Summer 2002
Sep 10, 2002	Fall's Joys: Whales & Generousity
Sep 3, 2002	Big Blues & The Day
Aug 26, 2002	Blue Streaks
Aug 19, 2002	Blues, Books and More
Aug 13, 2002	Flukes in the Journey
Aug 5, 2002	You Should Have Been Here
Jul 29, 2002	Monday, Monday
Jul 15, 2002	Big Blues on the Bay
Jul 10, 2002	West on the Princess
Jun 27, 2002	HAPPY TIMES

9/10/02: Fall's Joys: Whales & Generousity

The whales on Labor Day were abundant, lively and the trip thrilling. The humpback pictured here was photographed by David Tillotson on that cruise. Had the day been sunny and warm yesterday, it would have equaled Labor Day. We had blue whales and humpback whales lunge feeding all around us. It was one of our best trips ever, which was fortunate since we had Calaveras High School out with us again and their cruise last year was pretty extraordinary. I was reminded of this prior to departure by a young woman who had been on that trip. Nothing like staring at a sea of expectant faces that have heard in great detail how wonderful last year's trip was.

The bay was flat, whales were close and in strong numbers and the action was amazing. Many photographers were excited over their pictures, but one fellow could not capture anything. In desperation, he joined us on the bridge to examine the National Geographic whale book Mary Brooks donated to Princess of Whales. It has excellent, accurate, pop-up humpback and blue whales breaching and lunge feeding, just as we were seeing. Using a digital camera, he took photos of the book in his outstretched hand. He showed me the results, "See Captain, what'd I say?" They looked pretty good.

Our September 11th cruise attracted some spirited people. Most rode free (our donation), contributing whatever amount they liked to their chosen charities. Get this: EVERYONE donated at least the equivalent of our fare and several donated more. We sent off several hundred dollars to the Salvation Army branches in San Jose and on the Monterey Peninsula, Save Our Shores and Second Harvest Food Bank. We attract good people.We saw Risso's dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Dall's porpoises. I never tire of watching the Dall's and PW's dancing on our bow, zinging in and bursting from the water, aided by the force of our bow wave.

"There's a definite feeling of fall in the air." My mom said that every year as the first hint of the change of season was upon us. The heavier jackets will be pulled out soon, but not before some of our best weather of the year. It used to be a melancholy time for Steph before we got together. He was a combination of restlessness and anxiety, but no longer. There's a natural cadence, a rhythm to his days and seasons now and he relishes it.

Circumnavigator Pat Henry is on tour for her book "By the Grace of the Sea, A Woman's Solo Odyssey," and making her way here. She'll be all over the Bay Area at bookstores and some yacht clubs. She'll wrap up her return to her former home with presentations at Bookshop Santa Cruz prior to joining us for our whale watching cruise September 29th. This will be a regularly scheduled whale watching cruise which will be followed dockside with a presentation and book-signing. Wine and appetizers will be served dockside. The price for this cruise is our regular rate and books may be reserved when you make your cruise reservations (call 831.643.0128).

Think of the people on your Christmas list who are confronted by huge decisions or perhaps faltering under the burden of life's challenges. Maybe they're just trying to sort out how their dreams and needs can accommodate family and friends, not always an easy proposition. Or perhaps you know someone who has screwed up monumentally and is convinced there is no way out of the hole that's been dug. These are the people who will really get something from Pat's book, as well as anyone who appreciates tight, honest writing. Few books have impressed me as much as this one has.

Our Internet Special is good for either a discount of $2.50 per person or, if you make reservations for 3 or more, you can choose a free Sanctuary Cruises T-shirt (value to $15). Be sure to mention it when you reserve. Trips are at 10:30 Wednesdays through Sundays. They're 3-5 hours long but averaging around 4. Celebrate your priorities. Forget cleaning the gutters and raking the leaves; get out where the whales are going about their slow motion business of preparing for winter.

See you out there.

9/3/02: Big Blues & The Day

The description of a special cruise we ran last week read like this: "Sanctuary Explorations: A 6-8 hour cruise that could go anywhere. Big Sur, Davenport, or perhaps west with the sun. If you have an adventurer's heart, sign up for this trip." Departure was set for 7:00 a.m. At 8:30, Steph called to check in. They were only 3.2 miles from Moss Landing, but no one on board was unhappy because they'd spent the last hour with a large pod of the offshore orcas (killer whales) that sometimes frequent our waters. They would spend a lot more time watching and photographing these marvels before heading farther out for blue whales, dolphins and humpbacks. In one day.

Of all of the whales and dolphins found on the Monterey Bay, orcas are the wild cards. We know of people who have been on the bay many times throughout the year, yet they have never seen an orca here. One poor woman who would sell her soul to experience these animals on local waters has been out with us at least 15 times. She's seen some wonderful creatures, but never killer whales. However, we've had them the day after she's been out with us TWICE.

Orcas weren't the only stars on the Monterey Bay. Clusters of krill, the tiny shrimp-like creatures that blues, humpbacks (as seen here), fish and birds feed on , have been found in such abundance that the food chain has been remarkably concentrated. Krill looks like a swarm of bees in the water. Labor Day gave us sparkling blue waters, warm, soft breezes, krill everywhere and at least 30 blue whales on the bay, possibly more. Ocean sunfish waved as we passed them. We saw comb jellies, the ones that appear to have brilliant track lights racing around their perimeters. There were big flocks of sooty shearwaters and brown pelicans sitting on the water, too full to fly. Tiny red-necked phalaropes skittered past. But the blue whales took center stage as they converged on us from every direction, their blows thundering from lungs the size of small cars, their bodies coming out of the water in what seemed to be a never-ending blue gray mountain.

We run 3-5 hour cruises. Even if we'd only stayed out 3 hours, we'd have spent 2 of them with whales. But the day was so spectacular, we couldn't leave. And when we did, it was to go farther out where two humpbacks were breaching and slapping their tails on the water, throwing up splashes easily seen from miles away. Maybe you could ignore such a sight, but we seem incapable of it.

Over 1/3 of our passengers on this day were customers who have become friends. Over and over, we took stock, comparing notes with huge grins. Several professional and semi-professional photographers were on board and they exited the Princess of Whales with their camera cases clutched to their chests like misers with sacks of gold. Each was anxious to develop film or get home to view their digital bounty. I know I was. Since I use both film and digital cameras, I have seen half of my treasure and it's good. But the real gems are on film this time.
I think.
I hope.

This September will be a time of reflection over the losses sustained last year. It's so hard to contemplate, but it would be selfish of us to act as though nothing happened when for so many, life will never be the same. If you can join us September 11th, you can go whale watching for free. Rather than paying for your cruise (which we're donating), you'll make a donation to the charity of your choice. Write the check to them and put it in a stamped, addressed, but unsealed envelope. Be generous because, as my mom used to say, "It comes back to you!"

Any charity qualifies, but here are some ideas: The Salvation Army can use help. Food banks are gearing up for the holidays in a bad economy; how much do you think they can use your donation? The Red Cross needs money and blood. If you bring a check AND proof of having donated blood between now and September 11th, we've throw in a free Sanctuary Cruises T-shirt. Think of the conservation organizations dear to you and know that their donations drop drastically when the economy plummets. Wherever you choose to make your statement, we will support it and take you out to the world of whales, water and hope as your reward.

September 29th (Sunday), we'll have Pat Henry aboard for a whale watching and book-signing cruise. I love her book. It's called "By the Grace of the Sea: A Woman's Solo Odyssey " and it will grab everyone who has settled for less but wanted more, struggled with fear and self doubt. Pat's book is a road map of the soul and her answers aren't your answers necessarily, but there are keys you can use to open your locked doors, clues to help you through to the other side, regardless of what your fears and challenges are. Pat is already on her book tour and she's hearing what I told her she'd hear from the moment I first opened her book. People are saying, "This is my story," even though most aren't sailors and I would think none will ever sail around the world alone as she did in a 31' Southern Cross.

Join us this day for whales, light appetizers, a touch of wine and a tremendous writer. Our regular rates apply (free wine and appetizers after the cruise) but sorry, Internet Specials do not. The book is only $24.95 and I can think of few gifts that would top an autographed copy. Well, maybe a Sanctuary Cruises T-shirt, but what do I know?
Speaking of Internet Specials, for the month of September, you may choose $2.50 off per person OR if you reserve for 3 or more people, we'll give you a free Sanctuary Cruises silkscreened T-shirt. You must request the Special. Tell us which one you choose and you'll receive a password to confirm you got the discount. See you out there.

8/26/02: Blue Streaks

You’d think there would be no surprises for us on whale watching cruises, but then came yesterday. We had quite a few passengers who have become friends join us for the cruise. Happily, a good number of them are involved in ocean conservation. Vicky Nichols is and she brought her sister from Washington. They went out with us last year and it was a very nice whale watching cruise except for the small detail that we didn’t see any whales (it was a very foggy day). We refused to let this year be a repeat.

We came upon our first blue whale about 7 miles out of Moss Landing. Slowing to get a feel for its course and speed, we spotted two more blues a bit farther to the south. They were not feeding or ambling or thinking about moving on. These whales were motoring! They’d surface, blowing their exhalations before clearing the water and sending up broad explosions of water, rather than their characteristic tall, narrow blows. Side by side, they reminded me of our dogs at the beach. Those two run along, banging into each other, tossing their heads up for new smells and everything is a big deal to them. The blue whales were sea borne golden retrievers and one of them must have said, “Let’s see how fast we can cross the bay.” The answer was, “Very fast.” On their romp across Monterey Bay, they averaged 7.5 nautical miles an hour, which is 8.625 MPH. They can swim much faster in bursts, but their usual pace is slower, especially when they‘re feeding.

Often, whales will swim fast for a while, then slow down. These two whales had no intention of slowing. They blasted across the bay so fast, punctuating each surfacing with enormous blows, that we were usually well behind them. Then I managed to flank them a few hundred yards away, giving them plenty of room while allowing us great broadside views of their unbelievably large shovel-shaped heads and island-sized bodies. But the real thrills were yet to come. During the period when they were down, I’d worked ahead at a good clip. Then I slowed to clutch speed, which is quite slow. We looked all around, expecting a bit of a distance between us when the whales came up next. Instead, they burst from the bay 75 feet in front of us! We always take the engines out of gear when whales approach us, but these were so close, I had to do some quick arithmetic before backing away from them.

Whales heading away from us: up to 90 feet long, maybe more.

Distance from their heads to our bows: 75 feet, maybe less.

Distance from their flukes to our propellers: 50 feet.

I put the engines in slow reverse, then neutral.

The whales thought that was hysterical or at the very least, pretty cool. How do I know this? Because they did the same thing to me again several minutes later. With wide open water all around, they came up just ahead of us again. I was so excited on the PA that Steph took the mike away from me. Every one of our passengers, from those who had never seen whales before to our well-seasoned veterans, went home with spectacular memories. Then there's Tom Parks. Tom lives in Watsonville. He was out with us a few weeks ago when the humpback cow and calf came up to the boat and stayed there. He brought out of town family with him then. Yesterday, he had more family from out of town. What do you think they will say to each other when they compare notes? “Tom lives in the real magic kingdom,” would be my guess.

Summer better be drawing to a close because we are working way too hard, but it sure has been wonderful. Just this weekend alone, we ran a special burial at sea cruise all the way to Carmel Bay, a fabulous wedding aboard Princess of Whales, the zippiest blue whale watching cruise I can remember and a company party for a local business, which we catered.

Next month, we will have the singular honor of having ALL of our country’s national marine sanctuary superintendents aboard Princess of Whales in celebration of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s 10th birthday. As I am sure you recall, turning 10 is a big deal. The festivities for this very special birthday party will range throughout the sanctuary itself. Check out the September schedule on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary link here (there is always a link for it on our web site as well): www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov/Calendar/index.html

We've donated 50 whale watching cruises to the celebration and if you attend the party at Custom House Plaza in Monterey September 21st, be sure to enter the free drawing.

This Friday, we run our 6-8 hour long Sanctuary Explorations cruise with shark expert Sean Van Sommeran aboard. Departure time is 7:00 and the itinerary is to go as far as we can to see as much as we can. If you have an adventurer’s heart, sign up for this by calling us at 831.643.0128. Cost is $75.00 for adults, $65.00 for kids 12. For $10 more, you can order a deluxe box lunch (grand sandwich: turkey, roast beef or our own smoked Chinook salmon; huge cookie; fresh fruit; chips; plus all coffee, tea, cocoa, soda, juice and waters; beer and wine extra).

Although we don’t usually run Mondays, we will operate September 2, Labor Day. Summer’s end. Whew. I guess we'll make it after all.

See you out there.

8/19/02: Blues, Books and More

How is this for a perfect day? Save Our Shores is aboard for their benefit cruise with Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan, authors of Sightings, their new National Geographic book on the California gray whale. Anne Rowley of SOS has put together wines and foods that are extraordinary and filled Princess of Whales with flowers. Sara Bhakti of Pajaro Dunes has planned her family’s grand reunion on this day with us. The Jones family from London had recently heard of our company and joined us at the last minute, hoping to see a whale. All of our passengers are conservation minded, fun to be with, thoughtful and interesting.

But it gets better. We see our first two blue whales just 20 minutes out of the harbor. They surfaced, showed themselves to advantage over and over, then a perfect, slow motion fluke which left us with a boatload of cheering people! We also had Risso’s dolphins just a little farther out, then Pacific white-sided dolphins came screaming in for an appearance. Then it was more blues.

Dockside, Save Our Shores pulled out the fine wines, juices and foods. Brenda and Linda gave a rousing talk in the main cabin, with Linda saying in 15 years of whale watching, ours was the best experience by far. Yes, it was her first opportunity to see the grand blues, but she applauded our respectful approach and celebrated our conservation-oriented business. We are proof it can be done, combining passion and business. Kelsey Ramage of Bookshop Santa Cruz was there with the authors’ many books, including Sightings and I am pleased to say that book sales were brisk and the authors were busy autographing them for quite some time.

Saturday was our day to unveil the new Sanctuary Cruises T-shirts and they are proving themselves to be very popular. The design is shown here. We have everything from kids’ X-SMALL to adults XXL in short sleeves plus an assortment of other styles, including long sleeves. Kids’ shirts are $12, adults’ are $15 and $16. All are pre-shrunk, all cotton and of the best quality. Our Internet Special this week is very cool. When you make your reservation, you can ask for the T-shirt discount and receive $3 off every shirt purchased during your cruise. This is in addition to “Buy 3, the 4th Goes Free” for cruise tickets or $2.50 off each ticket for smaller parties. Only one catch and it’s that you must request these discounts when you make your reservation.

We are chartered for a wedding this coming Saturday, Aug. 24th, so there will be no whale watching cruise that day. But on August 30th (Friday), we will offer a 6-8 hour Sanctuary Explorations Cruise with Special Guest Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation. Sean has vast experience on these waters, having worked on them for years. He holds the world’s record for putting scientific tags on basking sharks, has worked with National Geographic and boy, does he have some fascinating stories to tell! Cost of this trip, which could go as far south as Point Sur or anywhere else our whims take us, is $75.00 per adult and $65 for kids 12 and under. Departure time is 7:00 a.m. You may order a delightful box lunch for your cruise at the time you make your reservation. You have your choice of a huge turkey sandwich, our Monterey Bay smoked salmon and cream cheese on a big bagel or a deluxe veggie sandwich. You’ll also get premium cookies, nice fresh fruit, chips and unlimited hot coffee, tea and sodas, all for $10.00. To make reservations for this or any of our whale watching cruises Wednesday through Sunday, call us at (831) 643-0128 or email us: sanctuary@montereybay.com

I’m sure we aren’t alone in feeling the weight of the first anniversary of September 11th. Steph and I have wondered how we can mark this day in a positive manner. Last year, we put on the Peace and Resolve Cruise and raised $6,695.00 for the Red Cross with the help of Indian Summer, The Haute Enchilada, The Whole Enchilada, Marie Callendars Pies, Monterey Soda, Baywood Cellars and Monterey Beach Resort. It felt good to fight back in a positive way.

Is the world a better place this year? President Bush would like us to go to war. He has proposed gutting protection of offshore waters. He has declared the very real threat of extinction of the Puget Sound orcas “insignificant.” So here is our idea for the anniversary: For everyone coming out with us on Wednesday, September 11th, the fare is a check for any amount made out to the charity of your choice. Put it in a stamped, unsealed envelope addressed to the charity. Bring checks for various charities if you like. Suggestions include, but aren’t limited to, the Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Save Our Shores, The Nature Conservancy, the Salvation Army, the Sierra Club. Their deeds are great, needs are never-ending and if not now, when? If not us, who?

See you out there.

8/13/02: Flukes in the Journey

We are betrayed by destinations. It’s often in the going, the journey to, that we experience life at its fullest and quirkiest. But in whale watching, with such a tempting subject awaiting us at our destination, the journey seems secondary to most voyageurs. On our cruises last week, the destination was resoundingly rewarding. Not only are we seeing very large numbers of blue whales, but the humpbacks have concentrated again. There were times when we just put the engines in neutral and watched whales in every direction around us. This picture was taken by our passenger Stu Baker on Saturday. Two humpback whales cruising by. What a great shot!

We had very young passengers, some folks in their 80’s, several people in wheelchairs and lots of families, some of whom spoke no English at all. But there’s a universal language in nature that transcends words and we were aided in our descriptions by a gift from Mary Brooks. Mary was at a flea market when she found a great whale pop-up book by National Geographic. It accurately depicts the various great whales and dolphins and shows lunge feeding, breaching and more. Mary bought the book for our boat and our passengers and it instantly began to bridge the language barrier.

Every week, when I write these updates and reflect on recent memories, I consider the bond we develop with passengers such as Mary. Sometimes, they don’t even get the chance to join us, but they share the experience through our web site, then write. Time and again, it’s the Captain’s Log that told them we’re different, in a good way. For those of you who read these updates at work, I suppose we could be blamed for a drop in your productivity. But maybe there’s also a rise after you finish the update and move on, refreshed. I didn’t get the names of a couple of women with whom I spoke on Sunday on the bridge of Princess of Whales, but our visit was endearing. When ad deadlines, bills and frustrating people who don’t get what we do and want to know why we don’t have the whales in cages all conspire to make me crazy, I get out on the boat with jellies and whales, albatross and mola molas and people who know me better than I know them. I have the opportunity to compare notes, see that while we all have our maddening times, we are lucky enough to be out on the sea, with whales in every direction, connecting with something in each of us that is still wild and will never be caged.

A few weeks ago, Steph and I took the dogs and cats camping to celebrate our anniversary. We were in a majestic redwood forest. If I had to give up all else but two things and I could keep the ocean and a redwood forest, I wouldn’t feel cheated. There’s such peace in being surrounded by those ancient beings that dwarf everything else on land, just as the great whales dwarf everything else in the sea. The smaller inhabitants of a redwood forest also play a big part in its attraction: multicolored lichens, banana slugs, a drop of dew sparkling on the tip of a California bay laurel leaf. Out on the Pacific, it’s moon jellies; birds such as the tiny red-necked phalaropes; shrimp-like krill in dense swarms at the surface, reminiscent of millions of agitated bees.

I’m not sure how this happened, but on our camping trip, I was lamenting over how little time we have that isn’t work related, especially on land. Steph usually listens to these contemplative monologues and says he will find a way to fix whatever is amiss. He is supremely capable of handling many large tasks simultaneously and I’m humbled by his ability. But for all of Steph’s strengths and accomplishments, his efforts to simplify my life have not quite worked out as planned, at least by me. Here’s how it went:

I wish I had some time to just be,” I sighed. “ More time to spend in the garden or working on the house. Running boat more. Not to always feel as though I never catch up with paperwork, never finish tasks. Less pressure.” Steph listened intently. He nodded at the right moments, so I think he heard what I said. But here is what he offered as a remedy:

You need to write your book.”

His argument, as usual, was flawless. There will never be enough time, but it is the time. Look at the stories, the adventures, the struggles and the successes I, and we, have had. Think of the fascinating people we’ve drawn into our circle. So somehow, it all made sense and now at least a few hours a day are devoted to the book.

Speaking of books, on September 29th, we’ll have Pat Henry aboard Princess of Whales with her book “By the Grace of the Sea,” which is about her inner and outer journey as she sailed alone around the world. This Saturday (August 17th), we’ll feature Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan, acclaimed authors of the new National Geographic book, "Sightings: The Gray Whales’ Mysterious Journey." It begins with two quotes which have captivated me:

Whale watching takes on a whole new world when the whale is watching you.”
Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer in Residence

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”
Albert Einstein

Join us along with the authors on a whale watching adventure that will culminate with a dockside presentation by them. Their talk will be accompanied by complimentary fine wines and appetizers. This is a benefit event for that great conservation organization Save Our Shores and it costs $45 for adults and $35 for kids 12 and under--only slightly more than our anything-but-regular cruises. To make reservations, you can call us at 831.643.0128. Let us know if you’d like to reserve a book.

"Life on the Bay," Steph's excellent radio series on KUSP FM, has been increased to run 5 days a week , Monday through Friday, and now it airs twice a day! The first is during "Morning Edition" with Bob Edwards. It replays at 5:00 P.M. You can listen online by going to www.kusp.org. Click on "Listen Live" and make sure your speakers are turned on. In 90 seconds, you'll learn about everything from great white sharks to troll-caught salmon (the only salmon we serve on Princess of Whales) and you'll be introduced to the characters that make their living on these waters.

Next week, we unveil our brand new, first ever, silk-screened Sanctuary Cruises T-shirts. The design was a joint effort by scientific illustrator Kirsten Carlson and myself. Every species of whale, dolphin and porpoise that we see out there is represented and so are Moby Dick, Ahab, the Pequod and krill! Let your imagination run wild to picture what it could be. It has gotten a lot of comments already and I can’t wait to show it to you, but right now, I have a date with another file on this computer.

See you out there.

8/5/02: You Should Have Been Here

Yesterday's whale watching cruise was on Princess of Whales. We had quite a mix of passengers. The Hunter family from Saratoga was there in big numbers, 13 to be exact. Hardly a bad luck number, considering what we experienced. Daniel Cainer from England is touring California with his two sons. They were there thanks to a dedication to making a trip with us that was quite flattering. Daniel had read a good deal of our web site and said if he was to go whale watching, he wanted to go with us. But they were going to Yosemite from San Francisco on Friday. They hoped to spend 2 days in Yosemite before going whale watching with us on Monday. I reminded him on the phone that we don't run Monday and said perhaps he better go out with someone else Monday because one day is hardly adequate to enjoy Yosemite. No, he insisted, he wanted us. They'd drive our way Saturday night. With 3 hours of sleep, they were at the dock yesterday. The Parks family from nearby Watsonville applauded our conservation efforts when they made their reservations. They had chosen us with this in mind. And we had Joe Norris, the rep for those great anti-seasickness Relief Bands, onboard. He knows how well they work, but it was hardly a day to test them. We had light winds, all of a 3-4 foot swell... Lovely conditions. Among our passengers was a couple from the south that was headed to Pebble Beach when they decided to explore Moss Landing. They spied Phil's Fish Market and decided to eat there because, as Jack explained, "I like to eat at restaurants with first names on them; they're usually very good." Then they saw Princess of Whales with her windsocks fluttering in the breeze and us bustling around getting her ready. Pebble Beach could wait, they thought, as they dialed the number on the boat's side.

This was my trip to drive and as we headed out, I reminded everyone all of their eyes were important. Each was a cohort in this adventure and any one of them could be first to spot whales or dolphins, just as Denise Noack had been the day before, spotting the first of three humpbacks.

Chris, Steph and I felt relaxed, even happy, yesterday morning. Saturday had been a bone-cruncher and it had taken its toll. We had the heart-breaking burial at sea for a woman who was only 41. We are burying far too many young women, their daughters only teenagers. Steph had been up since 4 in the morning so Sanctuary would be ready for the 6:30 burial party. Our 10:30 whale watching cruise included all of Caryn Owen’s marine biology classes from Foothill Community College and it had been exciting; humpback whales, Risso’s dolphins and Dall’s porpoises all got into the act. Then we had an evening charter for the American Association of Colleges and Universities. We catered the appetizers for our 90 passengers and I’d promised some real local food as well as nice standards. I smoked a bunch of local, sustainably caught Monterey Bay king salmon and it was the hit of the night. Our crew turned to and helped put on a spectacular event which was aided by the 200 or so Risso’s dolphins that greeted us and escorted us as we left the harbor. I can’t recall a happier charter, without one seasick person, which we believe can be attributed not only to calm conditions, but to our use of a biodiesel blend. It does help people who have had a problem smelling diesel fumes.

With Saturday behind us, we anticipated a relaxed Sunday.

A few minutes out of the harbor, we encountered a tide rip. Muddy inland water and the blue sea were divided by a wavering line that had collected bull kelp and an oddball assortment of flotsam. I announced to our passengers that I planned to stop and retrieve it. Chris grabbed the net below and I maneuvered Princess over to pick up a large plastic bottle, a big, puffy bed pillow and an even larger plastic lid. I knew we had good people onboard when there was a loud and enthusiastic cheer with each piece of garbage retrieved from the water by Chris.

Running on a course of 230 degrees, I chatted on the radio with Steph who was up top spotting. A bit of krill showed on the depth sounder, then it began to appear in denser concentrations. About 5 miles outside Moss Landing, we saw our first two blue whales. Heading their way, we came across another pair, closer, off our right side. Slowing to look at them, we noted 3 or 4 more ahead of us within the next mile. It was one of those summer days we speak of when blue whales are every direction, their muscular blue-gray bodies arcing out of the water, occasionally preceded by their shovel-shaped heads. Steph and I traded places and I went up top to photograph. One little girl joined him on the bridge and she kept saying, “This is SO cool! This is SO cool!”

I asked the people on the bow if they ever imagined such a spectacle and they laughed, shook their heads. Who could? When blues dive, they don’t show their flukes a lot, but Steph was coaching the passengers on when they might get a photograph of their elusive flukes. A likely candidate arched its back higher and higher, everyone was primed and looking the right direction and when it finally threw its sharp-tipped flukes up in the air, cameras clicked throughout the boat. I would say everyone got that classic shot but me. My camera didn’t think much of the shot or my intent to capture it or both. Whatever the reason, it refused to take the picture. I was crazy mad.

After spending a good deal of time with perhaps 15 blues, Steph moved a little father out in the direction of wider, shorter blows. Humpbacks had been seen out there earlier so he figured he’d round out the cruise by showing them to our folks. I went downstairs to help Chris in the galley and after it quieted down, I started to put together a smoked salmon and shrimp platter for Steph. We were in the area where the humpbacks were but they were down for a while. When they surfaced, they weren’t far off our right side. “Look out the right side, 2 o’clock!“ Steph exclaimed, “They’re coming our way! I’ve shifted to neutral.” I looked out and saw two dorsal fins. They weren’t coming our way, they were here! I threw the shrimp and bolted for the sundeck, grabbed the digital camera and clambered to the top of the bridge. There below me at the bow I saw several heads of passengers and below them, the wide, bumpy head of a full-sized humpback whale, her white-edged pectoral flippers sculling lazily at her sides. The baby was next to her, rolling over, farting around, looking up at its audience. I took pictures as fast as the camera would record them. I got shots of the whales at the surface, their blowholes open as they exhaled, as well as under the water, their wobbly outlines strengthening as they came back for another look. They held their flukes up for inspection. First one, then the other. There were slow motion dives and almost immediate surfacings.

How long did it go on? I have no accurate means of judging, but who cared?

We could have stayed out longer, but we’d seen a lot of whales. First the blues, then an all-time great experience with a trusting mother humpback and her baby. Steph announced we’d had some extraordinary, magical times, but when the two humpbacks dove and surfaced a couple of hundred feet from us, it was time to bid them farewell. I have a phrase for times such as this: “End of interview.” We thanked them as we eased away, but there was more to see. Some Pacific white-sided dolphins raced up to us, surfed our wake, then ricocheted back and forth across our bows. Some Risso’s came into view and we got to watch them as well. What great, good fortune our passengers had to have chosen this day to go whale watching with us.

While we’d been with the humpbacks, Chris, as usual, had been at the bow. She was mere feet from the massive animals--even a baby humpback is a very big creature. I can think of few occasions when whales have come right up to us when Chris hasn’t been the closest. She is in the foreground of most shots I have taken with whales just beyond. There is no 401K for Chris, but this is a pretty nice bonus. Besides, the way stocks have taken a beating, a 401K isn’t what it used to be.

The value of staring into the eyes of a whale? Priceless.

7/29/02: Monday, Monday

Jason Schwartz called yesterday to see if he could get on the boat for our 10:30 whale watching cruise. He said he was going to be on the road for a month and he needed a fix before he left. As soon as I heard he was coming, I told Steph Rumba would be very happy. Rumba loves dolphins and almost every time Jason Schwartz is onboard, we see lots of dolphins.

It was the Summer Grand Slam, the confluence of Pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and northern right whale dolphins. They played and splashed and ripped it up in fine fashion. Jason left with a happy heart but then again, Jason seems to always have a happy heart. We keep telling him we wish he’d lose his job so we could hire him. The benefit package is extensive: He could work for a lot less than he makes now. (After all, money brings complications.) His office would be blue and it would undulate, unlike the one he works in now. He would still meet travelers from far away places, but in this case, he’d always speak their language--as evidenced by the communion that takes place as he peers over the rail, delighted grin on his face, seeing all the travelers celebrating their moment of oneness with him.
*****

Chris, our deckhand, has been with us over a year. Her first day on the boat, she got seasick. I informed her she was not cut out for this work and she nodded glumly. I didn’t expect to see her again. But she needed a job and even though she didn’t know a darned thing about boats, the sea or marine mammals, she seemed determined to stay, despite a tendency toward motion sickness. Steph suggested we give her another chance.

We soon found Chris had a large streak of golden retriever in her. She had the ability to see what passengers needed and give it to them, be it encouragement to go up to the bow to see the cavorting dolphins racing along with us, or a handful of saltines to calm a queasy stomach. That she stuck it out and persevered was impressive, even if the quality of her work sometimes was hit and miss. She was always great with passengers and loved seeing the wildlife (Chris is in the foreground of most of my pictures when whales have come up to the boat), but she lacked the single-minded devotion to boat maintenance that we have.

A salty rail missed in the wash down wouldn’t scream to her as it did to us. Procedures were only generally adhered to, probably in order to keep us off guard. Fits were pitched on both sides, usually mine and hers. (Poor long-suffering Steph who works with an all female crew.) On several occasions, Chris agreed that she probably wasn’t cut out for this work and would look for another job. Meanwhile, we would look for a replacement. Neither was successful, I suspect from lack of trying.

Then something happened. Chris took to admiring the look of a ship shape boat. She chastised other employees for dogging it or not paying attention, something we had done with her on numerous occasions. Trying to convey the knowledge we’ve built up in working with marine mammals, we often felt frustrated at her lack of interest or absorption. While describing to an apprentice the subtleties of a Risso’s dolphin’s blow on a hazy day or the brief, telltale splash of a Dall’s porpoise that can be seen a mile or more away, Chris suddenly challenged her:

re you listening to me!?” she demanded. No, she was not and that got to Chris. Why was she wasting time on this person? She told Steph this one had to go.

This was not the Chris we had come to know.

Then something else happened. Steph and Chris work most weekdays without me. Steph and I are great spotters and when we have the other one spotting on a trip we run, we feel confident we’ll find whales and/or dolphins. Steph always felt the burden was on him to spot when he and Chris worked without me. But then she was the first to spot Risso’s. It was from quite a distance away and she told him as I might.

just saw it briefly and it might not be anything, but it seemed like a couple of tiny blows and a glint…”

Then there was the sketchy whale that she was sure she’d seen while no one else had, sure enough to insist Steph stop the boat and wait until it surfaced. Unlike people who memorize details from a book--which may or may not be accurate--Chris came into her realm of knowledge through the riding of a million swells and the exquisite sense of timing implanted by experiencing each creature and its patterns over and over until it was organic, a part of her.

Last week, I was on Princess of Whales prepping for a catered cruise the next day. Steph and Chris were out on a whale watching trip. As Sanctuary came into view down the channel, I glanced up occasionally to admire her. Fenders were properly placed; Chris had done a good job. The boat slowed outside her slip and started to turn toward it. She was twin-screwing. Her port engine backing, starboard working ahead. Nice, very nice. Then I realized Chris was not in her usual position amidships on the starboard side, gaff in hand, prepared to snag a dock line. Steph was standing outside the starboard wheelhouse door, too far out to be driving. I dropped my knife and walked outside.

go neutral starboard. Okay, ahead both, lightly, lightly. Now neutral. A bump ahead port,” he coached. I could just see Chris’ head beyond his shoulder. Vicki from Beticia walked over to my side. I asked if she saw who was driving. She nodded and watched in awe as Steph gently talked Chris through the final steps of docking.

one ever taught me like that,” Vicki said sadly. She might have said, “I never had a bike when I was a kid.” It was that tone of voice.

I am senior captain of Sanctuary Cruises. I drive a computer far more than I’d like to and I don’t get out on the boats as much as I used to. But I taught Steph boat handling the way I wish I could have learned, unrushed, with a kind, patient and capable teacher. The best honor a good teacher can receive is to see her or his pupil share that gift again and pass on the flame. I couldn’t have been prouder of Steph or Chris as I watched this evolution in progress.

Since then, Chris has driven part of several trips. She has departed the dock and returned. She isn’t having to climb over bad practices she learned from others since she was a fresh slate. Before she could lie in bed at night, agonize over docking as all of us did at some point, and many will continue to do their whole lives, she was doing it and doing it well. She has much to learn and she will lose sleep along the way, but she's leapfrogged past a lot of the trauma.

Will Chris Snell, mother of two, recently certified SCUBA diver and now Qualified Deckhand heading toward First Mate, someday be Captain Snell? Two months ago, I wouldn’t have thought so. But a lot has changed since then.

*****

In the thick of summer business, juggling whale watching cruises, catered charters--including weddings and huge corporate events--and performing many touching burials at sea, Steph and I wondered how we might celebrate our anniversary. We always remember the day we got married, but have to attack the year peripherally.

s see, it was the year you flew to Alaska to work with the people who bought kayaks for their place in Yakutat,” Steph will say, his eyes closed to recollect without distraction.

,” I’ll agree, “I hadn’t even made my dress yet and there I was, 5 days before the wedding, paddling in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by icebergs.”

(Oh, the green of those glacial beings sings to me still. I suspect it always will.)

ut we’d lived together a year already. Remember, you came down from Sitka just before I paddled around the Channel Islands,” he’ll say. We tried to get married sooner, but something always came up.

, but the year we got married, we went straight to the San Juans afterward to do the TV series, Western Kayaker. That was our honeymoon,” I’ll muse.

, I paddled BC to BC in ‘93, so we must have gotten together the next year, making it 1995 when we got married. That would mean we’re looking at celebrating our 7th anniversary.”

It seems as though it’s been a lot longer than that, but it also seems to have passed in an instant. We are celebrating in a spectacular manner. As soon as I finish this, I pack the RV with the essentials. Dog food, cat food, cat bed, catnip, dog babies (including a unicorn with a sock pulled over its hind legs, making it a mermaid), camp chairs, tortilla chips, salsa, CD’s, briquettes. A bit of Captain Morgan’s rum.

There is a spot in the redwoods where trillium lines the banks of a fine, fresh stream. Wild ginger grows there. Sword ferns cascade from decomposing deadfall trees that feed a universe of tiny creatures. Sunlight filters down softly, like feathers.

We will toast our joy in having found our true mate and plot the next course in this adventure.

7/15/02: Big Blues on the Bay

Carole Adams lives in Cambria. While visiting Baja California to see the gray whales, she met a retired neurosurgeon by the name of Phil Hoekstra. Phil has spent a good deal of time traveling the world to see whales. Apparently the whales don’t always receive the message, because a trip to Australia to see sperm whales was unsuccessful. His dream, he told Carole, was to see the world’s largest mammal ever, the mighty Blue Whale. Carole insisted Phil and his wife visit in the summer and join us on the Monterey Bay. She assured them we would not send them home disappointed. Oh, the pressure! As our friend Russ Hoburg, who runs the big Blue and Gold ferries on San Francisco Bay says, "I feel for you. I am reasonably certain when I head out to Alcatraz, even in the fog, that it will be there."

The blues began arriving in our waters in June. Their numbers will increase throughout July and we‘ll see them well into fall. The Hoekstra’s arrived here from Michigan last week. A little early? On their cruise Thursday, they saw a nice pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins, some with tiny babies. They saw the larger Risso‘s dolphins with their tall, sculpted dorsal fins. But in spite of running an extra long trip, not one blue whale graced us with its presence. The Hoekstra’s had enjoyed their cruise, but as they stepped off Sanctuary, Steph asked if they could come out again as our guests before leaving. They could.

On Saturday, we ran our power catamaran Princess of Whales. Our passengers included the Hoekstras and Girl Scout Troop 1126 from San Jose. Little girls expect big magic and since I’m just a bigger version of a little girl, I had no intention of disappointing them. It was Steph’s turn to run the trip, so I went up on top of the bridge with my binoculars to spot.

The blues are here to feed on krill which is a tiny crustacean about the size of your little finger’s fingernail. It’s found in swarms so dense, they look like reddish-brown roads in the water. Blues--and humpbacks, too, for that matter--are filter feeders. They take in a huge mouthful of krill and water which grossly distends their pleated throats. They close their mouths and force the water out through their baleen, then swallow the krill. The whales congregate along the submarine canyon edges where the krill is concentrated. There are several hot spots that we check out on our cruises. As we headed for the closest one, a fishing boat reported blue whales to the south, so off we went.

Two blue whales were greeted with a beehive of enthusiasm. They are breathtakingly large. Each was somewhere between 80-90 feet long and they were grazing right along the canyon wall. When they turned sideways, we could see their shovel-shaped heads, their pectoral flippers, then an impossibly long distance behind the flippers, was the tail. Steph announced he could see one of the whales on our depth sounder 100 feet below us. “It should be coming up on our left side,” he said. Why would he say that? I wondered. Maybe it will turn or dive again. They can, they do. But darn if it didn’t loom out of the deep 150 feet to our left and because they‘d been warned which way to look, our passengers saw it all. Our stock is pretty high in Michigan about now and I’ll bet Troop 1126 is still chattering about their day on Monterey Bay.

Our Internet Special "Buy 3, the 4th Goes Free" or $2.50 off per person has proven to be pretty popular, so we are going to let it run into August. Be sure you mention it when you make reservations or type in "Special" after the dollar amount on our online reservation form. We've just added several more sizes, styles and colors to our embroidered Sanctuary Cruises clothing line and some cool, tropical, sun-washed colors to our caps. Check them out when you join us.

See you out there!

7/10/02: West on the Princess

Last Sunday’s whale watching cruise has stayed with me for several reasons. It was exciting, we really had to work to pull it off and I was sick. I had been battling that crappy cold Steph had and it had worsened to the point where I even went to the doctor. A bronchial infection coupled with ear aches does not exactly equate to fit for duty, but this is the lot of a business owner.

We ran Princess of Whales. Steph drove that day and I climbed up on top of the bridge to look for whales. Our passengers were really up for an adventure and even as we slowed minutes out of the harbor to show them a dense cluster of huge moon jellies, little kids were yelling to their parents, “Is it a whale? Where’s the whale!?” I radioed Steph and said these guys are into it , BIG TIME.

We talked with several of our dock mates who were out fishing, but none had seen whales yet. We talked to a buddy who runs trips out of Monterey and he reported the same thing. With the inner reaches covered, we stretched Princess’ legs and headed west, passing through a couple of dense bands of fog. The sea state was pretty good, but wind was building on the outside. We figured the best we could do would be run out as far as possible before the wind really kicked up, then turn around and swing wide, giving us a good look at a lot of water. If whales were out there, we’d find them.

Two hours after departure, we were still westbound. Only two trips in almost 4 months have been skunk trips, but maybe this would make #3. Still we pushed to the west. “I can go either way,” Steph said as we debated a turn now or to try for a little more. I suggested we go to the edge of the next band of fog; that would be our turning point. We told our passengers the plan and as we continued, the wind picked up, which in turn roughened the water. One of the Monterey boats materialized out of the fog. Although on several occasions this past week, it has appeared after we’ve told friends on the radio we had whales, the favor is never returned. But it was stationary for several minutes before speeding away, so we figured our hunch had been right.

Up on top of the bridge, it sounded like a hurricane. I’m sure my sensitive ears added to the chaos, but our relatively calm day was changing. As we worked against the swell, choppy seas, wind and lots of spray mixed with the swirling fog, creating another world out there. We slowed and I scoured the water ahead, looking for blows. Quite a few of the people on the bow had been there the whole trip. They peered ahead as well, practically willing whales to appear.

It worked. “Blow!” “Blow!” I yelled, “Two humpback whales!”

It was a race with the fog which retreated, then started our way again. We still had several hundred yards to go; would it close us out after all this? Our passengers hustled forward, ready for anything. My lofty perch is the reverse of a pendulum; there’s more movement at the top of the boat than the bottom. I straddled the light mast for stability, pulled my binoculars up to see which direction the whales were heading, then radioed my findings to Steph who was already enthusiastically telling the folks about these whales.

As we closed the gap, so did the fog. We had a few hundred feet of visibility. My head was turning constantly . By God, we had found them and we were not going to lose them now. “WHOOSH!” The whales appeared off our left side. One was very large and quite possibly a female, since they are the larger sex in baleen whales. They swam along, blowing, turning a bit on their sides, the passengers went crazy. When the whales dove, they not only showed their flukes, they flaunted them. Up in the air with a grandiose flip of the massive tips, the tails then slipped into the ocean and were gone.

The whales and the fog conspired in a graceful dance, each hanging at the edge of the other. The next time the humpbacks surfaced, they were behind us. One guy in particular was constantly scanning the water from the sundeck. He bellowed out their position and we turned to see the whales headed right at us. The white on their pectoral flippers glowed in the water, the big tubercles, the bumps on their heads, were easily seen, as were the gaping blowholes as they inhaled. Steph took the boat out of gear as they neared and the whales plunged into the deep beneath us.

When they came up next, one of the whales threw over half of its body out of the water, slapping its tail on the surface with a KABOOM! There were shrieks from the kids and groans from the adults who failed to capture the action with cameras. We were able to watch the whales through several more surfacings before we peeled off and headed in. As we did, I came down and chatted with people. Unlike some who wait lethargically for us to spot the whales, they were charged up and engaged from the start. Kids knew more about whales than their parents and they rattled off their knowledge. Parents of one of the boys told us they craft vacations for their son to see whales and are headed off to Alaska next. As exciting as that can be, it would be difficult to match the experience we’d shared. It was wild and raw, challenging and exciting, beautiful and fulfilling. It was the kind of trip that, as I told Steph later, would have those people raving at work on Monday morning. “I did the most incredible thing on the weekend…” they would begin and co-workers would probably be checking out our web site a few minutes later. I was right, because a couple of them just made reservations for this weekend!

Which reminds me, our internet special has been extended through August. If you buy 3 tickets, the 4th goes free (least expensive ticket goes free). Or, you may deduct $2.50 per person. The only limitation is that you must request the discount at the time you make your reservation.

On Monday, Steph and I fueled our boats with biodiesel load number two. This time, because our fuel dock operator found a lower price, we were able to take on more biodiesel. Our percentages are up to over 50% on Princess of Whales and Sanctuary is over 60%. Zephyr, one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute boats, took on her second load as well. Our fuel dock and our supplier remain committed to this fuel and so do we. More are lining up. Lee, who runs the John Martin for Moss Landing Marine Labs, has agreed to run a 20% blend of biodiesel in his boat. We are still trying to get up to a quantity where the price will drop enough for MBARI’s Western Flyer to use biodiesel. When that happens, we’ll have reached critical mass and all of us will enjoys the benefits of this great fuel without paying such a princely price for it.

Several more folks have donated toward our biodiesel expenses. Large and small, all of them help, but two stand out. We received a donation in the memory of Harrison Fisher, the cool little kid who sailed with us a year ago on the 4th of July, who was killed in a car accident not long after. And we received a donation in honor of Senator Bruce McPherson’s son Hunter, a fine young man who was senselessly killed in San Francisco in a random act of violence. Each donation celebrated the effort of everyday people making a difference. We all should. We all can.

One final remembrance: You probably remember Marco Vaccari’s spectacular breaching humpback shown here. Marco and his wife Grace were out with us our first year in business. Grace was battling a grave illness even then. As she worsened, Marco would sit down with her and look at their photo album. The pictures from that day on the Monterey Bay always made her happy. She said it had been one of the best days of her life. Grace has slipped the bonds of this earth and in her honor, friends had a star named for her. She’s in the constellation Corona Borealis. Grace Nadalin Vaccari is a pretty yellow star not too far from a beautiful spiral galaxy.

"Someone's life should not be measured in years but in how many unforgettable moments he or she has lived,” Marco wrote to us. “We used to enjoy looking at the stars, the planets, our wonderful moon...and from now on, I know that every time I'll look up at the stars, I will also see her.” So will we.

See you out there.

6/27/02: HAPPY TIMES

What makes you laugh out loud or gives you such pleasure that just looking at it makes you feel good? For us, it usually involves our dogs, cats or both, which squarely puts us in the Dumbo Loser category. There's Rumba, who has lost a good 15 pounds of fat since we adopted her in December and more recently, approximately 17 bushels of shedded hair, most of which is in my car (I get dirty looks at the car wash, but that's the only place where you can get your car cleaned without the soap, oil and whatever is washed off ending up in the sea, because they recycle the water).

Then there is Fluke, who hasn't got an ounce of dog behavior in her, but she has noticed Rumba gets all sorts of attention for filling her mouth with Steph's socks and parading around. So Fluke has taken to snatching a sock or a little toy and holding it in her mouth expectantly. We are truly Pavlovian creatures, because every single time she does it, we gush and run to get a treat for both of them.

Chigger, who was just a month old when I snagged her from 3 lanes of traffic on Highway One, came from an artichoke field. Talk about mean streets! She is typical of feral cats, lean and on the small side. She has settled in with us, but is hardly domesticated. She escorts us to the bathroom, rubs up against our legs and supervises whatever we do in there, but if we pet her, she bites us.

"Thank you, Chigger, I deserved that," I will hear Steph mutter from behind the closed door. Yesterday, when a fax repeatedly failed to go through, Steph, with the assistance of Chigger, examined the phone cord. Chewed in half in several places. Suddenly disinterested, Chigger sauntered away with that, "It was like that when I found it" look we have come to know so well.

And finally, we have Possum, the cute little chunky calico that was dumped in Moss Landing. Vicki, who fishes with Dempsey and then they sell their catch off their boat Beticia, gave us Possum. I asked why she didn't keep her. "Do you know how many cats I have, Heidi?" she demanded. No, I told her, and I don't want to know. I suspect it's in the hundreds. One thing is for sure, Vicki's boat doesn't have a rodent problem. While she often cuddles with us in bed, sometimes plopping down ON my shoulder, during the day her attitude is more along the lines of, "Who are you and how did you get in my house?" Possum enjoys a little TV in the evening. She has a favorite seat, which would be the recliner part of the couch, an area we also like. She will wait until it's vacant, then hop up there, hook her little elbow over the armrest, and watch TV. I suppose others would move her, but we just can't do it.

Both dogs go to work, but Fluke has little or no work ethic. She is what one might liken to a maritime union employee. She'll go, but she'll grumble the whole time, except when snacks are served. Rumba hates days off. If she had her way, she'd go to work every day. (She thinks we're too lax and perhaps lazy and self-serving.) Rumba loves to see who is on her dock. She has to keep an eye on those sea lions. Then there are the dolphins! Her favorites are the Risso's and she has been seeing them a lot lately, including a nursery pod with some of the littlest babies we have ever seen. Rumba would probably give up her mouthful of socks if she could carry a baby Risso's dolphin around.

The cats would love checking out the boats, but I don't know about shipping out. Possum did cruise with us the day she had to go to the vet, but she spent it in a cat carrier, Even so, she lords it over Chigger that she has been to sea and has vast experience on the water. Both are fascinated by water, however, and rarely miss the emptying of the tub. Where the water comes from, where it goes and how it spins as it exits are all areas of interest. As soon as the tub is mostly empty, the cats hop down into it and curl up, basking in the warmth from the cast iron.

The other things that give us pleasure? Whales, dolphins, jellies, Mola molas, otters, sea lions, harbor seals, pelicans, albatross... There's more, but you get the picture. An old bumper sticker said, "My worst day fishing is better than my best day working." Substitute whale watching for fishing and you get the idea, but we are lucky enough that this is our work, as well as our joy.

In the past few weeks, we have hosted huge birthday parties including a surprise 80th birthday party for Anastasia Scourkes. Imagine her shock at walking down the dock and hearing a lively Greek band, then seeing Princess of Whales adorned with Greek columns wrapped in grape vines and topped by geraniums. Greeks know how to live. They danced round and round, laughing and clapping, celebrating , drinking Ouzo and Greek wine, eating lamb, prawns, cheeses and spanikopita. As they say in Greece, "Opa!"

We're seeing humpbacks a good deal, more blues are coming in and the dolphins have been a riot. Today, Steph and our deckhand Chris are just about 1 mile out of the harbor and they have 2 humpback whales! One is Bright White, the whale with almost solid white flukes on the underside; a whale we have seen every year for several years. If you're thinking of heading out onto the Sanctuary with us, remember our "Buy 3, the 4th Goes Free" offer. The least expensive ticket is free as long as you mention this offer when making reservations. If you can't get a party of 4 together, you can save $2.50 per person, again by mentioning the discount when making reservations. If you do it by email on our web site, just type "Special" after the dollar amount.

See you on the bay. "Opa!"