So she came out and got to see the whales she'd read so much about. Three of them! It was a pilgrimage for her and for us, it marked the beginning of a new year, since gray whales herald the change.

So as we get closer to Christmas and think more of the people and animals we love and have loved, we wanted to pass on a very warm-hearted hug to you all, because our lives are richer with you in them.

11/30/04: The Christmas Season
Thanksgiving Week featured lots of whales, including a few surprises. Now, we're heading into another Christmas season. Let's do things differently. Make this the holiday that doesn't get stolen by the Grinch.

While humpbacks made up most of last week's sightings, three early gray whales showed up as well. The first grays to go by are usually the pregnant females, who somehow get the message it's time to tear themselves away from their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea and head south.

While perhaps 10% of the baby grays are born during the migration, the remaining, lucky majority are delivered into the protected waters of one of three lagoons on Baja.

Last winter, we had a record number of gray whale calves. What will this mean for the rate this winter? It's speculated it will be far lower, as is often the case following a boom year.

Other sightings last week included orcas a few times. Pods were small and believed to be the same individuals. There were large pods of the big 3 "summer" dolphins (Pacific white-sided, Risso's and northern right whale), so apparently we haven't skipped over the unseen boundary from fall to winter waters. That's when the enormous pods of common dolphins usually appear.

We have seen commons already, but just a handful or so. Last winter was an odd one for common dolphins. We saw none of the really big concentrations, making us wonder about temperatures and food supply both here and elsewhere. I suspect this will be a good year for them here.

About the only TV I watch is The Today Show in the morning. I'm not crazy about it, but we only receive one channel and our cats enjoy it. I'm not sure whether they have lower standards than I do, or if they're just better at blowing off the commerciality than I am.

They run in, hop on my lap, or cuddle up next to me, purring. Like little ships swinging at anchor in their snug harbor, they all turn the same way. In this case, that's toward the TV. This is a pretty good picture of the scene, but with Steph in my stead. Note the cat toys; very big deal around our house.

Commercials have exploded for everything from pizza ovens (since a regular oven is so limited?) to kid- sized Hummers (teach your little ones early how to wipe out the environment). So how do you sidestep all of this and enjoy a holiday that too often is a victim of itself?

I know this sounds simplistic, but go backwards. Instead of big, expensive presents, try small and heartfelt. A recent homemade gift of a frozen lasagna and a quart of soup (after I catapulted from that ladder in drydock) was incredibly useful and was it ever appreciated!

If friends or family say they don't really want a gift, donate to a good cause in their name. Habitat for Humanity volunteers build homes for people who never thought they'd have their own home. The Natural Resources Defense Council has talented lawyers who stand up against everything from Mitsubishi's proposed salt plant in the gray whales' nursery lagoon, San Ignacio (we won that one!), to destruction of our national forests and waterways (a work in progress).

It probably sounds self-serving to suggest giving whale watching gift certificates, but think about it. I can't count the times we've received emails from people saying, "Our cruise was the best part of our vacation!" or, "Our daughter has decided since we went whale watching with you that she wants to get into marine conservation."

One of the best comments we get is, "I had no idea how beautiful the experience would be, or how moving. I cried when I saw the whales!" When is the last time someone cried at your gift? It doesn't count if you're talking about a reaction to a box of 8 track polka tapes or that handknit sweater with sleeves that touched the ground.

We have some great specials on our Store link. Check them out. You can order merchandise online, but if you call in your order instead, you can have free shipping. It just takes a few minutes. Also, if you buy gift certificates, we have free bonus tickets on top of a very nice discount.

Best of all, we do the mailing, either to you or the recipient. We can even email confirmation of the coming gift for those of you are deadline impaired and can't quite get rolling on shopping until the last minute.

Since we do the work, you have more time for the important things. Sit down with guests and read The Polar Express to them. We have many times over the years. When the movie was announced, a friend said, "Do you remember how we cried over that book?" This was the good kind of crying, like seeing whales for the first time. It feels really great! See you out there.

11/19/04: The Things We See
If it seems that these updates have had little to do with whales lately, you're right. Fall is like that. It's when we take care of the big maintenance projects for the year, so whales aren't a part of some of our days, either.

But Steph has run a couple of trips this week and he's raved at the whale and dolphin action. Then I picked up some pictures we had developed while we were in drydock.

To think those animals are so close and so full of life is somehow reassuring, even if I am still a little gimpy from my Flying Fifi act a week ago.

Sometimes, a whale surfaces so close, we see a part of it in minute detail, such as this humpback's head. The whale is upside down; its throat pleats can be seen, as well as a lot of uniform rings. Where do they come from?

Have you ever pulled ivy off a painted surface? What happened? The paint came with it because the plant grew into the surface to climb and hang on.

Barnacles do the same thing, attaching to whale skin with a really powerful adhesive, which they produce. Scars on humpbacks are white. When the barnacles are knocked off, the ring from the attachment area takes off the black-colored skin.

Over the years, a lot of you have gotten shots of breaching whales. But the number of people on our cruises who really want this shot above all else, but have missed it, far outnumber the winners. Why?

Whales aren't known for slow motion action. It takes an incredible amount of force to launch itself into the air in the first place, hence: speed ejecting. And when the effects of gravity take over on an animal around 90 thousand pounds, it plummets back into the water fast, making for a rapid landing. I know a bunch of you will nod when I say people who miss the actual breach often get the massive splash.

Breaches are best caught when the animal does it over and over. Steph's great at coaching passengers on when to expect the next breach. How does he know? By years of observation and always asking questions. Whales often repeat their breach at about the same interval. Steph will say, "I'd get ready, pretty soon..."

Dedicated photographers will always be scanning the water, have their cameras up near their heads. When that cosmic eruption takes place, they get the shot (or don't, depending on their aim). People who had their cameras near their waists get nothing but the splash, and even that can be missed. It's so much like fireworks! Here, then gone, leaving nothing but some smoke or in this case, ripples on the water.

While one whale can be tricky, a pair of whales will up your chances of a cool shot. But so much depends on the whales.

Steph had several humpbacks on a cruise this week and sightings were very nice. But on another trip, he had one whale that did several drive-bys next to Sanctuary.

They saw its pectoral flippers with their pure white undersides glowing underwater, the knobby tubercles around the head, they got to smell that breath!

Those make for the toe-curling trips, the ones where people take home the recipe for Life's secret sauce. There is nothing better than experiencing something thrilling and beautiful--whether you capture it on film or not--and taking that back to your terrestrial existence.

Traffic jams, a computer that conspires against you (as we all know they do) and problems with day care just can't get hold of your soul after it's been intimate with nature. See you out there.

11/16/04: Home From Drydock--THANKSGIVING!
We finally made the switch to DSL (our friend Robin pointed out DSL is diesel without the vowels; who knew!?). This means once you change your address book to the new address, which is: mail@sanctuarycruises.com, you can actually email us a bunch of photos from your whale watching cruise and I won't be heard screaming two counties away as it shuts down internet access for half an hour.

About the only bad thing I can say about DSL is it sure will make online shopping way too easy. Boy, do those links pop up fast. If you forget our address, just go to our web site and "Talk to Us," where you'll find a link to do exactly that. We plan to shut down sanctuary@montereybay.com soon, so please do make the change. We don't want to lose you!

Our semi-annual haulout and Coast Guard inspection for Princess of Whales went very well. We went to Bayside Boatworks in Sausalito, which uses a railway to haul vessels. Sal at Bayside said it would be a little tight due to dredge work being done near the entrance. This was something I learned from Steph after winning the coin flip to see who got to drive her in.

As I twin-screwed the boat to line her up for the channel into the rail car, I looked ahead at the channel cluttered with barges to one side and flimsy sport boats to the other and wondered if we'd brought a shoehorn to fit her into the tiny opening. Apparently we had, because she eased in there perfectly and soon we were riding the rail out of the water.

Coast Guard inspections went well. They complimented Steph on his meticulous preparation and me for the overall cleanliness of the boat. We spent a total of one week hauled out while she got a new bottom paint job, transducer for her depth sounder and Steph and I attended to a long list of maintenance projects that had waited for this down time.

There were some oddities to deal with, such as living aboard on about a 15 degree slant and cooking in a crock pot since the facility's power didn't mesh with ours, eliminating the use of our galley stove. But there were big pluses such as close proximity to a Molly Stone's supermarket (pricey, but great selection), a post office, West Marine and restaurants for when I'd had it with crock pot slop and glop.

Best of all was what we called Happy Dog Park, a grassy park next to the boatyard that was frequented throughout the day and evening by cool dogs and nice people. Rumba loved it and so did we. We got to know a lot of people, much as humans do at pre-schools where their common bond of kids is an instant conversation starter. With us it was dogs of every breed and cross-breed. This picture is of Rumba and her new buddy George, the pug. Freed from leashes upon arrival, they romped and played, peed and sniffed butts and generally had a grand old time of it.

A week to the day of our haulout, we were ready to splash. Waiting for high tide, Steph tended the precarious ladder while I scrubbed the bows on Princess, these being areas we can't reach at our home dock. Due to the railways and various beams and metal boxes, there was no firm footing for the ladder on its own.

When I suggested we wax the cleaned areas, Steph biked down to West Marine for marine wax. While he was gone, I continued my work. Trying for just an inch more of reach up one bow, I leaned out, the ladder twisted and I was bucked into the air, headed for an area littered with items far tougher than me.

Falling like a rag doll into the minefield, arms and legs banged and scraped as I fell, my back twisting into unusual shapes along the way. Don't ask me how but none of the many body parts that hit going down included my head or neck. After the final impact, I slowly got up and assessed the damage.

By this time, Steph was there and understandably upset and concerned. I declared a sprained wrist, torqued back and various scrapes that were sure to produce spectacular bruises, but nothing that would stop our progress. Though I worked slower (and stayed off the demon ladder), we were ready to go in the water and head home!

Driving out under the Golden Gate, I answered a call to Princess of Whales. It was Captain Jack, who runs harbor cruises up there. He'd heard me on the VHF radio and wanted to say hi since Russ Hoburg, who runs boats for Blue and Gold, is a mutual friend. Jack had called to say hi and wish us well in 2002 as we headed home; it was a nice touch.

Seven hours after splash, we pulled into Moss Landing Harbor in the dark. The tide was flooding, there was a northwest wind blowing and docking would be tricky. Since handling lines was out of the question, I drove and disovered steering and shifting gears with both hands were not nearly as easy as they'd been a few hours before. Once Steph had tied up the boat, we toasted the completion of a very long week, almost without mishap. Guess you can call me Miss Hap.

Taking stock, we have a lot to be thankful for this year. We have drydock behind us. Aside from a few aches and pains, we are healthy. Don and Noel ran the show while Steph and I were indentured in the service of the Princess and again, they garnered warm compliments on their work.

Humpback whales and dolphins have made for some cool trips this fall and it looks as though they will continue this pattern through Thanksgiving Week. We will run cruises Tuesday through Sunday at 10:30, as usual, with Thanksgiving Day's cruise starting an hour early (9:30) so everyone can get home to eat the dinner they weren't there to prepare. Care to join us? Call 831.643.0128 to make reservations. See you out there!

11/2/04: Something for Everyone
Don and Noel have run most of the trips the past week while we were up in the Northwest, where the weather is anything but as spectacular as we're having. They will run again this coming week because Steph, Rumba and I are headed for the San Francisco Bay with Princess of Whales for her drydocking. Anyone remember the trip to hell on our 2002 drydocking? Winter storms, an ever-growing list of changes the Coast Guard wanted... Pretty much 3 weeks of mud, wind and rain!

I doubt we'll be missed. John Malloy was out with Don and Noel recently and he had such a good time, he came out again today. I guess this means we're free to do the maintenance while the boys visit whales and dolphins. They had a humpback cow and calf Sunday. Today, they saw one humpback, but no one was complaining. Why?

After watching the humpback, Don headed off to see what appeared to be 10-12 killer whales. Little can top the excitement shown by our passengers when we see the "tuxedos." Sleek, fast, hungry and sly, they really are thrilling.

We just had a long talk with family members about orcas in captivity. I don't think anyone who sees them in the open ocean could visit their relatives in an amusement park without feeling guilty. We have learned a lot about them because of their captivity, but the biggest thing we've learned is how tightly knit their pods are, how much members that are killed or captured are mourned.

The first Shamu's mother was drowned by the creep who caught him. When asked recently whether he felt her death was worth it, he said absolutely. I'd love to get a piece of him.

Maybe the best thing we do is to get people out there to give whales a voice. When you see people as animated as they might be watching the grand finale fireworks on July 4th, grasping the rail and squealing with delight, you figure the orcas found their voice and their message was understood.

As though a humpback and a dozen orcas weren't enough, Don and Noel found a bunch of Risso's dolphins and even a few Dall's porpoises today. All in one trip. All on a perfect Monterey Bay.

This while I was paying bills and making some badly needed repairs to our tile roof. I cleaned the chimney, took down an old antenna and removed the flue cap for replacement. Steph spent the morning at the dentist's and then he worked several hours on Princess, getting her ready for our run north.

Some days, it just seems like we get all the fun jobs and on top of this, we get to pay employees to spend their day out on the water with whales and dolphins. What were we thinking when we started our business? Whatever it was, I'm fairly certain this scenario didn't come to mind.

Then again, I did say "badly needed" roof repairs. And who doesn't feel better for having cleaned the chimney and tidied up the view over their house? And let's not forget that sense of relief walking out of the dentist's office, despite sore gums.

Plus, we get to take our big girl to Sausalito where you can't help but wrap up a day of scraping and painting with a hot shower and a romantic walk along the water. Shoot, I'd probably pay someone for this adventure. Oh yeah, we are! See you out there.

10/21/04: Gorgeous October
What do school kids get from a cruise with us? A lot. They see the ocean and its creatures as part of the whole. They learn how they can make a difference. Best of all, they experience something that may well stick with them a lifetime. Pinewood School has had such great times on its fall whale watching cruises with us that they've now organized a January event for gray whales. We give school groups and conservation organizations our largest discounts and we contribute heavily to fundraisers for them, because we get it about protecting nature and encouraging kids to step up to the task. Give us a call if you'd like to learn more about getting your group or school on the bay.

We have a nice relationship with BBC Radio. Whenever they're working on a story about whales or other sealife on the central coast, they call us. Andrew Luck-Baker is the reporter who came over here to do a story on noise pollution in the world's oceans last week. Steph and I had originally planned to take him out on his cruise to experience whales, so that he could better relate to their plight in the noisy sea. But through one conflict after another, the job fell to Don and Noel and they did a fine job, proving we are so easily replaced. They said Andrew got his great sound bites, but better yet, he got to soak up the magic of whales. Can't wait for the story! It will be posted on the BBC web site as was the story they did on the Monterey Bay last year. I will tell you when in a future newsletter.

I love cruising by the MBARI buoy when we find ourselves in the neighborhood. We have always explained to passengers that it's donut shaped to keep sea lions from calling it home; they slide off. So we pulled up alongside it recently and what did we find? This sea lion, not only looking pretty comfortable on the rounded surface, but posing to advantage for the numerous cameras trained on it. It was such a unique sighting that I even asked Steph to take another turn around the buoy. I'm glad I did because the last shot turned out to be the best.

We have received several fantastic emails and cards about our crew lately. If this seems extraordinary, when was the last time you wrote someone to rave about a job well done? Even if you experience the fruits of someone's labor, getting around to writing a Thank You is rare. Toni Rosenberg's is the most recent and it is really something. Check out the longer version on Letters From You by clicking on that link on Quick Links: My husband and I are back home now after our 5 days spent in your SO beautiful part of the world, and just wanted to tell you how privileged we feel to have been able to cruise with you last Saturday, October 9th. It was a dream come true for us, something we've wanted to do for many years, and we were so lucky and happy to have found Sanctuary to cruise with. The boat was sturdy and really clean and well equipped. The crew were a couple of the nicest guys around, knew their "stuff", treated all of us like guests, and you could tell by their upbeat attitudes how much they enjoy coming to work every day. May you continue to bring joy to us landlubbers for years to come! Sincerely, Toni (and Lew) Rosenberg

As I mentioned recently, January is a very popular time for whale watching. This year, we've booked several groups and charters already, including our first Bat Mitzvah! Some people celebrate their daughter's big event with a DJ, but this family is taking 149 of their friends and relatives whale watching. How cool. Please remember to book early if you have similar--if slightly less magnanimous--plans.

9/29/04: Anatomy of a Whale
Even when surrounded by a friendly humpback whale, we see glimpses of it and wonder at the rest. Never is there time to stare, study and ponder. All that changed last week.

The Whole Picture
In my next life, I sincerely hope to lead a more balanced, calmer existence. Of course, I still hold out a bit of optimism for this life, but so far, it's not looking good. The catch is this: If you give up some of the deep lows, you must be willing to sacrifice the highs so extreme you could be oxygen deprived. Ah, but aren't those highs--those shimmering views of a kaleidoscope world spread out below in every direction--what make everything else worth enduring? With a rationale such as this, the chances of a more serene life are faint.

"I Have a Bad Feeling About This"
Steph spotted it first. As I steered Princess of Whales toward the large object, both of us tried to figure out what it was. It stayed at the surface, sticking way out of the water. It looked like a whale all right, but not a live one. "I have a bad feeling about this," I announced as we closed the distance.

An Upside Down Humpback
It was a dead humpback whale perhaps 30' long. The animal was on its back, buoyed by gases that distended its pleated throat just as water and food had stretched it in life. There were no gaping injuries, but sharks were busy feeding on both sides of the head. A few seagulls had taken up residence on the belly and watched with marginal interest as we rounded the spectacle.

A Prayer & an Opportunity
Circling the whale, watching the charge of life even in the midst of death, I said a little prayer for the animal whose day had passed. I also thanked it for feeding a lot of other creatures and allowing us to examine it. The beauty of whales--even in death--is soul stirring.

About Balance & Serenity
I wondered how the dead whale might impact me. Maybe I even expected a pretty tough hit. These animals are very special to me and death is so hard to handle. It's one thing to talk about accepting what is and glorying in the constant ebb and flow of life; it's an entirely different matter to handle the death of a young animal, person, anything when it's right there in front of you. On another day, I can't promise I'll feel as though the entire cycle of life is whirring around with our boat, passengers, the whale, the sharks and the gulls at the epicenter and be able to say I'm okay with it, but I was that day. It's a start.

Back to the Living
The rest of the trip helped remind us of the balance of nature. We had several good looks at a pod of 5 orcas before they blew out of town, plus a couple of larger, breathing humpbacks rounded out the day, one unlike any I have ever had. See you out there.

9/25/04: Stories of Photographers and their Pictures
The past few months, our passengers have not only had the experiences of a lifetime, but they've gotten the pictures to prove it. I'm going to introduce you to some of them and tell their stories. We have always striven to use our passengers' work on our web site, in ads, my Salinas Californian columns and rack cards. Because of this, most of you have seen and probably marveled over the work of David Tillotson, Steve Johnston and Ed Hughes, to name a few of the highliners. Here are some new names for you.

Andy Presby Finally Made It
Andy Presby has been such a regular on our cruises that everyone in the crew is on a first name basis with him, although quite often Steph and I just call him Presby. He's military, so he's used to it. Come to think of it, we picked it up from him. Andy has been on several oustanding cruises recently. I can think of three in perhaps 2 weeks and on two of them, we had a friendly humpback whale at the boat! Andy has always hoped to see one of his photos on our web site. This is one of 3 shots Andy just emailed to us. All are spectacular and this one now graces our entry tunnel.

The Pinewood School Adventure
A lot of people were aboard Princess of Whales on the Pinewood School cruise and regardless of age, they reacted with kids' enthusiasm. Many of their pictures are worthy of blowing up for posters. Vickie Allen sent us this shot of the humpback when it was at the stern, diving below the boat. Alan Hantke also got a stellar shot of this fluking.




Jim Maloney & the Mystery Photo
Jim Maloney is one fast reacting shooter. He got explosive breaches that no one else got. And he got a series of very close head shots of this humpback. Notice the deep indentation forward of the right blowhole. At first I thought it was an injury to what I believe is the sinus cavity. Then I suspected the whale was just sucking in a deep breath (note the open blowholes). Steph commented we should see white, since humpbacks scar white and sure enough, there IS a long, white scar. The good news is that this whale seems happy & healthy now and more than a little curious about us.

Not That We Don't Get Our Own Trophy Shots
Steph and I have missed far more photographs than we've gotten. It comes with the territory when we're running the boat, narrating and so on. But just as a monkey, given a typewriter and enough time, will produce something intelligent, we have scored some bullseyes. This is one of mine. It has my trademark inclusion of a passenger. See you out there.

9/21/04: Friendly Humpbacks, More Orcas

Howdy!

The past week has continued to dazzle us with humpback whales and orcas. We were even lucky enough to be out on Monterey Bay with both of our boats, so some passengers got shots of whales right by us!

We had quite a mix of people out with us. Some Germans spoke little English. A Latvian opera singer spoke fluent English. The kids and parents from Pinewood School were on their third annual cruise and we even had Butch Gatling aboard. Butch's company Rudolph & Sletten built the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Aquarium Research Institute!

Why are Some Humpbacks Friendly?
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We mostly see friendly behavior by lone whales-- maybe that's a clue! Is it looking for some company? Their behavior is almost beyond comprehension and hard not to perceive as friendly. They surface near the boat, roll over alongside it, spyhop nearby and they splat their flukes on the surface.

These episodes can last minutes or over an hour and they leave us all glowing. Why we are seeing more of this behavior--and much of it by a few lone whales near Moss Landing Harbor--is anyone;s guess. But the effect has been mesmerizing and thrilling.

Scene Stealing Killer Whales
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Humpbacks haven't been the only show stoppers out there. We have seen killer whales at least once a week for weeks. The past week, we saw them 4 different times!

Last Sunday, Steph was sure we'd see them, but we didn't. He ran a burial at sea cruise after our whale watching trip. A friendly humpback was right outside, which we knew because we'd just had a wild encounter with it. But there were 4 killer whales beyond and so the burial party got to see some of nature's finest work as well as close the circle for their loved one. What a way to go.

Monday's Sea Lion Hunt
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On a special charter Monday, Steph and Noel found killer whales yet again. This time, they were actively hunting. They began circling a large male sea lion and he did what others have done before, taking refuge under the boat. For some reason, orcas won't attack right under the boat. One passenger commented that he was taking our vessel's name seriously: Sanctuary. The killer whales finally moved on.

The next couple of sea lions to catch the orcas' interest took the threat to heart. For the first time ever, a sea lion tried to jump into our boat! Luckily, the rail deflected it, but the effort wasn't for nothing. The orcas tired of waiting for these two and moved off after another animal, which they killed and ate. I know, everyone has to eat, but it is still tough stuff to witness, although most of the attacks and feeding are done under the surface. It's estimated a full grown orca needs to eat the equivalent of one sea lion a day. Gives one pause, doesn't it? See you out there. Heidi