Sailing with 20 Transient Orcas Patos Island

September 6, 2018 – North on a flood tide with news of a humpback whale coming down Presidents Chanel. Right outside the harbor we saw a bald eagle; with a fish – who then went and caught another! After passing the harbor seals on the west spit of Yellow Island we met the humpback whale heading towards Friday Harbor. We sailed alongside as he/she travelled South with a breath every minute and no deep dives to reveal a fluke.

We broke away near Point Caution to continue North with a report of many Biggs Orcas in Georgia Strait heading South. We hugged the South coast of Waldron Island where it’s forest of Gary Oak and Madrone showed fall colours. We passed by Bare Rock and Skipjack Island where Harbor seals were resting and warming in the midday sun. And caught the flood tide to Canada to meet the Biggs Orcas who were heading South East from Boiling Reef.

We met T87, the T90s, T100Bs, T101s, T124A1, T124Ds and later the T18/19s who followed behind – 20 whales. They slowed down to cut in to North side of Patos island where two Steller Sea Lions watched a close pass. Whilst they passed many seals we saw no hunting today. Then on to Clements Reef where T87 stopped while others also stopped near Succia for some 15 minutes while the T18/19s caught up. T87 stopped right on the reef in 9-18 feet of water. when he spyhopped I wondered if he was standing on his tail.

They all turned East and we explored the honeycombed sandstone fingers of Succia Island. We crossed to the cliffs of Point Doughty with no sign of Peregrine Falcons today. We had our supper in the lee of Turtle Back mountain and cruised the Orcas shoreline of Presidents Channel. Exciting sailing with close hauled heeling we raced down San Juan Channel as the sun was setting.