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09.20.2005:
Its amazing the things that inspire a person.
We are almost halfway through our program and I have yet to write a journal
entry. Not for lack of truly inspiring moments, as there have been many, but
simply because I have not wanted to stop experiencing this adventure long
enough to write about it.
Our amazing encounter with the orcas in the fog at Lime Kiln on the first
day of class was an excellent indicator of the magic yet to come. We are not
quite halfway through, and already the majority of my expectations have been
met and exceeded. I have had some amazing moments watching the whales and
thinking about their environment. I have experienced some seriously intense
learning and have, thus far, survived. I have had the exhilarating
opportunity to pick the brains of people whose research I have been reading
for over a decade, to stand with them and observe the creatures that have
captured both our interests, and to realize that they too are just people
fascinated by an amazing animal and driven by a desire to know more.
What really strikes me are the things that have little to do with the
whales, but more with people. I am certainly learning a lot about myself.
How much I love and miss my family and friends at home (even when I am
"with" the whales). How daunting it was to find myself in a strange place
surrounded by strange people and try to make it home. How quickly strangers
can become friends. The remarkable capacity for compassion that we all have
in us. Watching a group of people come together to support and take care of
one another is a truly inspiring thing.
I'm looking forward to our adventures on the the "high seas" with this
unique little tribe of characters we have. And for the record, we may not be
strangers anymore, but we'll always be strange ... behold, the incredible
power of Roche dough nuts! :)
"In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we
know, and we will know only what we are taught."
09.26.2005: Monday, week 1
Home, sweet boat. And it really is sweet boat. The Gato Verde is very comfy and
has a lot more room than I expected. Celia (my roommate on land and now my
bunkmate) and I are nicely tucked away in the port stern double berth cabin,
and we actually have about the same amount of room on the bed as we did on
land.
After stowing an unbelievable amount of gear/food/clothing yesterday afternoon,
we motored away from the labs at Friday Harbor and anchored in Park Bay on
Shaw Island. I enjoyed cooking a meal (tacos) in the galley for the first
time, and for our crew of nine too. Luckily I had plenty of help! There was a
beautiful sunset over the mountains of Vancouver Island to set a mystical mood
for our first night at sea. Our captain, Todd, capped off the night perfectly
by reading us a tall tale about a modern day Jonah, a man who was eaten alive
by a whale and amazingly survived.
After a solid nights sleep I was up to see a quick glimpse of post-sunrise
before the fog set in. We learned about the daily necessities of cleaning to
keep our new home in good shape. We also began learning about current tables,
the rime it takes for us to get around the islands, and began the process of
planning our route from day to day as well as week to week. Then the cleaning
Lucky me, I got "head" duty right off. It wasn't too bad, however it is
certainly my least favorite place to be on the boat! It's kind of like a cross
between a camper bathroom and a port-a-potty. But there is a skylight hatch and
an escape hatch that looks right out to the water between the hulls of the
boat.
Next we got an intro to the parts of a sailboat, and since the fog had then
lifted, we got to head out of the bay and begin sailing. What a wonderful
feeling! (PS, Ð I sailed on my first try! _) We had a fun afternoon of learning
and getting used to our new setting. My favorite spot is lounging on the
"trampoline" which is the net in the front of the boat between the hulls. It's
like a big hammock! (In fact, that is where I am sitting while I write in my
journal.)
As we got near to the northeast side of San Juan Island we heard reports over
the radio of whales just around the northern tip. We motored ahead (no wind
now) and soon we saw whale-watching boats a good sign that there are whales
nearby. As we floated and waited we dropped a hydrophone in the water and
instantly hear whistles and calls. After many weeks spent listening to recorded
orca sounds it was exciting to hear them live! And soon the whales were coming
closer. What a beautiful sight and sound to see the shiny black fins breaking
the water and hear the percussive "pa-Whooosh" of their breath as they surface.
Incredible! It was a spectacular end to our first full day on the water, and
further proof of our group's uncanny orca magnetism!
09.27.2005: Tuesday
Another beautiful day at sea! After breakfast, cleaning, and a lesson about
tides and points of sail, we decided to motor south toward Race Rocks (near
Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island) in search of whales. Near Kellett Bluff we
encountered orcas. I glued myself to the port bow pulpit (all the way forward)
and settled in with my camera and binoculars ready. I got several nice ID shots
(dorsal fin and saddle patch markings) of one individual going by me about 200
meters away. Thanks to the "zoom" feature on my camera playback, Courtney and I
were able to make a positive ID Ð it was L78, a young (teenage) male or
"sprouter." This was the first time that I have had success with my newly
learned pre-focus technique to reduce lag time on my digital camera. I am very
pleased with the result. Now my goal is to capture a breach!
After that encounter we decided to head south and hope to intercept the
remaining pods if they made their east from the ocean or south from Kellet.
Unfortunately, it was a fruitless expedition, although not a total loss. The
weather was beautiful and sunny and our long trek gave us time and necessity to
ponder the ethics of legal sewage disposal at sea, and to "calibrate" our
holding tank indicator and begin to think about the many factors that will
influence our science plan in the weeks that lie ahead.
09.29.2005: Thursday
Our second day with no whales, but what a great day. I woke sometime very early
in the morning to the sound of rain on the deck above our cabin. I love rain!
When I finally extracted myself from my cozy sleeping bag and trundled upstairs
I was greeted by a gray and drizzly day. Ahh, the Northwest! We had been
expecting a storm and it had finally arrived and brought with it plenty of
rain, but also great wind for sailing. We decided to head south down Haro
Strait (the "Westside" superhighway) and practice our upwind sailing and maybe
run into our elusive whale friends along the way.
Once out of the protection of the bay, the waters were fairly rough. That means
that although the 2 to 4 foot waves only qualified as sea state 2 level (out of
ten), they looked and felt pretty intimidating to us "land lubbers." Fully
decked out in our foul weather gear, we began learning to tack upwind. It was
wet work, but really fun and rewarding to see us zipping along at 6+ knots
solely under wind power. This is even more spectacular if you take into account
the humongous pile of stuff we crammed aboard a few days ago! And the most
rewarding part was all of us standing out on the bow watching Dahl's porpoises
playing in our bow wave! There we were, standing at the bow in the rain and
wind just feet away from these amazing and rare creatures. I have a feeling
this adventure is just going to get more exciting!
09.30.2005: Friday
Today we did some of our first practicing with taking observations and
conducting our research. We spent about three hours with the whales today on
the West side of the island. All three pods were around and they were quite
vocal. It was a little chaotic trying to organize ourselves and figure out the
best approach, but I think we made some good progress, and we got some
beautiful recordings, especially considering that we are very much novices at
this point. I got many chances to take photos and am getting much better at
capturing good photo ID shots. I think the best part was being able to watch
the whales and hear them at the same time. I felt it brought us a step closer
to understanding their world. A tiny step anyway. It was a very rewarding
day!
10.01.2005: Saturday
Hello October! Wow, I can't believe that I have been away for six weeks now; it
was August when I left! I was nice to make a couple phone calls and check email
today for the first time in a week! And that shower tomorrow sounds terrific
(it will be a week tomorrow - e!) Today we picked up our captain for next week,
Judy, and did some sailing. We had two encounters with Dahl's porpoises playing
in our bow wave and I got some great photos! What an incredible feeling to be 4
feet from the water where these neat creatures are surfacing. At one point I
actually got spray in my face from their blow at the surface! And it is a neat
feeling to see them come to purposely play with us! These experiences are
absolutely priceless and I can't wait to share them in detail and photo! Have a
great week everyone and I hope to have much more to report next week!
10.03.05 (Monday, week 2)
Whoa. That's about the only thing I can seem to get out to describe today.
What an incredible day! Today was our first day out with our new captain,
Judy, and our guest, Rachael and what a day it was. We got a beautiful ride
down San Juan Channel to get out to the straits and an almost glassy calm
sea once we were out there. Oh yeah, and we spent most of the day with the
whales! We stayed pretty far away for most of the day, trying to observe in
the most responsible and unobtrusive way, but toward the end of the day we
had an amazing encounter. We had our motors shut down and were drifting,
observing, and listening to underwater sounds. Brett and I were on the
trampoline on the bow of the boat listening to a hydrophone we had deployed
from the bow and dropped about ten feet down. Someone near the stern called
out that we had whale heading directly at us. I looked around and went back
to listening when Brett noticed a whale surface about 50 meters away and
yelled to the people at the stern. We watched with a mix of excitement and
nervousness as an orca surfaced about ten feet away from the boat, sticking
it's tail flukes out of the water and giving a little slap about two or
three feet from the edge of the hull...it was going under us. I stared in
total awe through the netting as I watched the orca swimming through the
green-blue water directly below me as I peaked out over the edge of the
tramp. I would see the white pattern of its underside clearly defined as it
rolled slightly onto its side, slowly and gracefully gliding along until it
disappeared behind the starboard hull. It was an exciting moment, and yet it
filled me with a certain sense of quiet reverence to this amazing creature
so close. At that moment I felt very much like the outsider looking in on
another world beyond my comprehension. Many times, including earlier today,
I have sat on the bow seat and looked down into the dark water and wondered
what it would be like to see an orca coming up out of the depths. I can't
believe I actually saw it. I have been interested in studying and conserving
these wild whales for well over a decade...that's just over half of my life
and all of my adult life. Every day out on the water in the environment with
these orcas feels like a dream come true...because it really is. I feel so
lucky to be living out this dream and to know I may be able to contribute to
their preservation and the conservation of their habitat.
10.04.05 (Tuesday, week 2)
On a scale of one to ten, today was a twenty. Yesterday, I couldn't imagine
a better day, but today topped that by far! The theme today was... WOW! We
were in the presence of whales for nearly five hours and we saw some amazing
behavior and heard incredible sounds. For most of the day we saw the whales
in larger than "usual" groups alternating between lots of activity and what
appeared to be resting. At times they were very active and we saw all kinds
of splashing, slapping and rolling! It looked like there was a party in the
water! But the real gem of the day occurred as most unbelievably wonderful
events do, right when its time to go home! We were watching a group of about
ten whales surfacing at the same time side-by-side in a line. They began
floating on the surface and making amazing noises ABOVE water, and loud too!
We were about 100 to 150 yards away and the sounds were loud enough to show
up on video recorders! Then, luckily Rachael noticed a line of whales doing
the same surface-floating coming toward us from the north...it was a
greeting ceremony! This is a behavior that is unique to the southern
residents and rarely seen. Usually it happens in the early summer when the
pods reunite after being away at different wintering grounds. It was a once
in a lifetime experience and very moving. The excitement between the two
groups was palpable as they approached one another. Finally, with a couple
hundred meters between them, the southern group suddenly lunged forward in
unison, dove underwater and the groups joined. There was much commotion at
the surface and periods of extremely intense sound below. It was a really
touching thing to witness above water. And then the sound... I am sitting
here at the table listening to my recordings from thins afternoon, and right
around the time we saw the line forming there are some really magical sounds
under water. Some loud echoing "yells" and then what sounds like distant
answers. Is this the two groups calling to each other as they prepare to
reunite? Scott and I sit and listen over and over timing the loud and soft
calls to see if they are simply echoes, but the time between call and answer
is different every time. And sometimes there are distant answers when there
has been no recent call. It will take more analyzing to get a better guess,
but just listening to it is mesmerizing. Suddenly now there are very loud
high squeals like wrestling puppies and low, rough barking sounds that sound
to me just like the sounds we were hearing above water! Is this a recording
of that fantastic moment we witnessed earlier? Whatever it is, it is
complex, intriguing, and absolutely beautiful! I must go to sleep now, but
it is so hard to leave their watery, musical world once you've entered.
Before I go to bed I need to take a minute to digest what I've experienced
today. In all my studies into the lives of orcas, I could never have dreamed
up how powerfully spellbinding observing them in the wild would be. They are
truly amazing creatures and I am so thankful that their allure has stayed
with me all these years and brought me to where I am right now at this
moment. I can't think of a better place to be. I only wish that all of the
people have helped and encouraged along the way were here to share it with
me! Wish you were here!
10.07.05 (Friday, week 2)
This has been a week full of amazing experiences. Wednesday was quiet. The
whales had gone north to the Frazer River and we had constraints keeping us
from following, so we drifted around off the south end of San Juan Island. A
day without whales is always a little disappointing, but it was also a
welcome break from the fast-pace of data collection. We decided to stay
south in hopes that the whales would head south in the morning and we would
be in the area to meet them. We tucked in to anchor around the southern horn
of the island on the east side in a little place called Fish Creek, part of
Griffin Bay. It was a beautifully calm night, so Scott, Rachael, and I
dropped our captain Judy off at shore with the dingy and did some engine
noise recordings of the Gato Verde from various distances. After returning
everyone to the boat, Val gave me a lesson in dingy navigation. It was a
little scary because it is a very small little boat, very close to the
water, and boy does it go fast! I have to admit that it was a white-knuckle
experience getting on plain for the first time. Val is a brave soul! That
night we did our first anchor watch rotation. Each person is on watch for
one hour of the night and has some chores to accomplish so that we can get
away earlier in the morning. Getting up to clean the head at three in the
morning is not a compelling experience! But an hour goes by pretty quick and
getting back into my sleeping bag was reward enough. The next morning, I got
to try out my piloting skills as I drove Scott and I to shore in the dingy
to pick up Val who had left early for an appointment on land. I made to land
and back without wrecking and got over my fear a little. We even got up to
full throttle...for about two seconds. I hate to boast, but I think I'm a
natural! :) After everyone was safely back on board we headed back out to the
straits and spent the rest of the day with the whales. We had a close
encounter right off the bat with a young male who seemed to be circling near
our boat before finally swimming right by the port side. Once all the whales
were back from the north we headed over to Iceberg point on Lopez Island
where the reunion was taking place. It was grey and rainy which made for a
crowded cockpit, but it was a great day for studying whales. We got some
amazing sounds and sightings. At one point a mother and juvenile swam right
under the bow of our boat. The mom turned to look up at us as she swam
underwater just off the bow of our boat and I could see her white eye patch
(which is a cool blue-green underwater) for some distance as she swam just
under the surface. The youngster swam beneath the boat and I could see his
white patches flashing through the netting of the trampoline as he jetted
ahead to catch up with his mom. A few minutes later we were able to use my
pictures to identify them as L67 (Splash) and her son L101. This was really
exciting, because she is also the mom of a six-year-old whale, Luna (L98)
that our guest Rachael studied last year. Luna is lost on the west coast of
Vancouver Island. Hopefully some day soon his mom and family will go close
enough that he might hear them and reunite. It's amazing how far sound
travels underwater. It has become common for us to be able to hear orcas
loud and clear without being able to see them.
We spent last night anchored in MacKaye Harbor on Lopez Island and this
morning we headed back to Friday Harbor to take care of some errands. This
afternoon we got news that the whales had headed north again, so we headed
off to a northern anchor will be closer to them tomorrow morning. We landed
here on Sucia Island, tied up to a dock, ate dinner, and went for a walk
just as the sun was setting. What a beautiful sight! These islands become a
mystical place in the colors and mist of sunset and it looks like a
landscape straight out of a fairytale. I don't know what it is about this
place, but I always feel to at home and at peace here. And the stars are
incredible. I even saw a shooting star while I was talking to Pat on my cell
phone. Sometimes I feel like I need someone to pinch me so I know that this
is all real!
Week 3
Monday, 10-11-05
Another week begins, gray and cloudy, and I cannot shake an equally gloomy
feeling on the inside. As we go about our day, taking care of the business
of holding tanks and cleaning, I catch echoes of the blues in those around
me as well. Most of us have been away from our loved ones for at least five
weeks now or longer and I know I feel the strain of operating in an intense
setting without my emotional backup. What I wouldn't give to get a hug from
my husband, my sister, my mom! But that's not entirely it. I can't believe
we are starting week three of the sea component, three weeks to go. This
experience so far has been one of the most incredible adventures of my life.
There have been so many moments with the whales already when I have just
stood in total awe of what was happening around me. Some very old dreams of
mine have come true, as I have effervesced at length about in previous
accounts.
However, one phenomenon I have yet to discuss is not exactly whale
related. As expected, the sea component is going by so quickly, and I have
begun to realize that this experience will soon be drawing to a close and I
will have to go back to the real world. Don't get me wrong, there are many
people I miss very badly and I cannot wait to see them again. But I love
being here and I really love doing this. The thought of a YEAR without so
much as the possibility of waves and whales is heartbreaking. And then there
is this rag-tag group of pirates/researchers who have become my family for
nearly two months now. How can I possibly go on without them? I came here
expecting to love my experiences learning about and studying the orcas. I
knew I would not want to leave this place.
But what I didn't expect is how
much I don't want to leave these people! We really have become like a
family. We certainly annoy each other plenty at times and probably want to
wring each others necks from time to time... but I think that is part of
what makes it great. It is certainly challenging at times, but when you know
that there is no chance of getting more than forty feet away from someone
for several weeks, you find yourself inspired to make an effort to
understand and accept the people around you. And of course our mentors, Val,
Scott, and Todd, have played a huge role demonstrating that personal
tolerance. I have never witnessed such enduring patience and kindness or had
instructors work so hard to ensure that I get the best possible experience.
Scott seems to eat approximately three times his body weight in food each
day, four if you count midnight snacks, and I think its because he exudes
the energy of half a dozen people and the patience of a saint! Val is the wise
wizard of all things electronic and mathematical, and he always seems to
find both the time and the words to explain just about anything. And Todd is
the great marine ninja, able to somehow maneuver around whales, boats, and
waves with six students having orca-nniptions and pulling out gear and
wires all around him. I feel like I have grown immeasurably through this
experience and look forward to continuing to grow after I leave. But I don't
want to think of that now... the important thing is that we are still here
now and these experiences are amazing enough to carry me through whatever
lies between now and my return to this amazing place.
Tuesday, 10-12-05
Orcas and Frenchmen in the moonlight.
Finally, the moment I've been waiting for... a night observation! And not a
moment too soon. The weather report for the rest of the week speaks of high
winds and rain and my hopes of exploring the southern residents' lightless
hours have begun to wear thin. I can feel the slow panic creeping in to my
head. What if I don't get any night data? With a much-needed boost from
Courtney and Nicole, I get my head and myself together and back into the
moment. The weather is beautiful, calm and clear and we stumble upon orcas
returning from Whidbey Island in the late afternoon. Perfect conditions to
follow the whales north as the sun sets. Among the whales cruises a familiar
little boat with Ken Balcomb at the helm, skipping along with the orcas
almost as one of their own. He pops over to chat with us for a minute, and
then turns back to the business of photo ID shots. It amazes me to think of
the whales he has seen over the last several decades spent among the
southern residents. I can't help but hope that one day I may have that kind
of knowledge about these beautiful creatures to share with a new generation
of wide-eyed students.
We stayed with the whales as the sun disappeared, casting pinks and oranges
on the snowcaps of Mount Baker and Mount Rainier in the distance. There we
were, basically alone with the orcas for the first time yet in our journey.
The calls we heard over the hydrophones were clear, loud, and sounded almost
foreign without the background whine of outboard engines and tankers. Enter
our nemesis, a particularly bothersome Canadian radio station forever
popping up in our recordings via the preamps on our hydrophone cables. This
is an absurd phenomenon, particularly when listening to the orcas ephemeral
calls with some guy mumbling in French in the background. Tonight "Frenchy"
was out in full force and completely destroying our one-on-one time with the
whales. Our futile attempts to wrap him in foil and drown him in a bucket of
seawater were to no avail. C'est la vie! I am Le tired. Still, what sounded
like old-time show tunes did add an interesting aspect to the acoustic
experience. As the light disappeared, so did the whales, seeming to all
switch direction at the same time and begin heading offshore. We last
spotted them heading southwest into the moonlight, with their calls
remaining audible for quite a while later as if they were calling us to
follow them. Where do they go? A question that must be left unanswered for
tonight...
After a cold and tense trip toward our northern anchorage, straining to scan
for logs and debris on the smooth dark water, we paused briefly to listen
again before tucking in to Snug Harbor for the night.
Rest of Week 3...
Another great week with lots of fun and adventure. Unfortunately, the busier
we are, the less I have time to write! How about a quick list of highlights
from this week:
- Watching orcas disappear into the moonlight
- Going 11 knots under sail in 4 foot seas... whoohoo!
- Learning to tie a bowline with one hand...and my eyes closed
- Our boat under early morning siege by small animal espionage (river otter)
I know there's more, but you'll have to tune in next week...
10.17.05 Monday week4
What a Monday! Gray and drizzly and just on the verge of being completely
socked in with fog all day...and no whales. However, for most of the day I
had a great time. You know how I love gray and rainy days! And I have most
certainly decided that a boat is the best place to be on a day like this. Or
any other day really. :) Amidst our hopeless search for whales in the fog I
saw a few remarkable things today. First, the gallows constructed for the
movie "Practical Magic" that is still standing on the shore of San Juan
Island. It was so fitting though somewhat eerie approaching the picturesque
scene from the water while surrounded all about by fog. And Val was kind
enough to snap some great pictures of it - especially for you Weezie! Second
amazing thing, we saw salmon porpoising like...well, porpoises I guess,
coming partially out of the water over and over. It was a first for all of
us who saw it! And then the best: Our favorite group of Dall's porpoises
came and rode our bow for and unusually long time as we slowly motored
along. For some reason the lighting was just right and water was so smooth
and clear that we could see them in full detail as they skimmed along just
under the surface of the water. It looked as if they were floating in space
just a few feet from my face! The detail with which I could see the contours
and textures of their bodies was incredible. Unlike their usual high-speed
fly-bys, today they hardly seemed to expend any effort at all, gliding
lazily in front of the bow and pausing for long periods just in front of us.
I wonder if they too were taking advantage of the conditions to get a
better look at us. What interesting creatures we must seem from their
vantage, suspended in a net above the water bundled up in brightly colored
foul-weather gear (foulies) smiling, laughing, and clinging to the boat as
we lean over the water for a better look. Several times one seemed to meet
my gaze and I couldn't help but wonder what it thought of me. Spectacular -
and instructive at the same time... Never, ever, ever take anything for
granted or become complacent about the beauty around you every day. We have
seen the Dall's several times now and though they are always fun to see,
they have grown to be a little "old hat" these days and I didn't hurry out
to see them. They had already been riding for at least five or ten minutes
when I finally went out to take a look. I'm glad I did finally get out
there. It was absolute magic watching them glide effortlessly through the
water, and to think that I almost missed it because I thought I had already
experienced all that the Dall's had to offer. One of the many unexpected and
unquestionably valuable lessons this experience has taught me.
After dinner we practiced with the night vision tools that our guest Bob
McLaughlin kindly borrowed from BE Meyers company in Seattle. It really is
remarkable how well you can see with it! I hope we see orcas tomorrow so we
can make use of the technology while we have it. Or we may just never let
Bob leave, I mean we are pirates, right?
Ah, the ticking clock! I'm not sure that I've ever been in a situation were
I was so acutely aware of the passing of time as now. The whales are far
south, we are socked in with fog, there are thirteen days left until I
return home...my stress-o-meter is maxed and holding! Twelve days until we
present in front of many people...and I have one partial night of data. Ack!
I am now wishing I had taken up yoga before I left! Deep breath, chin up,
never give up - right? Come on calm seas, sunny weather, and a superpod!
10.18.05 Tuesday, week 4
Today was a long day spent in pursuit of whales. We had a hydrophone in the
water and recording by 8:20 this morning, the earliest by nearly a half hour
by my recollection. We floated and listened at several times and locations,
and more often than not we heard the orcas calls from somewhere in the
distance. There was word of sightings and we expended much energy trying to
get to where they were. We eventually got word of L pod heading west near
the mouth of Juan de Fuca, and set off in that direction. Exhausted from
many nights with little sleep, I napped while we were on our way. I woke to
word that the whales were in sight! My boat mates were gearing up for our
first ever through the night follow! The possibility was very exciting, but
after ten minutes on the bow watching whales traveling fast out to sea, I
realized this was not the best situation. The weather had been pretty foggy
but was now clear, but chasing a pod of fast-moving orcas far from our
familiar grounds in the dark did not seem to be the best situation. After
much time spent trying to find the whales and planning how to observe them,
it was extremely difficult to decide to follow them or not. The conditions
were good, but not perfect. The weather was still not certain and the open
strait is not where I wanted to try our fledgling system. Did I want to
follow them and risk exhausting the crew in a fruitless effort to keep up?
Did I want to turn for home turf, allowing much needed sleep, and run the
risk of losing our last chance to study the Ls this season? It was by far
the most personally difficult decision I have had to make in this experience
thus far. As we let the whales disappear into the west and turned our own
course to the north, I had several hours to think about the choices made.
What strikes me now as most notable about the whole thing is the effect of
others' reactions on my own. The frustration and disappointment I felt
around me from others was actually a huge relief. I'm not glad anyone felt
that way, but the companionship of defeat is soothing, especially since my
mentors were among that group. Scott and I had a lengthy discussion about
whether we made the right decision and what we could have done better and
why. The opportunity to confer with another frustrated person was cathartic
as was the process of exploring another's interpretation of the afternoon
and the events that ensued. All told, I think we made the right decision.
Something tells me that we will see L pod again. I ended the evening by
spending over an hour atop the cabin watching the sun set and the moon rise.
Frustrating or not, I love this! And for the first time in five years, I
really feel like I'm on the right path toward attaining my longstanding
goals. Wind on my face, water and islands surround me lit up by sunset and
moonlight...all is well.
10.19.05 Wednesday
This is crew is incredible! After a long day of looking for whales to no
avail, we tucked in to Fish Creek for the night. After dinner I got to drive
the dingy with Scott and Brett to the nearby docks to pick up Leslie. No
Leslie, but we did pick up a couple cute new pets...Shrimps! Jacque, our
French ami and his green little companion Jacqueline. We might be losing our
minds just a little. Upon returning to the Gato Verde, I discovered that it
was all a sham! Our vessel has been taken over by pirates wearing eye
patches and bearing gifts! And they strangely resemble our crew... What a
great surprise! The galley was decorated and with a pirate theme! I love
these guys! It was a great birthday, and I hope that it is a preview of the
year to come.
To the crew (Celia, Val, Leslie, Nicole, Courtney, Scott, Brett, Freddie,
and Kevin): Thank you guys! It was a birthday that I will remember for a
long time. You made me feel loved and at home on a hard day to be far from
loved ones. I can't believe that you went to all that trouble, and that in a
space so small you were able pull that off! Go team!
10.20.05 Thursday: "Here comes the sun..."
I woke to today to a beautiful morning and song in my head. There are a few
clouds, but its clear over the water ...NO FOG. It is a good day! With no
whales sightings yet, we decided to head to Race Rocks to check out the
humpback whales that have been hanging out there for months. We saw five or
six humpbacks and many stellar sea lions. It was fun to take time to observe
different marine mammals. And, best of all, I got hoisted up the mast of the
ship! I went about 25 feet up to the shroud spreaders where I could stand
and look around. I got to observe my fellow observers (fun to watch from
above as the whole crew occasionally scurried from one side of the boat to
the other) as well as the local wildlife. A HUGE stellar came over to check
us out and seemed to be suspended in mid air below me. My fear of heights
appears to be directly relative to how well I am attached to my
surroundings, and of course, what I'm looking at!
10.21 and 22.05 Friday/Saturday
Early this morning we found the whales, and suddenly my ability to stop and
journal gets pretty bad... Well, basically, it stops. Sorry! Also, here the
division between night and day and awake and not gets blurry. Let me sum up
for you. Thursday morning at 8:30 we ran into L pod heading east near
Victoria, we were able to deploy our towed hydrophone, a.k.a. "the toad,"
while sailing near the whales. They cut across our wake and came up within
feet of us! It was incredible! We stayed with them all day, decided to try a
night follow, and eventually lost them between 10:30 and 11:00 at night. It
was a great test and our night following technique worked pretty well. We
ended up heading back to Port Angeles around two in the morning, arriving
sometime around five. We headed out again around noon and ended up meeting
up with J pod around three in the afternoon. They were traveling south and
soon formed a "resting line" which is a behavior I am very interested in and
is part of my study. We decided to stay with them and activated into night
follow mode again. We tried to sail with them again, but the wind picked up
fast and we lost them with conditions getting too choppy to follow anyway. I
was thrilled that we were able to stay with them for over two hours while
they rested! We headed into Port Townsend for the night. Although it got off
to a slow start, this week was full of action! We had some great experiences
and got a lot accomplished. Kevin was a fun addition to our crew. He really
seemed to mesh well with our group and added plenty of humor and a calm and
mellow attitude. I am personally grateful for his willingness to go for it
on the night follows and to operate on not much sleep to help me advance my
project.
Kevin: Thanks for the countless hours you put in! I hope you have fun taking
some time off and studying frogs in Panama. Good luck in all your endeavors
and keep us updated about where you go from here! Rrrrroooogeeer! Gato Verde
out. :)
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