Winter 2002
Mar 16, 2002	GRAY WHALES, DOLPHINS & A SAD HONOR
Mar 6, 2002	Kick Ass Whales, Dolphins, Weather & Women
Feb 21, 2002	Olympic Gold, Winning the Lottery & Mom's Birthday
Feb 12, 2002	Making the Connection
Jan 25, 2002	Eye of the Whale, Eye of the Hurricane
Jan 3, 2002	Abundunce
Dec 26, 2001	Risso's Dolphins, Common Dolphins and Gray Whales!

3/16/02: GRAY WHALES, DOLPHINS & A SAD HONOR
Our web site has been down for a few days. Apparently our server has gone belly up, so I spent most of yesterday uploading the files to a new one. With a lousy, slow phone line and no hope of DSL, you can imagine my joy at uploading over 570 files. Oh well! The site should be back in a day or two.

The gray whales are northbound now. Sometimes they seem to hang out and meander. On other days, they are barnacle-encrusted freight trains, blowing huge spumes of vapor as they thunder north. We have seen a lot of dolphins this winter, including common dolphins (seen here), northern right whale dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Risso's.

Winter stands on flimsy legs, about to be knocked off them by the winds of spring. These winds power the upwellings that deliver nutrients to the surface, resulting in a chain reaction of explosive growth in the web of life. They usually build in the afternoon, so we have decided to move our start times for cruises back one hour from now until the end of May. That means we will change from 10:30 to 9:30, falling back, but it's anyone's guess what hour we will head out when Daylight Savings starts. Let's see, it's spring forward, fall back, right?

A woman wrote this week applauding our efforts for whales, but she wondered why we don't fight for the dolphins as well. This is the problem with taking on a cause; you are saddled with outfitting the expansion team. All of the expansion teams. It isn't that we ignore the dolphins, but we tend to think of whales and dolphins together. Both are caught and caged to entertain humans, both are killed and eaten in certain parts of the world.

And both are spectacular to see in the wild, living free. I'm talking goosebumps and a thrill that runs up and down your spine like an electric current. It is that good.

The writer noted that she doesn't eat tuna because catching tuna kills dolphins. Controversy swirls around tuna because they are found below dolphins. Catching tuna killed thousands of dolphins annually, even in U.S. waters, until activists who smuggled video cameras aboard the world's tuna fleets captured images of all the dead dolphins; these were a mere fraction of what was really being killed. People pitched a fit which is pretty much the only way anything gets done. In the 70's, we boycotted tuna. Then an alternative was found, log sets, which didn't harm the vast numbers of dolphins. But nothing is simple. Log sets, while not harming dolphins, have proven deadly for sea turtles, juvenile tuna, sharks and other creatures. While tuna caught in log sets were labeled "Dolphin Safe," the rest of the neighborhood was taking a beating.

So some fishers went back to fishing for tuna in the encirclement method with seine nets, but they adapted their methods so dolphins could get out of them. When encircled in a net, tuna dives down, hoping to escape. Dolphins are mammals and so they surface to breathe. At the surface, they can escape the nets if the seiners back down, lowering the nets slightly. That's the current concept behind "Dolphin Safe" tuna. To learn more about this unfolding story, go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's excellent web site:
http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_oc/by_tuna_timeline.asp

Remember my interview last week on KUSP? As Steph drove me to Santa Cruz, I whined that it was as bad as going to the doctor, as awful as going to the dentist, as traumatic as it is for Fluke to go to the vet's (Fluke HATES going to her vet). Steph wondered why I felt like this.

"Because 30 minutes is a long time for me and my bucket-mouth to dig a very deep hole," I explained. He laughed, dropped me off at the station and drove down to the beach to listen on the car radio with the dogs. I trudged into the station wondering why I had agreed to this.

But Jane Wade turned out to be a talented interviewer and the half hour flew by. I never got to talk about Steph, Sanctuary Cruises or the whales because Jane wanted to know what I went through to get my Coast Guard license, it being "International Women's Day" and all. It is one fun story. They got several calls saying it was a very spirited interview, so they put it online. If you want to hear it, click on the link below. Make sure your computer's speakers are turned on and if you don't have Real Player, you can download it for free on KUSP's web site. Steph and I sat back with a glass of wine and listened to it together the other night. Heck, that hole wasn't nearly as deep as I had feared.

Why do I include the cover of a book for our picture in this update? Because we have just gotten word that on May 12th, scientific illustrator Pieter Folkens will join us on our whale watching cruise. This is usually prime humpback whale time and Pieter's new book, "National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World" will have just been released.

One doesn't learn anything about marine mammals without intense study and a lot of unexpected side roads, detours and occasional fast tracks. This book-signing cruise will allow you to learn about Pieter's experiences and I expect it will fill up fast. You can call us and charge not only your cruise, but a book as well! Yep, we finally entered the last century and now we can process credit cards. However, it must be done prior to the cruise since it's all done by computer. So in the future, if you'd like to use a credit card, just give us a call.

Last Thursday, we attended our Moss Landing Chamber of Commerce's annual awards dinner at The Whole Enchilada. Chef Luis outdid himself with a feast of tri-tip and mango prawns. Moss Landing Marine Labs won an award for landscaping their property in beautiful native plants. Go see it when you're in town. Kim Solano, who owns The Haute Enchilada folk art gallery and cafe, won an award for her monumental efforts to bring art and music to Moss Landing. Kim has been the driving force behind all kinds of special events the past year, so we were really happy to see her recognized.

Chamber president Melanie Gideon spoke about one company's efforts after September 11th. The painful memories from 6 months ago and the aftermath flooded back as we listened. Melanie said although all of the businesses felt the effect of the terrorists' attacks, this company rallied and put on a fundraiser. Could she be talking about us and our Peace & Resolve Cruise? She was. We very proudly accepted the "Patriotism and Peace Award." It reads, "Presented to Sanctuary Cruises, owned by Captain Heidi Tiura and Captain Steph Dutton. In recognition of their immediate and heartfelt response to September 11, 2001, by sponsoring a Peace Cruise that involved the Moss Landing area businesses and raised funds for the American Red Cross."

Maybe we don't win all the battles, but in continuing to fight, we do win the war we all wage in our own way to create a world worth living in.

Heidi (& Steph, Fluke & Rumba)

live.kusp.org:9000/ramgen/totb8march02.rm

3/6/02: Kick Ass Whales, Dolphins, Weather & Women
A fisherman at Moss Landing remarked to Steph a few days ago that in the 30 years he has been here, he can't remember such a marvelous string of gorgeous days. In early winter, we got a good deal of rain and Steph assured me it was getting the rain over early so we'd have a mild winter. He was right. This past weekend, with coastal temperatures in the 70's, practically no swell and mild to nonexistent winds, we luxuriated on the Monterey Bay.

Princess of Whales ran Saturday and when we came across one of those big pods of our winter common dolphins, I went down on the bow and watched them. I discovered something I had missed before. With two bows, Princess attracts more dolphins! They jockeyed for position, racing ahead of her before falling off to the side, then zooming up ahead of her again. While it's not uncommon to see 10 dolphins or more dancing on Sanctuary's bow, Princess must have had 30, 40, maybe more at times.

A few weeks ago, Steph was running a weekday trip on Sanctuary and he called me at home. He had been mulling over the fact that Fluke is the real Princess of Whales, but what about our new dog Rumba? Surely she had a hidden identity we'd discover. I explained not all dogs have royalty in them, even if they are Golden Retrievers, but he wasn't appeased. His voice was charged with excitement when he called.

"Rumba just discovered dolphins! She noticed them and got very excited. I had to shut the wheelhouse door because I was afraid she'd jump out!" After living ten years in San Jose and never having gone to the beach before she moved in with us, Rumba's true identity had been revealed.

"Flukie is the real Princess of Whales," Steph acknowledged, "but Rumba is the Duchess of Dolphins!"

When exactly did we lose contact with reality? But look at this picture. Steph took Rumba down to the foredeck on Princess and the two of them sat there for several minutes as dolphins splashed and squealed around them. With Risso's dolphins, which sound for a few minutes between surfacings, Rumba has been first to spot them a couple of times.

The California gray whales are mostly northbound now and we have been treated to some sights that left people swooning over their grace. On Sunday, we had a smaller group so we took Sanctuary. One little girl's dad announced his daughter was there to see dolphins. She certainly got her wish, seeing well over a thousand common dolphins plus a few dozen Risso's. The bay was silky, the air warm and the sun dazzling. We fell in with a pod of grays and at first, it seemed there were 3. Then four. But after several surfacings, there were so many grays blowing that Steph lost count. "Maybe 6! No, that one makes 7!" On both days, our passengers got off the boat enchanted. They swore it couldn't have been better, with the ones who were on Princess of Whales positive she was perfect and the ones who were on Sanctuary swearing she is the best whale watching boat ever.

Speaking of Sanctuary, yesterday morning Steph and I hauled her at Gravelle's boat yard in Moss Landing for her annual maintenance. We miss the guys at Breakwater Cove's boat yard in Monterey, but this is our home now. She came out of the water so clean that she barely needed pressure washing. A garden hose could have done the job. She will get new props and a coat of bottom paint but there's not a whole lot more to do. She will splash early next week.

I will splash later in the week. When Steph was interviewed on KUSP (the central coast NPR affiliate) for his new show, "Life on the Bay," he talked a good deal about me. We do that a lot, talking about each other. Each of us is a strong, independent person, but we spent most of our lives finding each other, our true mates. Jane Wade, who interviewed Steph, was intrigued. She dropped me an email and said she'd like to have me on for "Kick Ass Women Month." So for 30 minutes this Friday night, March 8th, I will be digging myself a new hole, live. Local folks can tune in by going to 88.9 FM. But anyone can listen on a computer; the link is included here. Jane and I will crawl into your desktop (no laptops, please) at 6:30 p.m.

The Associated Press article was just like thinking we held the winning lottery ticket. As the numbers were read off, we saw that ours matched. Our faces flushed, then with each matching digit, our excitement rose. Could it be? Were we about to become "millionaires," gaining a tremendous voice for the whales when they needed it most?

Just maybe...

Our hopes were dashed by the last digit, which was far from ours. Martha Mendoza wrote a good piece, but she went for a three way split: Whale Watching, Whale Conservation and Whaling. The story was turned into a clash between whale watching and conservation with Japan and Norway's intent to end the ban on commercial whaling buried several paragraphs down.

After all, what is worse in the eyes of a whale: being hounded by an over-zealous boater or having its brain blown apart by exploding harpoons?

Worse yet, the crucial line in the story was cut out by Martha's editor. Here is the way the paragraph originally read when she turned it in:

"Surveys show that about 36,000 people paid to go whale-watching in the sanctuary in 2000, information that helped Dutton and his partner convince bankers to lend him $1 million for a two-deck power catamaran that holds up to 149 tourists. Their business is one of the conservation-minded ones; they don't chase or crowd whales and their tours are a learning adventure, not just entertainment."

But the last line, the last digit on this lottery ticket, was cut before it was released.

I guess we should have known better with a title that read, "With return of whale-watching season comes the debate about its effects." But we had the chance to read the article and so we knew people would make the connection that responsible whale watching may be the only salvation of the whales.

And what of those skippers who do crowd the whales or race right up to and almost on top of them? There are very few of them around here. Even the guys who live to fish and only run whale trips to make ends meet are, largely, respectful. They are good guys. So where did this story go bad?

Steph and I have danced with Associated Press before and our feet were bloodied in the process then, too. The reporter at Neah Bay painted a picture of black and white, refusing to include us. There were the poor Indians trying to return to the old ways, being bullied by the imperialistic whites, again. The help Steph and I offered the Makah in starting a whale watching business presented shades of gray and they screwed up the black and white story, as shades of gray always do.

The article last week might have proven a huge bonus for our business had our URL been included in the various papers (most didn't include it), but we are only two people and we already have a tough time handling all the needs of our business. The great press of the past few months HAS given us a nice boost. We can pay our bills without holding our breath. Our animals are healthy and so are our boats. Steph and I have new shoes from Costco ($14.99; I painted glitter whale's tails on mine). So our needs are met.

We didn't get a clear message to one billion people around the world. But Steph's opening quote was not cut and in that we have one of those little victories. Like rocks in a creek, we jump from one to the next. We know that if we keep finding them, we will eventually get to the other side:

"The time for hunting these magnificent creatures is over," says Captain Steph Dutton, peering across the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary at two more boats filled with tourists. "If sharing them with people like this helps, then it's worth it."

2/21/02: Olympic Gold, Winning the Lottery & Mom's Birthday
If you are anything like us and I know a lot of you are, you've been riveted to the TV watching the Olympics. We watched the opening ceremonies cuddled up on the couch, transfixed. There were some tearful moments. This is our country and some fine people from all over the world joined hands here, helping us glory in the good, not the bad.

Some of the athletes' stories and subsequent wins and even losses have had us spinning each evening for the past two weeks. They've put their whole lives into these sports and the rest of their lives on hold. For some, winning gold has been the only goal, while others did it for the sheer joy of the sport. The competition has been exciting and the surprises overwhelming at times. Whew. What a ride!

Last week, a guy walked into Albertson's supermarket in Half Moon Bay, California, and bought $20 in lottery tickets. He was one of three winners of the largest lottery prize ever and he has over one and a half million dollars each year now for the next 20 years thanks to his $20 investment. Not a bad deal.

I'm from just north of Half Moon Bay. The guy who won the lottery is named Andy Kampe. Andy's wife Diane worked for me 15 years ago when I had a business in Princeton by the Sea called Heidi's Old Princeton Landing. They lived just down the road. They have two sweet daughters. I think Diane made about $4.00 an hour.

Over the years, friends have said to us, "If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to give you a bunch of money because you fight the good fight." There must be something pathetic about us that would make people say such a thing, but I can think of three who have. We've told them we'd just piddle the money away, doing what we're doing. We'd pay the boats off; probably buy another boat. Buy another boat! Owning a boat has been compared to taking ice cold showers while you rip up $100 bills. We own three, meaning we are certifiable.

As near as I can remember, neither Diane nor Andy ever told me if they won the lottery, I would get a bunch of money, but that's okay. This is what the stars have written for them and they too are in for a wild ride. An awful lot of people think a windfall such as this wouldn't be a burden but I'm not one of them. It's a slippery slope grappling with a world turned upside down, where yesterday's needs and wants are so incredibly changed. They are very down-home folks, so I suspect they will handle this burden. I sure wish them well.

Steph and I have had a month of our own Olympic Gold and winning lottery tickets. We have had some unprecedented great press from all over the country. We have received accolades for what we do and how we do it. Some people raged at us for fighting the Makah Indian gray whale hunt, insisting it was all about tradition and that Japan wasn't behind the hunt. When we said Japan won't be happy until they've blown the doors off the ban on commercial whaling, sceptics scoffed. But we have kept doing what we do, taking people out to see and learn about the whales, hoping they'll give them a voice. Whales can't march on Washington to plead their case and the world court has been too quiet regarding their condition.

Remember the Associated Press article I mentioned last week? It was postponed. Steph thought perhaps it would run closer to April, when the International Whaling Commission meets in Japan. We asked the journalist who wrote the article when it would run, but no answer. Turned out she was out of town on assignment. So we waited.

Today, we learned the story--complete with stunning photographs--will run starting Sunday, February 24th, and it has been given grand treatment, including translation into other languages. It has been prepped as a broadcast piece as well. It will reach, we are told, up to one billion people. You can see it by checking out almost any newspaper February 24th or later; Associated Press reaches far and wide.

Think about all of this. We bought Sanctuary in 1999 and operated from Santa Cruz and Monterey. Then we bought and brought in our million dollar power catamaran Princess of Whales and cut the umbilical cord, moving to Moss Landing and starting over. First, we had great local articles on Sanctuary Cruises. Then larger publications. The conservation organizations that matter embraced us. Then came some international pieces. They have been followed by more and larger national articles. And now this. For us, it's the Olympic Gold. It's winning the biggest lottery ever. And the publication date starts with my mother's birthday, February 24th.

If Janet Ruth Tiura were alive, she would fan her long-nailed fingers wide and exclaim, "Far out!" She did this a lot. She was angry at the Japanese, Makah and Norwegians for killing whales and she'd see this article, which states the whales' case so well, as a fantastic victory. So this one's for you, Mom. I know you'll be happy about it, too. Athough winning that lottery would've been a burden you'd have been up for as well, hmm?

2/12/2002: Making the Connection
When you connect with people, you open your world to them and they do the same. Because of our web site, people often say how well they feel they know us, even if we have yet to meet in person. As crazy as computers can make me, they also allow me to make important connections.

The past few weeks have ripped past us with blinding speed. We have taken more entire schools out on cruises and as is always the case, some kids were really into nature and dazzled by what they experienced while others weren't.

One little boy confidently told me as we headed out on the water that whales and dolphins like being in captivity. I questioned whether he confused "liked" with "endured."

"You could live in a prison cell," I said, "but would you like it? What if you had no means of communicating with others and I told people you were happy there. Would that make it true?" He thought about this.

Soon after, we were surrounded by over 1,000 cavorting common dolphins and he could see their joy at being wild and free. I asked if he felt they would give up their lives in the sea to live in tanks and do tricks for humans. He didn't think so.

On another school cruise, some of the kids were disappointed that the whales didn't perform on command as they do at Sea World. They took no interest in looking for whales themselves, insisting we spot them and tell them where they were. Even then, the connection wasn't made. A creature as raw and wild as a whale surfacing and blasting its breath 15 feet in the air with a noise that still takes my breath away every time I hear it was only mildly interesting to kids who yelled things such as, "Make it jump out of the water!"

But there were quiet kids who hung off by themselves, taking it all in. I could see they absorbed the day and the smell of the salt air, the call of gulls and the appearances of the whales and dolphins like white cotton soaks up blood. They would remember this and they would build on it.

But both kinds of kids are why we do what we do. The ones who want whales to do tricks for them need to be out on the ocean so that the seed can be planted. It may never germinate, but if they aren't exposed to nature, they will never appreciate it or think to protect it. They won't miss great creatures when they are gone if they never witnessed their greatness. The other kids will find a way to come back on their own, like I have.

The southbound gray whale migration is still underway. Soon, we'll be seeing late south bounders along with early north bounders. Orcas, the wild cards, can appear any time.

We had a quiet whale day yesterday, spotting one's blows several times while we were heading for Risso's dolphins. Risso's are the white-headed dolphins with the tall, sculpted dorsal fins. They are the ones whose white heads and white scars on their dark bodies reflect the true color of the sea, that ethereal blue-green.

We cruised with them for a while before heading down to Carmel Bay in search of other grays since the lone whale had a few boats by it already, but we didn't see other whales.

The day, however, was warm and brilliantly sun-drenched. Passengers lounged about, taking it all in. We visited Cannery Row and took them by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had aquarium members on board and people who had just entered the country; all seemed to enjoy themselves. Out on the deck at the aquarium, we could see people watching us, waving at Princess of Whales, that big, grand girl as she motored past.

It was a day for lazy contemplation of pleasant notions.

We have yet another article coming out soon which mentions Sanctuary Cruises and wherever you are, you have a chance of seeing it because it's by Associated Press. Martha Mendoza writes for AP. She is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and she has tackled a story that tells about Japan's increased pressure to blow the flimsy doors off the ban on commercial whaling.

Japan hosts this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission and it has great hopes of finally eradicating what protections there are for the world's whales. This is because the IWC is comprised of member nations and Japan has handed over millions of dollars to poor countries asking them to join the IWC and vote to end the ban. Many have and more will.

In order to write her story, Martha talked with whalers and whale watchers. To better understand the billion dollar worldwide business of whale watching, Martha chose to accompany us on a whale watching cruise. She had the opportunity to connect with us, the whales and what we do. Today, she said, "getting out on the boat gave me an essential view of what this huge tourism industry really entails, and how it would be very tough for someone who sees a whale to support hunting them." I hope her story conveys this.

Japanese whalers insist they are no more culpable for killing whales than Americans are for killing deer. They kill Shamu, but we kill Bambi. Never mind that Japanese fish markets are found with whale meat they claimed was Minke whale, caught through a loophole that allows them to kill hundreds a year for "scientific purposes," then eat the whales after tests are conducted. (The real test is, "How good does whale meat taste to the Japanese, who consider it a delicacy, perhaps an especially tasty one since it's a sin meat?" The answer is, "Pretty darned good," and they want more.)

DNA tests on whale meat in Japanese fish markets have proven they have been eating highly endangered whale species, whales even the Japanese claimed they weren't killing. But the oceans are immense and who can be out there roaming them and watching what Japan does?

The U.S. threatened sanctions when Japan announced it would start killing sperm whales and Bryde's whales, but nothing came of it. Japan has a lot of power in our country and the world.

Whales serve a higher purpose just by living their lives in peace and letting us share glimpses of that peace. They give us so much, all without taking from them, if we do it right.

So what can one person do to fight for the whales? I can tell our passengers about the threat and write this update. You can forward it, as so many of you often do, to your email address book. And we all can tell Japan what we told Mexico and Mitsubishi when they proposed to put the world's largest salt extraction plant smack dab in the middle of the gray whales' most pristine nursery, San Ignacio Lagoon. It worked fighting the salt works and it can work again.

Tell them, "I don't buy it." If they want to kill whales and eat them, then we don't need their VCR's, cameras, TV's, computers or cars.

Now that is an important one for me because I love Hondas and Acuras. Steph drives an Accord and I drive an Integra. It's ten years old and a great car, but someday in the near future, I would like to have a vehicle with a slightly higher wheelbase and airbags. I want a well-made vehicle that gets great mileage and Honda/Acura is where I plan to look. But if Japan blows the doors off the ban on commercial whaling, I will not buy a Japanese car.

We put on a great catered cruise for American Honda last year and they have said they plan to do it again this year. Maybe they will change their minds after they get this email. I hope not, but I'd rather lose the income and know I stood up to be counted when it mattered because in the end, that is all that matters. I sure do hope you feel the same and can think of ways to put some pressure on as well.

Our cruise rates went up for adults effective February 1st. We raised them to $35.00. Kids are still $25.00. Figuring we added 1-2 hours to our cruises without raising rates last year, and taking into consideration we bought a million dollar catamaran last year and didn't raise rates, this isn't an excessive increase. We still have incredible rates for schools and conservation organizations.

Our season's passes remain a great bargain. At $275.00 each, they are good for 10 whale watching cruises. Anyone can use them and they can be used in one day for 10 people or over the entire year for any 10 people. Several large parties have used them for big discounts, but we like to give our email folks something special, so here it is:

If you are on our email list and want to buy a season's pass, give us your email address for confirmation and we will give you the pass for $250.00.

Also, our cruise tickets now have discounts on them. You save .50 off any item in the snack bar, $1.00 off beer, wine or a cocktail and $2.00 off any purchase of embroidered clothing, caps, necklaces or signed copies of "Eye of the Whale." ONLY THROUGH MARCH 30TH, 2002, if you mention this email special at the time of check in at the head of the dock, I will double all of the discounts on your ticket.

Speaking of the snack bar, the food available on Princess of Whales has grown recently. We now offer freshly prepared jumbo hot dogs, hamburgers, quesadillas with fresh guacamole, gourmet chicken and artichoke sausage sandwiches, fantastic grilled vegetable sandwiches, lean burritos, rich but low fat potato soup and a lot more. We feature good things such as vine-ripened tomatoes, you know, the ones that smell like real tomatoes and taste great and cost a small fortune but they are well worth it. Prices are decent, with most items running $3.00 to 3.75.

We have great coffee, all kinds of teas and cocoa, a wide range of sodas and now these include handcrafted, organic Monterey Sodas! Our beer selection includes Bud, Bud Light, Heineken, Sierra Nevada, Moosehead, Corona and others and cocktails range from the trusty Bloody Mary and Margarita to delicacies such as Mud Slides and Honda Maggie's Neon with Finlandia cranberry vodka.

Maybe it's just me, but I think watching whales and sipping a Margarita is one heck of a way to spend the day.

See you out there!

PS: This photo of us was taken last week by Mike Fiala, who came to photograph the AP story. With Deirdre Hall, our captain-in-training who works for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in command of the bridge, Steph joined me on top of the bridge. It's the first time we have sat up there together; it felt great.

1/25/02: Eye of the Whale, Eye of the Hurricane

Last week, author Dick Russell came back to the Monterey Bay for the gray whale migration. His book came out in July when the grays were up north feeding, so his presence on our cruises last Saturday and Sunday, as well as his presentation at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, were big deals. This is the peak of the grays' migration through our waters.

Even so, I could hardly have guessed that the reception Dick would get would be so stunning. He gave small talks on Princess of Whales both days, but Sunday night was his night to shine and he got to shine for a lot of people! Charlie Look flew in from Massachusetts, Marsha Reilly from Ocean Journey in Denver flew in with friends, Joe and Judy Fox came from Denver as well.

Why would they do this in a time when a lot of people aren't anxious to fly? They have become part of the world of the sea here and Dick's book is an important facet. To see the gray whales and experience being part of their migration--if even for a brief period--is a very rewarding thing.

We had Monterey Bay Aquarium employees, volunteers and their friends and family on the weekend cruises, further casting our nets and bringing folks together.

Ken Weiss is an environmental writer for the L. A. Times. He joined us on Saturday's cruise to get some background for an article on us, as well as to see the whales. Steph spotted a huge pod of common dolphins and they delighted everyone for quite a while, but our beautiful bay deteriorated to a blown out and nasty ocean a few miles later. We searched for whales but finally decided to head in so that Dick could give a talk at the dock.

Fun times, fantastic dolphins, but no whales.

That night, we had a bunch of folks, including Dick and Ken, up to the house for a dungeness crab feed. Our dock mates sell live crab fresh off their boat Beticia so pick some up when you're here. Take it from a woman who can eat her weight in crab meat, nothing compares with fresh dungeness crab. (Ask me for a really easy and delicious crab dip recipe.) It was such fun to have 16 people who all have a love of nature and who in very special ways, were drawn together that night. It's the only party I can recall where strangers met and fell into loud and enthusiastic discussion and that's how it was all evening. At one point, I dragged my tired body out to the hot tub and for half an hour, I watched the stars and drank a beer, marveling at the chatter from within the house. Nobody missed me.

Ken talked with Steph at length and ended the night by saying he felt this would be a good article, but in order for it to run, he had to see a whale on Sunday. I heard this and vowed we would stay out there until sunset if we needed to, but it wasn't necessary. Sunday brought clear skies and whales in numbers that could only be dreamed of unless you saw them for yourself. It was a little like Fantasia 2000 with the humpbacks. These whales didn't fly, but they truly were everywhere. For a while Charlie, Ken and I were on top of the bridge on Princess of Whales. We often heard the grays before seeing them, because they were surfacing so close to us. There were 5, 7, 10, possibly 20 in the span of a mile. Pods of 5's and 6's were behind us, 3 surfaced along our port side, a lone whale blew so close to our starboard side that we could look into the blowholes briefly before it lowered itself into the sea to glow its presence to us.

People speak of magic and maybe they know from whence they speak. But this was so all-encompassing that it sifted into their brains and hearts with no passwords needed. Who could forget such an experience?

I cruised the boat, comparing notes with old time Sanctuary Cruises fans and newcomers alike. We all knew we were part of a very special day and that feeling was compounded when so many of our weekend passengers turned up at the aquarium that night for Dick's presentation.

There hadn't been a lot of fanfare by the aquarium for this show, but for months, we had encouraged people to come via our web site, emails, phone calls and our cruises. And there were the efforts of Steve Dennis, a volunteer at the aquarium who will take on a project and shepherd it as his own, working wonders.

So it's Sunday night. Dick, Sean Breheney, who manages the aquarium's fine bookstore, and I are standing at the entrance to the auditorium minutes after the doors have opened for Members' Night and here they come. Hundreds of people who walk in, turn right and rush for the auditorium without so much as a glance at the marvels the aquarium has to offer.

Most were members, so they'd been there before. They were here to see Dick's presentation on Eye of the Whale. Many books were purchased before the show and all of the whole table load of them were exhausted by the end of the first presentation. Yes, the FIRST.

There were so many people there that Dick gave an SRO show to the first 300, then a mini version of his slide show to another full house. He has written several times since he went home that he was elated beyond belief. Just the first show was his biggest book event ever. The second doubled that. We sold more books on his July book-signing cruise than he has ever sold in one event and that record still holds. Dick Russell's stock is very high on the Monterey Bay.

It was as though invisible nets had been cast, pulling the lovers of gray whales closer and closer into this one weekend, a weekend ending in a special day and night for Dick and on the 6th anniversary of a momentous day for us, the day we first paddled with the grays off the shores of Point Pinos. Who could have guessed where we would be now and what power these whales have had over our lives? When Dick showed the slide of me in my kayak with two grays whales beside me, I sat there in the auditorium asking myself could I ever have imagined this 6 years later? All I know is that on January 20th, 1996, I said, "This was one of the best days of my life" and it was. I've had several to equal it since then and most have been in the company of whales and dolphins.

Yesterday was my 50th birthday. Because I work for myself, I celebrated this milestone in the company of 75 students from Charles Armstrong School as well as several people from near and far. We had gray whales everywhere plus 250 or so Pacific whitesided dolphins (rarely seen in winter, they are some of our usual summer dolphins) and then 1,000 common dolphins on our trip back to Moss Landing. Wow.

Steph and I ran Princess of Whales for this cruise; we always work her together. We were joined by our deckhand Chris Snell and our chief engineer Stephen Kester. Chris has been with us for quite a while now and she has grown in her position. Her enthusiasm for whales is unmatched and I often find her in the foreground of photos I take of them.

Stephen is a new and most welcome addition because he not only is a talented engineer, but a man who believes there is no job unworthy of him. The engines, he says, talk to him. They like him and so do we. Steph and I, as with so many small business owners, wear an awful lot of hats. Having Chief take the load off Steph, who has become such a prized engineer in his own right, is a great joy for us both. When I say he is a local, I mean as in original article. Stephen Kester grew up on the island in Moss Landing and although he and his wife are now liveaboards on their sailboat in the harbor, his mom lives on the island still.

When I was in Sitka, Alaska running the Sitka Sea Kayak Adventure, some of the crazier elements of the Windward Cruise Line's adventure guides took to calling me Hurricane. My life seemed to swirl with activity and excitement; if anything, it's gotten stronger. We survived the crushing blow of September 11th and we can look to the future with hope. Recently, we have been written up in USA Today, Chicago Sun Times, Sunset Magazine (a great article on quirky Moss Landing!) and the Half Moon Bay Review (which also featured an article on my fifth birthday back in 1957). Tomorrow, we hit the L. A. Times, so hold a good thought. (Check our web site for links to the stories.)

It feels as though we are living in the eye of the hurricane and all hell could soon break loose for our little company with such a big heart. I can't help but believe that it will and you all have been a part of it.

Looking back on half a century, it's nice to know I have often taken the road less traveled and my companions have added a lot to the journey.

Next week (Feb 2-3) is A T & T Weekend, the big golf tournament at Pebble Beach. Hotels and motels are usually booked full by now but on the morning news, every single one reported room this morning. Conversely, ticket sales for A T& T are up this year. So, if you are considering a weekend away, come on over. The whales are great, the weather forecast is good and you can find some screaming deals for lodging. See you out there.

1/3/2002: Abundunce
On several occasions, I tried to write an end of the year update, but it didn't happen. I got caught up in thinking how 2001 was so tough for so many, including us. We bought a million dollar catamaran just as the economy took a nosedive. We moved from Monterey to Moss Landing, essentially starting over. Again. It is something we do well, but it has been far too often for me; Steph and I both wanted to settle in somewhere and Moss Landing seemed the right place to draw that line in the sand. Both the purchase of Princess of Whales and the relocation to Moss Landing were excellent moves, but they have required an immense amount of work, both physical and mental. We often drop in our bed at 8 o'clock, exhausted. 8!

And yet, our struggles and concerns turned into fleas when compared with what the family of Harrison Fisher has faced since losing their darling little 7 year old boy in August. I have become quite close to Harrison's grandmother Jane and as I shared her grief and tried to help her go on, I was introduced to a woman of such steely strength and honesty that I doubt I will meet her equal in this lifetime.

Summer's end found our business thriving, but Harrison's death was never far from my mind. It felt as though Jane and I were in our own shadowy hell as we talked; I wondered when and how she might again feel the light on her face.

Then September 11th came and the world plunged into the same scary hole we were in, all of us going to depths we couldn't have imagined. How do you deal with the death of one? How do you comprehend the intentional murder of thousands?

You can see why I had trouble writing this.

So it came to me that maybe I should avoid everything but what happened out on the bay. It was an interesting year out there. The gray whales, for the first year in several, did not die in record numbers on their northbound migration last spring. However, their birth rate is way down and a cause for concern. We saw enormous amounts of humpbacks and blue whales in 2001, along with all sorts of dolphins. We also had a couple of very good sightings of sperm whales and Steph was lucky enough to see what may be one of a handful of Pacific right whales still in existence. Orcas made several remarkable appearances resulting in great stories and fantastic photographs.

Our special charters grew with Princess of Whales and we hosted some fabulous events, including fully catered cruises, weddings and receptions. We also put on a large number of fundraising cruises to benefit organizations we support such as Save Our Shores. We donated whale watching passes for everything from schools to NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue. We gave free cruises to kids from the Boys and Girls Club, volunteers who helped monitor water quality and a long list of others. It's how we fought the good fight, aided in part by a small grant with a simple mandate: Get kids out on the water; it will do the rest.

But there is no denying 2001 was an expedition into sadness and darkness and to tell only part of the year's story would be wrong. Days after September 11th, we hosted the Peace and Resolve Cruise and with the help of our neighbors in Moss Landing and Monterey who donated food and beverage, we raised a total of $6,695.00 for the American Red Cross and relief efforts.

Some of our burials at sea stand out in my mind, such as the wonderful Hawaiian ceremony with family members singing to a ukelele as we slowly motored along. There were too many burials of young women. The music ranged from rich classical to "Dust in the Wind." We buried fishermen, fathers and farmers. On one of our last scatterings of the year, we buried a woman who was a dentist in Poland before WW II. Can you even imagine what she saw during her life? Tragedies beyond comprehension, but she was a joyful person and she always maintained a love of the sea. Her ashes were joined by a small bit of earth from a beautiful locket she had carried her whole life. Polish soil. Ashes and earth swirled into the Monterey Bay together as sea lions lept nearby and brown pelicans soared overhead.

A common thread in our burials was that we were a part of the closing of the circles and we were truly honored to be so.

And now, with winter firmly in control, we look ahead once again. The gray whales are here and people seem to be shaking off the doldrums, anxious to join them on a tiny part of their ancient dance, the longest migration of any mammal.

This month, we'll see the return of celebrated author Dick Russell, whose book on the grays, "Eye of the Whale," has proven to be a monumental accomplishment. He will be on the January 19th and 20th gray whale cruises. Then he delivers his excellent slide presentation on the grays to Members' Night at the Monterey Bay Aquarium the evening of the 20th.

There is more: Steph has a new radio program which started 1/1/2002 on KUSP in Santa Cruz! Called "Life on the Bay," it explores the Monterey Bay and the people who are a part of it. Topics range from the gray whales to kelp harvesting; marine protected areas to Coast Guard licensing for captains. It's a lively and varied show that airs at 7:49 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. It is situated right in the middle of NPR's "Morning Edition" and on the first day, Steph's 90 second segment was sandwiched in between Bob Edwards, the national show's host. Pretty heady stuff. You can log onto KUSP via the internet and listen to the segments. Click on the link in this email, then click on "Listen Live" on the KUSP home page. Be sure your computer's speakers are turned on. Download Real Player if you need to; it's free. If you have ideas for future shows, let Steph know.

The February issue of Sunset Magazine features Moss Landing and Sanctuary Cruises is mentioned. Sunset is one of my favorites! Great recipes, gardening ideas and travel articles. Cool plans to build things. This is our first time in Sunset, so we are pretty excited about it.

The new dog has taken to her slightly altered name of Rumba (from Reba) and she is fitting in very well. She and Fluke get along fine, but Fluke never has seen herself as a dog so Rumba was no threat. For Christmas, Rumba got a little piggy doll which she brought to the boat with her. When she got nervous out on the water, she would hold piggy in her mouth with a worried expression reminiscent of a bloodhound, but this is happening less and less as she eases into her own version of "Life on the Bay."

The cats never did get the Christmas tree to crash over after the first time, but maybe they didn't try so hard.

So how do we close the chapter on 2001? "Good riddance," is my quick answer. We will remember those we said good-bye to in that hard year, but look forward to the new year with a renewed determination to fight the good fight, to support and protect the things we hold dear.

I will leave you with this: For Christmas, Steph wanted to give me a special gift, a reminder of what we have together and something I could use every day. Despite his promise to keep gifts small and inexpensive, he scoured the country to find someone capable of making this extraordinary present and he finally did. Many secretive phone calls transpired. On Christmas morning, I padded out into the living room where a fire crackled in the fireplace. There was a soft humming from nearby. The room glowed hot pink, my favorite color. Above the mantle was a neon sign, one word, in script.

It says, "Abundunce."

Yes, "Abundunce," not "Abundance," which is how the word is spelled. Steph was shocked when he saw the error but by that time, it was too late to fix. So we are currently bathed in the hot pink light of Abundunce with Abundance on its way.

And so it shall be for you, too, in this year back from darkness.

12/26/2001: Risso's Dolphins, Common Dolphins and Gray Whales!
Our trip today was classic winter whale watching on the Monterey Bay. We headed out with a happy group of post-Christmas visitors that consisted of three of our tiniest and most enthusiastic passengers ever, the three little Rodrigues girls along with their parents.

We also had a fellow who swore to his family that when he visited them in Oakland (from Chicago), he was taking them whale watching. He chose us because he is as ardent a conservationist as we are and he wanted to support us. Good man!

And we had Judie Marks and her husband Jim along with visiting family members. Judie used to be the science writer for the Monterey County Herald and she knows a thing or two about the blue world out there as well. Within the first 45 minutes, we saw several dozen Risso's dolphins, the ones with heavily scarred bodies and blunt, lighter colored heads. Everyone enjoyed them. A mile or so later, Steph spotted a wide band of common dolphins and while we played with them, I kept an eye on our first whale which was a little farther out.

However, when we left the dolphins and headed for the whale, we saw it blow a few times, then it disappeared, utilizing that effective but little known technique of swimming perhaps to China by going through the earth's molten core. Okay, maybe I exaggerate... All I know is that this whale took a hike big time, which can happen. So we worked to the south some more and were rewarded by 4-6 gray whales showing off their uniquely heart-shaped blows and flukes. Welcome back, barnacled beauties; it is winter on the Pacific!