A beautiful morning sail from Orcas Island with whistling Pigeon Guillemots and a wealth of wildlife

June 10th 2019 – Today we had an early start to pick up our passengers from the Orcas Island ferry landing. We sailed West passed Belle Island and through the narrow Pole Pass where the T49As had come 2 days prior. We sailed and drifted the flood tide through Spring Pass along the shoreline of Jones Island state park. North to White Rock seeing harbor porpoise along the way.

Circling White Rock Cormorant colony and harbor seal haul out we came back to the beautiful emerald waters mirroring the North side of Flattop Island National Wildlife Refuge. Pigeon guillemots were busy near their nesting areas on the cliffs and their shrill whistling was mesmorizing. We caught the tide changing to ebb to sail passed Rippple Island Aspen Grove where 4 bald eagles were engaged in a feast on the beach. Black Oyster catchers created a rucus to show their concern for their presence near their nests.

We drifted through the cactus Islands where 2 Bald Eagles watched over their nest and on to the North side of Spieden Island where more bald eagles watched the tide drift away from their high roosts in the forest. Mouflon sheep were grazing on the seaweed covered rocky shore. Circling Spieden Island we cut a course back to Yellow Island and made good time riding the ebb tide back to Friday Harbor.