Sanctuary Cruises - Captain's Log

9/17/04: Freckles Gets Friendly & More Orcas!

This is a brief update but it will go out on both our old and new server. So far, several hundred of you have gone to the new link on our web site to sign up to keep getting updates. Thank you!

I am STILL trying to transfer the address list from EmailXtreme, but it ain't happening fast. If you want to make sure you keep getting updates, go to this link and sign up:
www.sanctuarycruises.com/talktous.html
If you don't want to receive updates any more, remove your name from this update and you will no longer be in the address list.

Trying to paint nature into a box is a futile gesture, as this fall has proven over and over. We saw orcas several times in a row a few weeks ago, then warned people we probably wouldn't see them again for weeks. And yet, today we had five killer whales on our cruise after checking out Freckles, the humpback whale, near Moss Landing Harbor.
After Don and Noel introduced our passengers to the orcas, they saw Freckles again heading in. Some days, she ignores us. Other days, she won't leave us alone. Yep, she's a female all right.

On the return trip, she spent 15 minutes AT the boat! Noel grabbed a camera and took pictures, which he excitedly described to me by cell phone. He said she circled the boat, spyhopped right at it and in one picture, he got part of her face and Sanctuary's hull! What would it be like to see the blowholes so near? (Never mind about the smell!) Tubercles on her face almost close enough to rub them. Asking yourself, "Why wasn't I out there?!" Me, too. It makes me crazy missing such great fun.

My reluctance to try to predict anything is because what is often a fairly predictable pattern on the central coast has been anything but the past few months. So here is what I can tell you to expect on cruises: ANYTHING.

We have consistently seen humpbacks, often close to Moss Landing. But when will we see orcas again? Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not for weeks. When will we see blues again? Maybe tomorrow, maybe not for weeks. When will we see Risso's dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins and northern right whale dolphins as we have recently? Maybe tomorrow; we have seen large pods many times the last couple of weeks. See you out there.

9/12/04: New Update Address List & New Behavior

Over the next few weeks, I hope to make a switch to a new program for our email updates. The trick is in getting our list of subscribers from the old one to the new one. While this should be an easy thing to do, it's proving to be anything but. Chalk that up to the delights of working in cyber space. Were this list in a box somewhere, I could go there, get it and take it to the new place. But clicking on links that are supposed to accomplish the same thing, then finding nothing happened, has been more the reality so far.

Because of this, and not knowing how well the transfer will be made when it finally is made, you can handle it on your end if you'd like to keep getting updates. Here is your incentive to do it: Once I make the switch to the new server, I will put out a one time only special that will knock your socks off. To sign up on the new server, go to our home page There is a link for it on this update; it's: www.sanctuarycruises.com/index.html

On the left menu bar at the bottom is the newsletter sign up box. Sign up there and you will be on the new address list, no matter what. If you have been forwarding emails to friends (and a lot of you do!), suggest they sign up as well.

Moss Landing has been the center of the universe for whales recently. With no whales at several of the usual hot spots in the bay and rough weather farther out preventing more westerly exploration, our "resident" humpback Freckles became quite the draw. Ed Hughes created this dandy composite of Freckles. We saw it a good deal on Saturday before checking out Soquel Hole. Kids took a turn at the wheel as we made our way back toward the harbor, then we picked up a humpback no more than 2 miles from where we had left it. Same whale? You'd think so, but it wasn't!

The first one was a sub-adult, not fully grown. It gave us many leisurely looks at it, but on that day, it would not fluke. Sometimes, a humpback does that, even though this species is usually one of the most predictable flukers. On other days, the same whale has been seen lunge feeding aggressively. Some days, it takes several close passes by our boat. Still other days, it has no interest in us. We know for sure who it was because we have seen its dorsal fin so often. That and the overall size are big clues.

But as we neared Moss Landing on our return, the lone humpback we saw was larger. It fluked almost every time and the flukes were different from Freckles. There was a rambunctious raft of California sea lions out there and often, the whale came up quite close to them. Most likely they were all feeding on schooling bait fish, which showed on the depth sounder. The whale and sea lions would be at the surface, then the whale would dive. Then the sea lions would disappear. After several minutes, the sea lions would surface and splash about it a tight group. Then the whale would pop up. If nature can be predictable, this was as good as it gets.

I have my own Thrill Factor to gauge trips by. If I squealed several times, I think it was a very exciting time. Between these two whales and how close they came to us, the trip was a solid 7. Funny, because there are days when we see more whales, but sometimes they're sketchy or don't feel the need to check us out closely. It's one of life's biggest kicks to hear that, "POOM!" as a whale blows, having surfaced right by our boat.

We certainly heard that a bunch on Sunday's trip. The Monterey boats joined us, because of the rough weather outside and the fact we had our "Miracle Whale" right there outside Moss Landing. We moved very little because the whale was sashaying back and forth in the same area. I think all of the operators were extra cautious since at times there were 3 boats watching this one whale, but if you could read anything from the whale's demeanor, it couldn't have cared less. Maybe it was even grandstanding a little.

Several of our seasoned whale watching veterans were on board Princess of Whales and they said it seemed the whale preferred our boat. I like to think that, but who knows? All we could say for sure was that it did cruise our rails and surface quite close several times, often on the opposite side of the other boats.

Occasionally, we talk about new behavior, seeing something we have never seen before. We try to fit the information into the puzzle of nature. Why have a couple of humpbacks settled in near our harbor? Where are the blue whales we usually see this time of year? A mild El Nino winter is predicted this year; how will it affect what we see out there? All are items to ponder.

Here is some new behavior I'd have given anything to have a picture of: Steph and Rumba were going to work last week. She was on her leash and they were walking down the dock to our boats, when a young sea lion appeared next to them. He came closer. Rumba moved his way. He rose farther out of the water and Rumba strained at her leash toward him.

The two sea dogs touched noses, then the sea lion eased back down into the water. But he wasn't done. Again, he rose to meet Rumba's nose. Then he slipped into the water and swam away. It was all Steph could do to hold Rumba back from joining him.

Some of you may remember when we first adopted Rumba 2 1/2 years ago, the first thing she did when Steph took her to the harbor was to bound off the dock into the water while he was busy closing the gate. So maybe we can't call this "new behavior" so much as behavior she'd have shown a lot earlier, given the chance. But what about that sea lion? See you out there.

9/8/04: Killer Whales & Amazing Dolphins!

“Never give all of yourself to anything, or you won’t have anything left.” Wise words to live by, but Steph and I are incapable of it. On our Labor Day weekend cruises, each day surpassed the one before. We had a lunge-feeding humpback near our harbor, then thousands of dolphins farther out.

We saw more northern right whale dolphins in one day than we have ever seen. Ed Hughes was with us again and he got this great photo of them on our bows. Risso’s dolphins encircled us. Pacific white-sided dolphins shot through them to catch a ride on our bow waves.

We told our passengers about each of the species and shared their excitement. It was like Christmas morning happening over and over again. Those people were in heaven and we nearly poured them off the boat at the dock, then sat down ourselves, utterly exhausted.

Next day, we set out onto Monterey Bay with many of our long-time cruisers. We had large numbers of the three species of dolphins. We saw a bunch of humpbacks. Steph and I happily rattled off what we’ve learned about them over the years. A great trip turned unbelievable when we spotted 6 or more killer whales less than a mile from Moss Landing.

For many, seeing orcas is a life-long dream. So our 4-5 hour trip went into extra innings because there was no way we would pass up this opportunity. As passengers disembarked, they hugged me, said we had made their day. Once the boat was empty, neither Steph nor I could string two sentences together.

Then came Monday. More passengers who have become friends; people who say, “These trips are how I stay sane.“ It’s important to narrate not only to them, but also the folks who are doing this for the very first time. It was a fun group and they rejoiced in more of the three dolphin species and rambunctious humpbacks.

We could have left it at that, but Steph had a feeling. On the trip back in, he stayed on top of the bridge, scanning. He found what he had sensed and off we went to look at the largest pod of killer whales we’ve seen since spring!

Our trip ended right at six hours. Old and new friends disembarked with glazed, goofy grins on their faces. Heading home, forget sentences; Steph and I couldn’t even tie two syllables together.

How can giving so much be worth it? Because we know what those people have gotten. It isn’t just the thrill, it’s the connection. As Nikki McGettigan said, “Hopefully someday we won’t need to talk to people about conservation of the oceans but until then, I hope you reach many more people and help them to see why it is so important.” If you have the chance to give something like that to your passengers, you are so lucky. See you out there.

9/2/04: Labor Day and the Great Whales of Monterey Bay

Teacher Vicky Martinez of Calaveras High School brings her marine biology class out with us each year. Their cruise was yesterday and whales weren't far from the harbor, but we found them one at a time. All were humpbacks.

The first two seemed pretty sketchy. One was the "Miracle Whale," the whale we have seen so close to Moss Landing the past month. It had put on quite a show the day before and Steph conjectured that it might have used up all of its showmanship. Even so, everyone reacted with excitement at the sighting.

The next whale was a few more miles away. We got better looks and it fluked beautifully, but it stayed down 7 minutes or more between surfacings. We hung around for several looks at it, then moved farther to the southwest.

Another mile out, we came across #3 and it was the magic number for the day. We slowed as we neared it, then stopped. The whale turned, dove, then shot out of the water like a twisting rocket! It splashed back in, was down just a few seconds, then darn if it didn't breach again and even closer!

The humpback careened alongside our port hull and threw up a magnificent splash as though to say, "What did you think of that?" I'll tell you what we thought. The students screamed as though they were on a roller coaster, then grabbed each other and tried to explain what they had just experienced. Their bus driver said it was amazing. One of the parents in the group said it was a highlight he would take to his grave.

Vicky admitted she had broken her own cardinal rule of always having a camera in hand. Several of her students did have cameras and many felt they got a great picture of the breaches. The people on the port side of Princess of Whales also had the honor of explaining why their hair and clothes were wet, and for some reason, no one complained. What a day it was!

We take pride in providing great experiences for our passengers. We get a lot of compliments for our approach, but few are as detailed as this one from Manitoba, Canada. Wouldn't it make your day to receive something like this? The fact that they remembered all of our names speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Hi Steph & Heidi (and Don, and Noel),

My husband and I went whale-watching with you in July). I just wanted to write to thank you for a great experience. The first day we went out was not exactly a rousing
success--not one whale showed itself. We were disappointed--I've long been
enthralled with whales and dolphins, and living in Manitoba, Canada, it's
seldom that we're anywhere near the ocean.

However, we accept the capricious nature of . . . well, nature, and decided to give it another shot a couple of days later. We weren't disappointed twice. On our second trip,
we saw an array of porpoises, blue whales, and humpbacks, including one
jumpy humpy who breached for us (something I've wanted to see since I was 9,
and first started devouring all the information I could find about whales!).
We also saw numerous jellyfish, sea otters, sea lions, and even a blue
shark.

Of course, the whales were what we came for, but we also wanted to tell you
how impressed we were with the quality of your tour. We were pleased to
support a business that truly cares about the environment and conservation
of marine life. We have nothing but good things to say about Sanctuary
Cruises. We have been on other whale watching tours, and yours stands high
above them: you are better informed, demonstrate sincere respect and care
for the whales, and actually charge less than any other tour we've been on
(your tour was two hours longer, and cost $20 less than the other tour we
took this summer!). Thank-you for helping to make our trip such a fabulous experience.
Sincerely, Kelly Friesen & Michael Cox

See you out there.

8/28/04: Labor Day on the Horizon

Is that an ad for Staples that has Alice Cooper with a pouty little girl who says, “I thought you said school’s out forever.” No, he points out, his song says, “School’s out for summer.” I’m with her. I remember the bitter disappointment when I learned summer wasn’t half a year long, same with the school year. It seemed like a complete rip-off.

So as September approaches, I have mixed feelings. The little girl in me (who is very much alive and well) dreads the return to school. But the somewhat more grown-up version of me admits fall weather is better than any other time of year. We see the sun more, the water is placid. We get bunches of Brits on our trips--even more than usual--and they bring their own lively approach to life.

Whales that have spread out to the north and south concentrate in the Monterey Bay to really pack on the weight before they start thinking of migrating. But which whales will we see? Humpbacks have been seen on almost every trip for months, including this friendly which Steve Johnston of the aquarium photographed. Cool shot, huh? Right after it was taken, she surfaced and blew whale snot everywhere!

We have had cows with calves, solo animals and dense pods in feeding frenzies. Blue whales scattered midsummer and it has been weeks since we have seen a blue. Elvis may have left the building, but the blues haven’t. They are around… somewhere.

One blue whale was spotted by a NOAA research vessel up in Alaska this summer! It was the first time in 30 years that a blue has been seen up there. Our friend Lesley Ewing just sent us photographs of friends paddling in Mission Bay down in San Diego. They had a blue whale next to their boat! I seriously doubt they can pass us before heading south for the year since this is such a rich feeding area, but it’s anyone’s guess when they will return.

Dolphins have ranged from a few rocketing Dall’s porpoises to huge conglomerations of Pacific whitesides, Risso’s dolphins with their tall dorsal fins and Northern right whale dolphins. Plus, we had several sightings of killer whales recently. Most fall cruises, we see humpbacks and/or blue whales. Dolphins turn up on most trips, in numbers between a handful to the hundreds. Orcas could cruise back in soon or stay away for a month or more. They really are the wild cards of our world out there.

Remember my mention of Elvira Ross in last week’s update? I described her as being severely limited in her mobility. Elvira is in a wheelchair which she drives with a headset that is securely strapped on. Extending out the front is a rod with a ball on it. Her chair is electric and the joystick that steers it has a socket at the top that the ball on the headset fits into. By moving her head, Elvira drives.

I was so impressed that Elvira wanted to go whale watching. It was dicey getting her and her friend Wilma, also in a chair, aboard. But they had two caregivers with them and through a combination of efforts it happened. After they got home from their grand adventure, Elvira had her caregiver write a card for her. The front has a unicorn, a rainbow and “I BELIEVE” in the rainbow. It is beautiful. But what makes it remarkable is the legend on the back:

Cerebral palsy is a developmental disability that affects about 700,000 children and adults in the U.S. Typically, persons with cerebral palsy have difficulty with movement, posture and speech, but many of them overcome these disabilities with kind hearts, hidden talents and skills. An understanding and appreciation of our developmentally disabled friends as talented human beings serves as an inspiration for everyone.
Elvira Ross was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 1927 when she was one year old. Able to move only her head and having very limited verbal skills, she found meaningful expression in painting--by mouth--when she was 25 to 58 years old. Then, after her teeth weakened, by computer when she was 70 years up to the present. Almost all of Elvira’s paintings were done from memory.
------------------------------
In November 1984, my Mom went to the hospital for cancer surgery. I made this painting for her and the painting sat at her bedside for 3 weeks. Today, I still live with my Mom, now 98 years old, and she still looks after me. I like to think I sometimes look after her, too. Elvira Ann Ross

The message inside the card was written by Elvira’s caregiver:
Dear Heidi, Steph, Noel, Hillary and the rest of the crew,

This huge thank you comes to you all from Elvira and Wilma and their aides for the wonderful outing and for your help and compassion. We all had an unforgettable experience. We wish you good health and much happiness always. Jan Leighton, Kim Battvello and Wilma Logston

Most touching of all was the fact that Elvira signed the card herself. In a very precise, if shaky “hand,“ she wrote Elvira A. Ross. How long do you think it took her to do that? Next time life throws you a curve, take a break and think of Elvira and her spirit. I do. If she can do what she does against such mountains, what can possibly stop any of us? See you out there.

8/24/04: Birthday Birding with Orcas

On August 21st, I greeted our passengers and told them my birthday in January often brings great whale sightings. Since this was Steph’s birthday, could his match mine?

Our passengers included Elvira Ross, a woman with severely limited mobility, who had worked on the logistics of this cruise for months. Ailsa Barrett brought a large contingent of friends who’d been entranced by tales of her spring cruise with us. Ed Hughes is a photographer who was looking for that elusive combination of fantastic sightings in superb conditions.

Morning was warm, soft, overcast, with a hint of sun from the east. The satin-coated bay barely breathed, yet was filled with life. We found humpbacks thirty minutes out and they moved in concert with the peaceful surroundings.

Heading farther to the west, I spotted them first. Killer whales working north. What a birthday present! After all the orca sightings in the spring, they dropped off completely. But we’d seen several of them on three different days that week.

We followed the orcas up to mid-bay, then the show began. It started with spyhopping. Then one made a tremendous charge on a common murre, which looks like a small penguin. It wounded the bird, then turned and ate it, giving a whole new meaning to birding.

There were dramatic lunges, tail slaps and drive-bys as they checked us out. Elvira got to see them. Ailsa was the hero of her group. Ed was perfectly placed. He got magnificent shots, as you can see from this one.

So, that eternal question: Who gets the credit? Was it Steph’s birthday, Elvira’s determination or Ailsa’s cosmic request for this trip? (“All I asked for was orcas,” she confided.) How did Ed choose this day? I don’t know, but this was one birthday present I didn’t have to gift wrap and everybody got to open. See you out there.

8/16/04: A Very Friendly Humpback!

Sunday's cruise presented quite a surprise. We had several whales close to Moss Landing and were watching humpbacks half an hour after leaving the harbor.

That was nice, but after spending an hour and a half with several different whales, Steph asked what I thought about heading out to see if we might spot some dolphins.

"Not quite yet," I answered. The whale we'd been watching last had been down for a few minutes. I thought we'd hang with it for a couple more surfacings before heading out. But then the whale came up alongside Princess of Whales, blowing its great, stinky blasts and covering us in whale snot. All bets were off!

She turned out to be a female and she was also quite a ham. She spy hopped next to us, she burbled into the water, then rolled over, her pectoral flippers fanned out to her sides as though showing them off to us. She showed us her beautiful tummy (this is something Rumba does as well).

She would sink below the boat, her flukes almost touching the hull, then up she'd come again for another good look.
"The eye of the whale!" Steph called out. "You're looking at the eye of a whale!" Noel grabbed a box camera, I forced the digital into Steph's hands and I wielded the Minolta. I had to switch to the wide angle lens because all I could see through the viewfinder was skin, or a barnacle.

The whale went from one side of the boat to the other, but she preferred the starboard side, which was fitting for such a star. She'd pop up at the bow, where Steve Johnston of the aquarium was. Then she'd come back down the side of the boat to my spot. Steph was excitedly telling people where to look next. I was excitedly reminding Steph to "PUSH THE SHUTTER RELEASE ON THE CAMERA!" It was divine chaos.

Mike Chamberlain of the aquarium was on board and he had an old friend from Chicago's Shedd Aquarium with him. Those two were speechless at the adventure unfolding just feet from our fingertips.

One little girl was on the bow. Her family was spread out toward the back of the boat. She yelled to her family to announce, "I'm soaked from the whale!!! Are you!?"

I can only imagine the dreams our passengers might have had last night and before them, the smiles as they lay there in the darkness, reliving the wonder of it all.

You know the drill. All of the film goes in tomorrow, but here is a teaser from the digital camera.

By the way, we have received a lot of kind messages about Fluke. Thank you. I've posted them on a Fluke page on the web site, along with more funny stories I thought of after sending out her update. There are also several photos of our little champie. Check it out at:
www.sanctuarycruises.com/fluke.html. See you out there!

8/14/04: Lots of Humpbacks, Closer to Moss Landing!

Our first trip without Fluke was yesterday and as Steph and I agreed, "We deserved this." Nothing feels as good, nor soothes the soul as well, as a day on a satiny bay with lots of humpbacks all around.

We had Breck Tyler's UCSC marine mammal class on the cruise and he and they added to the trip a lot. It was fun watching his students work as spotting teams and we learned more about the birds we saw out there (terns, jaegers, murres, sooty shearwaters and brown pelicans were the birds du jour; no black-footed albatross' though!). We had very nice people on board and it was a bit of a catharsis talking with them, weaving the stories about the whales, upwellings, bait and so on after several days of barely interrupted sadness.

The whales were found in ones and threes mostly. One had everyone clapping and laughing as it breached over and over! Then it would barrel roll, slapping its long, graceful pectoral flippers hard on the surface. Then it dove. Steph told people to get ready, it was probably going to breach again. He calculated where it might erupt, people turned their cameras that way and SHAZZAM!, there it was, whirling up and out of the water before kabooming back into it with a huge splash. We had a ball with it.

The trios were awfully entertaining as well, since they gave us several close drive-bys and often presented simultaneous flukings. With bait concentrated in dense fireballs on our depth sounder, Steph knew the whales weren't going anywhere. We were able to just sit and wait until their next appearance.

With so many whales around us, we moved from one cluster to the next, getting excellent photos of each. I think I took more pictures in one hour than I've taken in some entire weeks. As passengers lounged on the sun deck heading back to Moss Landing, the sun even made an appearance, adding to the sparkling day.

So many of Fluke's friends have sent condolences and shared some of their animal stories, that we are creating a Fluke page on the web site. You'll find a link for it on the home page by tomorrow afternoon. I missed a couple of favorite stories about her that I will have to add to her tribute.

First, there was her "Itchy Butt Dance." Lots of you have laughed over it aboard Sanctuary. Heading for the dock, as we'd turn down our channel in the harbor, Fluke would get excited. She'd stand up on her bed in the wheelhouse and by humping her back up and raising herself higher by lifting one hind leg at a time, she'd rub her butt on the overhead, throwing her head back and forth and snapping her jaws with a happy smile on her face. No one who saw that spectacle could help but crack up.

On a more serious note, it was only a month or so ago when Fluke started acting sick. She threw up. She was listless. Then she had little bits of diarrhea. We weren't sure what was wrong, until Steph found a small piece of a stainless steel pot scrubber in her vomit. I had recently pressure washed the deck where our BBQ is and I had apparently knocked down the scrubby, which we used to clean the grill. Always the proverbial garbage gut, Fluke ate the whole damned thing.

X-rays showed it lodged firmly in her stomach, so she had to have an operation to remove it. She bounced right back from it and would have gladly eaten another one the next day, if given the chance. I called her Sponge Bob after that and for the next few weeks. I was awfully mad at her at first, but there was no changing her. Often her poop had colorful cellophane wrappers in it, evidence of some snack she had sneaked when we were looking the other way.

Several of you mentioned Fluke's role as grievance counselor. She was in attendance for many burials at sea. Often, people had no words to express their sadness. But they'd see Fluke on her bed and reach out and hug her, crying into her soft fur. She'd give them a little PLOP-PLOP of a kiss and let them cling to her as long as they needed to.

Then there was the retrieving. Golden retrievers are known for their retrieving. People talk about dogs that will chase a stick as long as someone will throw it. These dogs live for playing ball. Not our goldens. Neither Rumba or Fluke ever fell for what they deemed mindless sports, unless there was a snack angle. When we first got Fluke, Steph was like a proud dad preparing to play ball with his kid.

Our recently departed dog Doxie had LOVED playing ball, but she refused to give it up. She had jaws like an alligator's and if she didn't want to drop it, she didn't. The only way I could play ball with her was to "Two Ball" her. She'd chase one ball, bring it back to me, refuse to give it up, so I'd flaunt Ball #2. Finally, deciding this ball was better in some way, Dox would spit out #1. I'd pick it up and throw one of them. Not so with Fluke.

Steph had her out in our yard. He waved a ball around in front of her. She got excited. He tossed it. She pounced on it. "YES!" he cried, but prematurely. Once Fluke decided it wasn't edible, not even by her standards, she walked away without giving it another thought. Oh, she did pick up the odd stick and act as though she was going to return to his side with it, but then she'd drop it on route. She missed the retriever gene.

As has often been the case with Rumba, she got part of it right. Rumba adores holding something in her mouth. She is especially fond of socks (one or more), her little toy bear we call Bilbo Baggins and the plush orca toy Andy Presby brought the girls. She will charge into the house, find one of her favorites and grab it. On the boats, if it's a little too bouncy for her, Rumba has been known to grab one of her toys and hold it in her mouth as her security.

This was as close as he got to a retriver that retrieved, so Steph gushed over Rumba with her little bear or a few socks or my periwinkle bra in her mouth (this gives you an idea of our housekeeping skills, doesn't it?). But if Steph were to throw one of these things, Rumba wouldn't know what to do about that. Often, probably in an ill-fated attempt to further the partial gene, Steph would reward Rumba with a little treat after she picked up an item and sat there, holding it in her mouth.

Of course, one dog couldn't get a treat without the other dog getting one as well, so Fluke took stock. She put it together that this silly practice made Steph and me very happy and that led to treats for all. So Fluke, at the grand old age of maybe 13 back then, synthesized.

We'd be sitting on the couch and Steph would take his shoes off, then his socks. Fluke would jump up, charge over to the pile and snatch a sock and stare at us. We'd start to tell her how impressed we were and she'd grab the other sock! On some occasions, it was a sock and a shoe. Or two socks and a cat toy. Off we would all go to the dog cookie jar.

Rumba would barge in front of Fluke as always, not really knowing or caring why they were getting a treat, but Fluke knew precisely why. Forget unconditional love and dogs needing to please their masters. This was a pure and simple case of Pavlov's dog and Fluke had rung the bell. Slobbering, we would stumble over each other heading for the cookie jar, anxious to reward her. What a peach she was. See you out there.

8/11/04: Fluke Has Sailed On

Last week, we had several passengers who liked the humpback whales, but they loved our dogs. While Rumba can only take so much petting before she yips and announces she needs some space, Fluke soaked it up as though it was her birth right. Stretching full length on her bed on the bridge, she allowed 4 or 5 kids to pet and cuddle her at a time. Who knew that would be her last cruise with us?

The little golden retriever that appeared out by our house in the middle of nowhere, just 10 hours after we put down our 16 year old Chesapeake Bay retriever, has sailed over the horizon and Steph and I are left standing on this side. We know it was time and we know that she’s in a better place, but we also know how much it hurts to have said good-bye and the holes left behind. Home, the boats, our cars and our hearts feel like Swiss cheese.

Fluke was full of surprises. She loved having affection lavished on her, but one of her many endearing quirks was that if we paused while petting her, she’d rear her head up and stare at us as though to say, “You have nothing more important to do than pet me!” But if the pause turned into a true lull of several seconds, she would stand up and walk off in disgust. It was clear she could take us or leave us; we had to keep on our toes.

Fluke had been badly abused before she came to us. If a dog walked up to her, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, prepared for the worst. We wondered if she would ever feel secure again; we didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Back then, Steph and I were just starting to run a whale watching boat in Monterey. I am sure Fluke had never been on a boat before, but that was where we spent our days, so she had to go, too. I was involved in teaching my Sea Dog School for several days and not on the boat. I worried that she’d have trouble with such an alien environment, but I needn’t have.

I was at the dock after their first trip and watched them pull in. There was Fluke, sitting up on the flying bridge on a cushion, surveying her kingdom with serene satisfaction. That was just the start.

Fluke had a natural sea sense and she rode out rough days with ease. When Rumba joined us, she relied heavily on Fluke, anxiously looking at her peacefully snoozing and bouncing sister for assurance.

As Fluke aged, she found her voice with other dogs. Her absolute favorite thing to do was bitch dogs out at the harbor. Walking to the boat, she’d spot another dog and I could feel the quiet growl through her collar leash. She loved charging at the offending animal and I’d make a big show of holding her back. Then I’d have to explain to the owner she was 14 and this was great fun. At that age and after her tough younger years, Fluke deserved it. After such a display, she‘d would sashay off, tail wagging, immensely pleased with herself.

Fluke always loved Sanctuary most, probably because that was her first command as an owner. Back when we ran out of Santa Cruz and stayed aboard some nights, we’d walk down the dock and Steph would say, “Go find your boat!“ Off she’d run, tail describing a big circle, happily leaping aboard.

On days when she and Rumba hung out while Steph did maintenance, she would pace Sanctuary’s deck with smug confidence, barking at passing dogs just enough to let them know she wasn’t pleased, but never to the point of excess. It just wasn’t her style.

On Princess of Whales, while at the dock, Fluke would position herself on the sundeck, paws hanging over the top step. It would have made a wonderful photo, but every time I had a camera in hand, she stood up and walked away before I was ready. Damn.

Fluke’s spot at the top of the stairs was where she had a good view of passersby on the dock. If no passing dogs were in the offing, she’d bark at people. Just a brief grumble to let them know she’d seen them and she wasn’t pleased. And yet, she was always the perfect hostess when they came aboard. Tolerant of being hugged and kissed and patted and rolled on, she endured it all when we opened the bridge during the cruise back in from the whales.

But each day, at a certain point, she hopped up off her bed and cheerfully made her way to the starboard cabinet where the dog treats are stashed. Wagging her tail, Rumba at her side, their message was clear. It was their favorite time of the day, SNACK TIME!

Any time could be snack time, including the day I left Fluke in the car with a package of Costco muffins. I returned to find 3 chocolate muffins, wrappers and all, missing. Forget that nonsense about chocolate killing dogs, at least not our Fluke. She was perfectly fine and completely without remorse over her binge.

Convinced we would get lost without her guidance on hikes, Fluke took up the lead and kept it. We called her Scout. On a nice walk up along Butano Creek in the redwoods, Fluke led, but kept a distance ahead of us. She’d look back to make sure we hadn’t screwed up, pause briefly, then continue on. She announced the end of our upstream direction by walking out into the creek and lying down in the cool water. After her rest, she got up and headed back downstream. We could follow or not, but we weren’t stupid. We went where Scout went and we never got lost.

Fluke had impossibly long, delicate paws. She'd finish her dinner, check to make sure Rumba hadn't left some of hers, then lie down and cross those paws. Her expression was often the one you see here. Calm, relaxed. Probably thinking about breakfast, since she was always a chow bug. She had a full tummy and life was good.

Recently, Fluke showed us more affection. She'd walk up to one of us, give us a head butt, then relish the scratches and rubs we'd give her. Pushing into our hands, rubbing her head against our legs, a big ol' smile on her face. It sure felt good for all of us.

Fluke always acknowledged Rumba as they trotted along on walks. She‘d dash toward her and nose her muzzle before romping off. Rumba is pretty much in her own world. She’s sweet, but boorish. At doors, she would barge in and Fluke would get pushed aside if she wasn’t savvy enough to wait. But that was Fluke for you. She was savvy. She’d known some tough times and she’d stuck them out. She hit the jackpot with us, as we did with her. I don't really know if Rumba will miss her sister, but we sure will. Sail on, Sweet Girl. See you out there.

8/8/04: The Mystery Solved, Sort Of

The mystery animal seen last Sunday on our cruise was a small gray whale. Steph and I both estimated it to be no longer than 20 feet. It was extremely slender and we wondered if perhaps it was a pygmy or dwarf whale since its rostrum, or nose, was so misshapen.

Another oddity: it was heavily covered with barnacles, which posed a contradiction. Baby gray whales have no barnacles at birth. Barnacle larvae is released in the water in the lagoons when the grays arrive and they attach to the baby whales from birth, but they are slow growing. How could such a small whale have such extensive barnacles?

Gray whales come down from their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea in the fall, reaching our waters in winter. They spend several months in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico, and this is where most females give birth.

By mid-winter, we have gray whales going both directions. The ones who left the feeding grounds last are still going by southbound, while early northbounders are heading up. In the spring, we see the largest migration north and the last to go by are the cow and calf pairs. We saw our final pairs in early May.

So what was this little whale doing here? I sent its photos to gray whale expert Wayne Perryman. “That looks like a very sick young gray whale,” he responded. “My guess is a juvenile that didn't make it back to Alaska, but if your guess of 20' is ball park, it could be a calf of this year. Calves average about 7.1 m by the end of April (about 23'). Either way, this one looks like it isn't going to make it. If it is a calf, it likely was abandoned. Calf production was at a record level this year, and mortality of calves of primaparous females is normally higher than for experienced moms.”

Bill Newman is an expert on gray whale barnacles. Here are his thoughts:
"A plausible scenario might be it was born early, was genetically and/or behaviorally more susceptible to infestation than others, and headed north late after becoming heavily fouled, but of course I have no idea why it is apparently in such sad shape. I assume given time it will shed a good number of the barnacles, and if so there is a chance it will recover, but I am also totally ignorant of the likelihood of that. Like sea turtles, have heavily infested ones becomes lethargic because of the infestation or does having been lethargic account for the heavy infestation? [Grays are naturally slower swimmers than, for instance, humpbacks and blues; so more barnacles attach to them.] One can imagine scenarios in which both conditions were operative but I have no firsthand experience with either."

The little gray was moving very slowly. It stayed close enough to the surface that even when it dove, we could see its image, reflecting back the beautiful blue-green color of the sea. I just don’t think it had the energy to dive deeper or swim faster. We shadowed it from one side long enough to get photos to send the scientists, then we pulled away.

While we love seeing unusual things on the water, it’s only if their prognosis is good. Although we have seen gray whales feed on krill at the surface, I wonder if this one could find it. And if it did, would it have the energy to feed on it?

Wish the little gray whale well and hold a good thought for it. Sometimes that’s been all someone had to go on and it proved to be enough. See you out there.

8/3/04: A Mystery on Monterey Bay!
We had it all on a recent cruise. Beautiful skies, calm seas, humpback whales in ones, twos and threes for miles. There were Pacific white-sided dolphins that raced along our bows, Northern right whale dolphins and Risso’s dolphins.

The Nelson family from Florida had informed us they see dolphins all the time; they were out here to see WHALES. So we had some fun with them, announcing, “Here come more dolphins, but we can’t check them out because the Nelsons only want to see whales.” Everyone would laugh and tell them to close their eyes.

We had two bizarre occurrences on that cruise. The Nelsons were also here to get away from terrible heat and humidity back home and they seemed to enjoy the cooler weather. But on one of the warmer days of the year for us, they created a stampede on our whale tail fleece hats. And it wasn’t just them.

After they bought all of one design, several more passengers got interested. They not only bought the remaining stock, but one woman even sweet-talked Steph out of his own hat. Go figure.

Cruising back to Moss Landing, I was letting kids take a turn at the wheel when something appeared ahead of us. Steph and I caught it at the same moment and we looked at each other in amazement. “I know what you’re thinking!” he said.

I took over driving, slowed the boat and we told everyone to look in the direction of the brief sighting. What we had seen, or thought we had seen, is common here, but not in the middle of summer. After a few minutes, there it was again and we had a positive ID. But there was something awfully strange about it. We had the opportunity to take a lot of pictures and they turned out great. So we have sent photos to several experts to help solve the mystery.

What was it? What was odd about it? If you can make it to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz tomorrow night, we’ll show you! If you can’t, I will go into more detail in the next update and include one of several great shots we got of it. Details about our presentation tomorrow, which includes UCSC researcher Baldo Marinovic who is involved in their study called "Wind to Whales," can be found below. Join us for awesome photos and great stories about the wonders of the ocean. See you out there.

7/27/04: Whales, Flowers & Peace

“Will you write about today’s cruise?” I was asked a few hours ago. And why not? It was exciting; one of those days that makes me glad to be on the water with its fresh smells and cool sightings.

We saw “Big Fin,” the female humpback whale with the huge dorsal fin, just a few minutes outside Moss Landing Harbor. We also saw the smallest pelagia, purple-striped jellies, that I have ever seen, as well as a lot of larger ones. They are stunning.
We picked up a pair of blue whales out at Soquel Hole and although it took several surfacings to dial in their course and speed, one of the two fluked almost every time it sounded. When they popped up just 100 yards off our 7o’clock, all of us with cameras in our hands got the opportunity to take a dandy shot.

Of our passengers, we had some who have been going whale watching with us since our days operating out of Monterey. I asked one woman, who hadn’t joined us since until today, if she’s local.
“Not really,” she responded in thick, English accent, which explained why she hadn’t been out with us since. She comes to America every several years. She saw gray whales and common dolphins on her first trip. This time she had a humpback and blue whales. A pretty good mix, I’d say.

We had more Brits on board and some of them were birders. They spotted a couple of jaegers on our way back in, plus we saw elegant terns with their little black bandit masks, sooty shearwaters in big numbers, common murres, pigeon guillemots… A nice addition to the day.

Last week, we had another burial at sea for a local who had experienced the whales with us. Phil Colasanti and his wife Jean brought their daughter’s Brownie troop out whale watching with us in Monterey. It was a grand day and one he held dear, since he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as “Lou Gherig’s disease, soon after. Phil died recently and it was his and Jean’s wish for his ashes to go into the ocean with whales.

There is something especially poignant and uplifting about a burial at sea with whales. Although you have a heavy heart, whales make you smile. But early mornings this time of year are often foggy. And even if we wanted to stay out longer, we had to be back in port on time for our regular whale watching cruise. The pressure was on.

But Steph was dialed in and he found a blue whale, Phil’s favorite. It even fluked several times and this shot is the last one we saw. Look at the silky water and imagine the serenity people felt. As his family each took a handful of ashes and poured them into the water, flowers rained down around them. Knowing how bad the last several years had been for all of them, it was a tremendous release; something that evoked a sense of calm and peace and closure.

I think that whales grab our imaginations and inspire us because we stumble along the edge of discovery most of our lives, without jumping into its vast depths. When we see whales, we realize there’s more to life than traffic jams and navigating Voice Mail prompts. And it gives us hope. See you out there.

7/22/04: July's Whale Surprises

We don’t know what to tell people when they ask what they can expect to see on our cruises this time of year. For several weeks, we saw blue whales on almost every trip. Then it was humpbacks, then back to blues. Then it was humpbacks, again. And yet, Steph saw three blue whales on the trip yesterday. By the way, check out this shot that the Doucettes got recently. This blue whale's dorsal fin is flattened, either from an injury or deformity. It sure stands out in a crowd!

Last Saturday, we had several humpbacks, hundreds of Risso’s dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins and some Northern right whale dolphins. Our regular whale watching cruise was on Sanctuary and of course, those folks wanted to see whales and dolphins. But we also had a burial at sea charter aboard Princess of Whales. It was for Jeanne Scourkes, whose mother Ann celebrated her 80th birthday with us a few years ago. Jeanne was ill then and said she wanted to be buried at sea from Princess of Whales. She died in May.

Jeanne was an animal lover, so we all hoped we might see a few whales out there. Although we usually contend with morning fog in July, the day before had been exceptionally bad. Steph and I agonized over the possibility of a foggy burial, but we just had to accept whatever happened.

Jeanne must have put her order in early because Saturday dawned warm, clear and calm. Her family and friends had a lovely time visiting while we headed out to the area where Don on Sanctuary reported humpbacks and dolphins.

Just as we arrived, several whales rose close to Sanctuary and everyone clapped and chattered excitedly. Many of our passengers had never seen whales before, even though they’d grown up in Salinas. Fifteen minutes from the coast! It was awfully cool that they got to see them because of Jeanne’s wish and her family‘s dedication to fulfilling it.

Instead of crying alongside a grave, they were scurrying from one side of the boat to the other and taking pictures, huge smiles on their faces. When the time came for Jeanne’s ashes to be cast into the sea, there were dolphins all around us, along with several whales. Three Pacific white-sided dolphins jumped next to the boat in a perfectly synchronized move. It was a moment of pure joy.

So what can you expect to see out there this time of year? Just about anything, I’d say, including nothing. We have had the odd day when marine life seems to have made a mass exit, but that’s one of the reasons we run longer trips. If it takes more time to locate them, we use it. Chatting with passengers on a skunk trip a couple of days ago, I explained it’s nature, not Sea World. We can go from abundance to a bunch of nothing overnight.

A family that moved here from Oklahoma had brought out the grandparents while they were visiting. “We understand this is nature,” Grandpa said, “and we’re okay with it. We’ve had a wonderful cruise and we’ve learned a lot. We’ll be back.” Even though we took them whale watching and didn’t show them any whales? ‘Well sure,” he nodded, “we’re Okies!”

We do attract the nicest people. Usually, we show them whales. See you out there.

7/7/04: Whose Cruise Was Best?

I would tell you that Sunday’s cruise last week was the whopper of recent whale watching cruises, since we had blue whales everywhere, including right under our boat. There were hundreds of Risso’s dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Northern Right Whale dolphins, plus a young humpback in the middle of them, just ripping it up. All in one cruise.

But today, Don Laurino, who skippers Sanctuary part of the week, ran a trip that he insisted was the biggest adventure since he started with us. He had a couple of breaching humpbacks that were also slapping their tails close enough to the boat that people got wet. He said it was supremely exciting and great fun.

This was especially rewarding since one of our passengers was a journalist who had just interviewed whale researcher Don Croll of Long Marine Lab. We also had a woman who has been involved in marine biology and conservation around the world out with us. She talked six friends into joining her. Plus, there were just plain folks who really wanted to see cool stuff. No one went away disappointed.

Whose cruise was best? Hard to say. I wasn’t on Don’s and he wasn’t on Princess of Whales with us last week. [Geoff Chin of Albany, CA was and he got this lovely shot of a blue and many more!] We have had excellent sightings of blues for over a month now. Often, we see humpbacks as well as blues and anywhere from no dolphins to thousands of them. I guess you could call it a draw in which everyone wins. It’s just a great time to go whale watching, even for old hands such as us. If we still get excited over what we're seeing, imagine how YOU will react! See you out there.

6/28/04: Sounding Off on PA Systems

Several years ago, for Christmas I asked Steph for a wireless headset for our PA system. I thought it would be so cool to be on top of Sanctuary, narrating and taking pictures.

When pressed for details on the headset, I said, "You know, like Madonna wears. A small headset with a built-in microphone. Something that will stay on and work in the wind." I figured if they could get something to stay on her head while she jumped, danced and slid all over the stage, something could be figured out for us on the boat. I declined to wear the rest of her get-up, however. It consisted mostly of a very pointy bra, something The Tin Woman might wear.

I got my wish on Christmas morning and waited anxiously for Steph to figure out how to install the equipment so we could go wireless. As the days rolled into weeks and they became months, we enlisted the help of Noah, who handles the audio/visual equipment at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

We were still operating out of Monterey back then, so Noah met us on the wharf, tools in hand. Steph was busy, frantically looking for the headset. He could track down some of the other parts, but most of what we needed, if it would work at all, was missing. Although Steph feebly denies he threw the equipment away, the evidence is overwhelming. It was in his hands when he tried to install it on his own. He never brought it home. It was gone from the boat.

Further indicating his suspected guilt, Steph is famous for tossing things in the garbage or recycling, then wondering where they went. Just yesterday, I found two remote controls for equipment on Princess of Whales in the garbage. When pressed on whether these were to pieces still working and in our possession, Steph smiled that delightful smile of his and said, "Yes!" as he took back the errant remotes.

With the addition of Princess of Whales to our company, my wish for wireless headsets grew. How cool would it be to wander the vessel, narrating as we went? But instead of making headway in our wireless quest--and despite copious amounts of money thrown at our PA system--the quality actually went down.

This spring, we hit the wall. We tried no fewer than three new systems. Each was flawed in some way and some in several ways. One time all but one speaker would work. Another time, none. Some sounded garbled, even though we were pretty sure we didn't. We spent the majority of several cruises narrating to passengers on each deck. Noel on the bow, Steph or me on the bridge, Don on the sundeck. Steve Johnston from the aquarium is frequently out with us and had to dive in several times. While it was a nice touch--offering four to five naturalists' takes on what we were seeing--it was pretty inefficient.

Once back at the dock, with passengers safely disembarked and long gone, Steph would tweak a few wires and the dead PA would revive and work perfectly. All of the crew and most of A Dock would be treated to Steph's not-so-creative test message: "One, two. Testing, one, two, three." He'd have me walk around, checking the output of each speaker, all the while repeating, "One, two, three. Testing, one, two, three."

I'm not one for repetition of most things. I wanted to be handling my chores to wrap up the day, but understood Steph needed to know what was working, even if chances were pretty good it would not be working on our next cruise. He was as frustrated as I was, but he never lost his sense of humor. Or if he did, he reclaimed it soon after. A little on the testy side, I suggested he do something different. "Four, five," he said. Four, five, six."

We decided to take definitive action. Roll out the big guns. After all, no problem is so large that you can't beat it into submission with massive amounts of money. Enter Val Dempsey of Communications and Entertainment Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. Val's company handles big and complicated audio/visual projects. He was sure he could design a system that would work and work well. He went over Princess of Whales, assessing her needs, as well as ours.

When the boxes arrived, Steph opened them up and was immediately overwhelmed by the complexity of the task installing the system Val and his engineer had designed.

"I'm not sure it's all here or how I'll put it all together," Steph admitted. He said the backs of components were filled with inputs that probably had some sort of understandable pattern for the jumble of wires that had to be sorted out, but he wasn't quite sure what that might be. He described more components than I really cared to envision. I have my hands full with the computer and web work. I can't take more confusion.I just hoped he wouldn't throw it all away again, since we had a much larger investment in this system.

It took Steph most of a full day to make sense of the system. When he called to report his progress, he said, "Listen to this!" Then I could hear the boat speakers as Steph said, "One-two, one-two, testing, one-two-three" into the headset. He was outside on the sun deck. It was working!

Our maiden voyage with the newest incarnation of my Christmas present, circa 1999, came last week. It was my turn to drive the trip. Steph showed me the apparatus for the wireless headset and pointed to the numerous dials on the amp, describing in blinding succession what each was for. I like simplicity. I wasn't up for this right then. When Steph suggested he try narrating from the top of the bridge, where he'd be whale spotting, I readily agreed.

I'm not sure exactly how much I paid Tom Sawyer for the honor of whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence, but I should have seen it coming.

Steph had a grand time up there on top of the bridge, out on the sun deck, wherever he roamed on that big girl. There were only two glitches: We don't yet have a speaker to PA system on the bridge. When a whale surfaced and I moved its way, I edged to its left. Meanwhile, Steph was announcing best looks would be on the bow and left side of the boat. The whale was now on the right side. Passengers looked up at Steph quizzically.

"No, no, I guess it's going to be on the right side!," he told our laughing passengers. Once the bridge was opened, I could hear his directions and slid Princess of Whales into place as predicted. With a speaker on the bridge, communications will be seamless, as well as wireless.

The other problem may be more difficult to take care of. It seems to me since Steph got the first trip with the Madonna headset, and seeing as he threw away my Christmas present, he ought to wear the whole outfit at least once on the boat. I'm going bra shopping. See you out there.

6/21/04: Who Gets Credit for Great Whale Activity?

Two consecutive days’ cruises last week offered vastly different experiences, each of them extraordinary. On the first, we were joined by Carole Adams of Cambria. To use the word extraordinary and Carole’s name in the same paragraph is fitting, since the two are synonymous.

Carole dives into all projects head first and she rarely comes up for air. For instance, she took on the native plant restoration at Piedras Blancas lighthouse. She had a team of volunteers, but they needed to be taught what invasive, non-native species looked like, as well as native species. So Carole, a talented artist, drew the plants and created an identification guide.

She spearheaded the extensive project and saw it to completion, which must feel extremely satisfying. But she also was rewarded by receiving a “Volunteer of the Year” award from the Bureau of Land Management, under whose jurisdiction the lighthouse lies. Earlier this month, the BLM flew Carole and her husband Phil (also a great volunteer whose passions run deep), to Washington, D.C. for the awards ceremony.

But on our cruise, Carole was aboard in her Knowledgeable Whale Lover capacity. She took up residence at her favorite spot on the port bow and there she stayed. We were in the area with blue whales fairly soon and they just popped up everywhere. With calm waters and a rather sullen sky, we went from one single or pair to another for over an hour. Steph is great at tracking blue whales, but these proved maddeningly difficult to figure out.

Maybe they were feeding, maybe not. If so, food looked patchy enough that there was little predictability to their direction. But after the first hour, we worked to the north a bit, where the sun was just starting to peek through. That’s where things clicked. The sun burned through the fog and at times, we had whales coming our way from every direction, often close enough to hear their powerful blows. Look at this picture. If you have never heard the sound of air forced out of blowholes at speeds near 200 miles per hour, you're missing out.

There were blue whales for miles. A friend running a fishing boat reported he’d counted maybe 80 blue whales on his way north that morning. We saw a good one quarter of them, including a mother blue whale with her bus-sized calf. That was worth the trip alone for Carole, who raved later, “What an awesome day it was.” Coming from someone who has cruised with us perhaps twenty times, this was especially high praise.

The next day shared little in common with its predecessor. The water wasn’t as calm, the wind was brisk, the whales weren’t nearly as close. But the beauty of running a 3-5 hour long cruise is we have the time to push out farther and look harder when necessary. It took over an hour before we found whales--all blues again--but they weren’t the ambling blues of the previous day.

These giants were blasting to the northeast, thundering to the south, bursting from the water as though bombs had been detonated under the surface. But eventually, a couple of them decided to slow down and take a better look at us. They paralleled Princess of Whales, throwing their heads high enough so we could see their mouths and even their baleen! They held in place, raising thick tail stocks. They crossed under the boat.

After motoring the direction the whales had been headed the last time we’d seen them, I announced it had been several minutes; I was going to shift into neutral until they surfaced. As though on cue, the two 80-90 foot long animals slowly rose 100 feet ahead of the boat and every one of us on board made some sort of noise, mostly in the higher decibel range. Who wouldn’t? Who couldn’t?!

On the way in from this exceptional cruise, just a few miles outside Moss Landing, we came across three humpback whales, including a cow and calf pair. They were the frosting on the Father’s Day cruise cake.

Doris Schoenhoff, who guides the conservation efforts at Mendocino Forest Products, figured the whales had been that incredible because she’d wanted to see them so much, especially the blues.

Then again, we had several families celebrating Father’s Day, including the Tsaos and Emerys. They were very happy people. Greg Emery said later, “There were 3 generations of Emery boys on the trip and we all loved it; talk about bridging generations! Thank you for a great day.”

Here’s the deal with credit for tremendous whale watching cruises: everyone can share in it. Carole with her good karma for volunteer work. Doris for protecting endangered species in a progressive timber company. The Tsaos and Emerys for diving into the world of whales to celebrate Father’s Day. The whales deserve a pat on their broad backs as well. They sure have been a hoot on the Monterey Bay. See you out there.