several of their own members have been out whale watching with us.
Then the woman in charge of the dog called and Steph chatted with her for quite a while. By this time, we had learned the dog was 10 years old and described as "medium" in size for a Golden. My hopes of a smaller and younger dog took went out the window. Steph and Fluke dashed up to San Jose to look at the prospect. I had no doubt he would return with her. Sure enough, when he drove up, a copper colored animal only slightly smaller than a full-grown grizzly bounded out of the car with petite little Fluke behind her. Fluke is a small Golden but compared with this big bear dog, she could almost qualify as teacup-sized. Our new old lady arrived with conjunctivitis in both eyes, an ear infection and a beam similar to Princess of Whales, but isn't this why we rescue animals, so we can help them? She also came with a dud of a name (Reba) so we are thinking of new ones as we get to know her. "Tonka," "Wide Track," "Double Wide," "Bear," "Waddles," "Rotunda," "Key Lardo" and the like might fit now, but as with all of our animals, her real name will come to us and after all, she IS losing weight. This afternoon, as we walked around the frog pond,"Rumba" came to mind as I watched her wiggle along. She certainly has the personality to be able to wear a Carmen Miranda fruit salad hat without feeling at all conspicuous. What do you think?
This morning, she went off to meet her new vet and since first impressions are so important and she hasn't had much time for her new, healthier eating regime to kick in (it just started last night), I gave her the bridesmaid treatment. I put an enormous burgundy and gold bow on her beefy neck, which has to be only slightly smaller than my waist. The all female staff at the vet's loved her and agreed that when she loses about 20 pounds, she will be an absolutely beautiful dog. Speaking of suffering animals, she has never been to the beach! But we were told she loves the water.
Steph dropped by the boats to pick up some stuff and as he opened the dock gate, Flukie patiently waiting at his side, the big dog rushed past them. She lumbered down the ramp to the dock, then leaned over to sniff the water. Steph turned to close the dock gate, so he missed what happened next. The big bear bounded into the water with a joyful splash!
There are some things you just know and I know that this isn't the last time she will do this. It is as natural for her as it is for Fluke to avoid water at all costs unless it's associated with dinner.
If you'd like to rescue an animal and give it a great life, consider Ebony at the Monterey SPCA. She's only 4 years old and very gracious. Or maybe that big yellow lab. Or the older dogs that so rarely find another chance at happiness.
Our new dog was old, fat and had health problems. She's now on the road to health, is already happy and she has just been introduced to the beach. In fact, as we walked onto it at Moss Landing for her first time ever, a fellow behind us asked, "Seen any more orcas lately?" How many folks ask YOU that as you walk onto a beach? He was Pat Campbell and it turns out he is on our email mailing list from the web site and enthusiastically follows the updates.
The gray whales are coming in good numbers now and although we still haven't been out there to see our first of the season, that means you might be with us when we do and will win free whale watching passes for your next trip. Do remember that our gift certificates are very easy to give and you don't have to sweat the mail. If you'd like to give a gift certificate, call or email us the details and then you can send a check. If the certificate doesn't arrive in time, download and print a few of your favorite pages of our web site and put them in a box with a note saying what's coming.
12/2/2001: A String Trio & Linscott Charter School
When we brought in Princess of Whales, we were warned our business would become much more than whale watching. It has certainly taken an interesting turn and Friday night's charter is a perfect example.
Nancy Keough is a Monterey lawyer who announced her bid for Superior Court Judge with an absolutely smashing dock side event. We strung both decks of the catamaran with hundreds of feet of white rope lights, so she looked like the Taj Mahal. The buffet area had hot pink and turquoise rope lights woven around large, attractive baskets and platters. Lush pink and white cyclamen plants were clustered throughout the boat. The bar had red and green rope lights, heralding the holiday season.
Nancy's caterer, Jerry Johnson of Corporate Catering, dazzled us all with his superb dishes, including fragrant chicken skewers barbecued at the head of the dock on a BBQ the size of Rhode Island. As the massive platters were shuttled to the Princess by his impeccably uniformed staff, dock mates sniffed the air and smiled, since we always pass plates around during an event. Wines were poured by Frank and Oliver, owners of Massaro & Santos, a fine restaurant at Breakwater Cove in Monterey. Nancy has some big-time pull to get both Frank and Oliver out of their restaurant on a Friday night!
The air was brisk but still. Music was provided by a string trio--a cellist and two violinists--who sat on aft main deck so that people inside and outside could hear the hauntingly beautiful songs as a ripe, full moon climbed into the sky from the coastal hills.
Steph and I were in our captain's uniforms to greet guests as they arrived and often we turned to each other and exclaimed over the gorgeous night, the beautiful music and the magical effect it all had.
Mind you, this was just after a major storm had barged through the central coast and just before we were to batten down the hatches for another one. The only other nice day of the week had been Tuesday and that was our first lucky break. We had planned to take out half of the nearby Linscott Charter School that day and the other half on Thursday. When it appeared Thursday wouldn't cooperate, the school opted for all of the 97 children and 35 teachers and chaperones to go on Tuesday.
Can you imagine putting life jackets on 97 kids for a 3 hour cruise and still having time left for the trip? It went perfectly thanks to a coordinated effort, first on our part, then on the teachers' and chaperones' parts, which is something one sees often with this school. It is an inspiration to visit as I recently did to give 3 slide presentations on the whales and dolphins of Monterey Bay. In order to have their kids in this school, parents have to be involved, participating in each child's classroom several hours a week. It makes a tremendous difference in the quality of education as does the fact that exciting field trips such as this are the norm, not the exception.
These are my favorite cruises, getting kids out to see the wonders of the bay and to take a turn at the wheel on Princess of Whales. What kid wouldn't love the opportunity to wrap her or his fingers around that big, chrome wheel and survey their kingdom from such a lofty perch? As it turned out, we didn't get the chance to show them whales. Our friends on Beticia, the fishing boat that sells her fish right at the dock behind us, called to report whales in the north portion of the bay. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time once we got there to hang around to see the whales. But we could control whether each kid got to drive and it set a record for me as I guided each child to look ahead for debris in the water, to each side for other vessels; to view the world as we do. We're deeply appreciative that we have found, no, made this opportunity.
So between special charters and a couple of storms, we haven't had the chance to see our first gray whales of the season. The anticipation is great to once again gaze on the barnacle-encrusted freight trains that started us on this path. It's so powerful that Steph suggested last week that we give free whale watching trips to the people who are out with us when we see our first gray whale. I had been thinking the same thing, so there you have it. If you happen to be the ones, you'll get off the boat with a free coupon for your next trip with us, compliments of the California gray whales.
Whale watching in the winter is a lot like whale watching in the summer. It can be chilly, so of course you would dress warmly and in layers. Cozy knitted caps and gloves are welcome additions. The likelihood of fog is decreased and the chance of rain is increased but we get so little rain, that hardly is a daunting prospect. On Princess of Whales, we have wintertime drinks for adults such as steaming mochas with Irish cream, brandy and whipped cream. Often, the air has a crystalline quality and the water is so clear and so blue, you could gaze into it forever as you trace the ethereal blue-green glow of the whales under the surface. It is a fine way to spend a day.
We have a new ad starting on two of the Central Coast's premier radio stations: KPIG (107.5 FM) and KBOQ (95.5 FM). The Pig is pure irreverence, great fun and fantastically popular on the Internet world-wide. It features "live, free-range disc jockeys" and plays songs such as "When Exactly Did We Become White Trash?" KBOQ (as in Bach) is our classical station. You'd think there wouldn't be much overlap in the audiences for the 2 stations, but we listen to both and have found a lot of our friends do, too. If you tell us what the last 4 words are in the ad when you make reservations, we'll buy you lunch on the boat! (Offer good for one person per reservation, a $6.00 value.)
Gift certificates have proven to be a popular item for us. Recipients get a color rack card along with the gift certificate. It has photos of our boat and us as well as our phone number and web site URL. Recipients can cruise the web site, call and chat with us, choose when they want to go whale watching, then make their own reservations. They are as simple to order as writing down how you'd like each one made out for the recipient(s): To, From and the Amount (any amount but usually people give a pair of $30 cruises for $60 total; you can include lunch or even a Sanctuary Cruises cap or embroidered shirt!). Send the total amount due along with the addresses for the gift certificates (we can mail them or you can deliver them) to me at: Sanctuary Cruises 25515 Hidden Mesa Road Monterey, CA 93940. If you'd like more information, call me at 831.643.0128.
Hope your November ended well and that December is off to a nice start. This might be a good year to put up your Christmas tree early. We're thinking we will but with two demented cats that already climb straight up bookcases and launch themselves across the room, completely freaking poor Fluke out, this might prove to be a fabulously bad idea. Stay tuned.
11/19/2001: A Thrilling Experience--for Us!
Tina Lake loves orcas so much that she and her husband Steve went to the San Juan Islands last summer to see them. Although Tina and Steve join us for a whale watching trip almost every month, they have never seen the orcas that come to the Monterey Bay. This past weekend, we had our most exciting orca experience ever and Tina and Steve were out with us Saturday.
Unfortunately, the orcas were on Sunday. Tina is going to go nuts when she reads this.
Saturday's trip was a big one on Princess of Whales. We had some cool kids with the Sierra Club Inner City Outreach program and the folks who volunteer for this worthy endeavor really have our respect. It is a noble deed getting kids out on the water and they were all rewarded by hundreds and hundreds of common dolphins dancing all around us out there.
Sundayâs group was smaller so we took Sanctuary out. We had a nice mix of adults and kids and the tenor of the group was established early on as we were joined up at the gate by one of our dock mates, Tommy, who is a highly skilled commercial fisher. No one is a successful fisher without knowing the sea and all of her whims. Few fishers of merit are short on storytelling abilities and Tommy is no exception. He got to spinning yarns and had everyone entranced until Steph finally reminded us we had a whale watching cruise to run. Off we went onto a calm, smooth bay and within minutes, we were surrounded by happy, splashing common dolphins. More concentrated than they had been on Saturday, they made merry about the boat, often coming up just ahead of us in 5âs and 6âs, while hundreds more were visible every direction.
For the family from Kentucky, it was a dream come true. For their relatives from Boulder Creek, which is nearby, it was a great thrill as well. After all, this is their backyard and they got to show it off to advantage. Gloria Sipes had called last week to make reservations to take her husband whale watching for his birthday and Sunday was the day, so there they were. Other folks were just looking for something new to do.
After the dolphins, we cruised out of the bay. I was spotting from my vantage point on top of the wheelhouse and although weâd had a lot of fun with the dolphins and the trip had been rewarding, I still had high expectations weâd see something else. I was hoping for my first gray whale of the season; so was Steph. We turned toward Moss Landing and the chances of seeing a gray grew slim. I came down and chatted with our passengers for a while, then got a cup of coffee from the snack bar and sat in the wheelhouse.
This was a first: One of the girls on the trip was so taken with Fluke that Steph allowed her to crawl up on the pilotâs berth with her and thatâs where I found her, curled up with Fluke, sound asleep. Face it, weâre just not your usual cruise company.
As we neared port, the water smoothed and the air stilled. Our week was nearly at and end. WeÎd had a nice trip. I thought about dinner ideas. I picked up the binoculars for no good reason and scanned off to our starboard. Just wide open water. A small sailboat closer to shore. Nothing else... Except for a brief black blip. Sea lion? Cormorant? I waited to see it again. There it was, then 2 more beside it. Then nothing.
"Dorsal fins!" I told Steph. "Big ones. Maybe Rissoâs."
"How far?" he asked.
"I donât know. I only saw them through the binocs and they havenât come back up yet." We detoured that way. It was several minutes before we saw them again and they were still several hundred yards away. "Tuxedos?" Steph asked. Maybe. He announced over the PA that we had spotted something interesting and to look ahead. Passengers who had been napping on the ride in hopped up and scurried outside.
This is how it happens. You catch something out of the corner of your eye. You pay closer attention, gauging the direction of travel, glancing ahead in case they speed up under water and looking back in case they turned or stopped. Itâs a waiting game. All of a sudden, there they were! Huge, glistening black and white killer whales! One, two, three, four. They surfaced and blew in unison, slicing the calm water. They were headed southwest and we were supposed to be in at the dock in 20 minutes, but who could turn away? The orcas sped up and so did we, pacing them off their left side. They increased their speed and at times, were surfacing perfectly abreast of each other, the top-of-the-food-chain power squadron. There were five of them all together.
They slowed way down. We stopped. They made a decided turn to the left, crossing under us. Their bodies were so close to Sanctuary that they cleared her hull by inches, not feet. Last month, Steph had orcas right at our boat. The photo on our home page shows one just 5 feet away. But yesterday was even more remarkable. With all of that water and any direction to go, they chose to trace our outline. The oddities of nature! We continued this way for several minutes, the whales becoming our shadows.
"Look ahead!" Steph announced. There was the parade of happy-go-lucky common dolphins, well ahead, but a bit to the right, coming our way. The orcasâ mission became clear. We warned our passengers these could be the marine mammal eating transients. Carl, Gloriaâs husband, was the one to conjecture why the orcas had moved to our left. Of course they heard the dolphins. Dolphins emit a cacophony of clicks and whistles underwater and it can be heard for miles. Killer whales hunt for prey using echolocation and those pings radiating out from the animals can surely be sensed by the other animals. But orcas can also run in a stealth mode, closing in on their targets with silent, deadly accuracy. Were the orcas shielding themselves even better by hiding behind Sanctuaryâs hull and engine sounds?
Thinking it all over last night, I wondered if we hadnât been a sort of Trojan Horse, delivering the veiled killer whales to the dolphins, because when we were within a couple of thousand yards of them, the orcas crossed back to our right and thundered at the dolphins with dizzying speed.
Then we saw something we have never seen before. An entire pod of over 1000 dolphins turned tail as one and raced away with such frantic force that they threw water 6 feet into the air. It was a perfect wave of whitewater, but it was running out to sea, not to shore. Between the wall of dolphins and the accelerating orcas, there was a small band of California sea lions. It appeared the orcas werenât going to pursue the dolphins. They slowed, turned, some dove and then there was a tremendous splash as they surfaced. It appeared to be total chaos, but in a surgically clean and rapid movement, a sea lion was killed and eaten. At least it went fast and yes, we said a little prayer for it. Back up on the wheelhouse with my camera, blasting through every roll of film we had on board, all I spotted was a flash of red muscle in the boiling waters. Gulls screamed overhead and dove into the water in their own feeding frenzy, trying to snap up shreds of the sea lion.
Again, the whales approached us so close that it was all I could do to press the shutter release. My telephoto lens was too much for many shots. I looked down one time to see Carl on deck, his body haloed by the arced body of a killer whale in the water, mere feet from the surface. The whales gathered below us, glowing as they merged and separated in an unearthly fairy dance. It was like this for several minutes but it could have been hours. We were suspended in a thrilling spectacle that we not only witnessed, but were somehow part of.
As we finally headed to Moss Landing, we found ourselves eight miles from home. Our "3-4 hour cruise" would end up slightly over five. Who cared? The night before, weâd seen the Leonid meteor showers and then this. There are days when time and space shift gears, take a holiday. We are left wondering how it was that we were so lucky to have been part of the cosmic fallout.
All I know for sure is that I can hear Tina Lakeâs scream from here when she reads this.
Have a great Thanksgiving and if you can, contribute some food or money to your local food bank. We always do and it feels great.
