Sailing to Trial Island and Victoria Golf Club with T35s, T38s and T49As Biggs Killer Whales

June 14th 2019

Our whale reports today included The T49As, whom we’d briefly seen the day before, milling at Eagle Point with changing directions. We also heard of T35As, T38s, T65As and T77A inbound from Race Rocks. So we raised sails to head South. However out of the blue came two Humpback Whales passing Friday Harbor. We sailed from Reid Rock to Turn Island and it was beautiful to hear the blows of these huge majestic mammals as they slowly paralleled us. Leaving them to explore the Turn Island Pass harbor seal haul out we met them again as we sailed across to Lopez. Against the flood we hugged the Lopez shoreline making time as the Orca reports were looking favorable with the large group now just 9 miles out heading our way on the flood.

Inside of Deadman Island we met a family 7 River Otters scampering and playing over the rocks into the water and back out. Curious they raised their heads and then retreated to a cave. Out to Whale Rocks where the Steller sea Lions were and on to Salmon Bank looking out for Minke Whales. However the Orca reports were becoming sketchy and it seemed the large group had flipped to head West while the T49As were heading their way from up island. With a brief sighting of a Minke South of Salmon Bank we made haste towards Victoria against the flood tide.

Our goal today was to allow an enthusiastic family to see an Orca whale in the wild so we pressed on eventually meeting the T35As and T38s as they passed Trial Island. They travelled together as a tight group heading West. We left to meet the T49As and found them engaged in a hunt at Victoria Golf Course. We travelled together through Enterprise Channel.

The T65As were seen South Of Hein Bank headed towards Point Wilson last reported Partridge Bank. T77A adult male split from the group he was with and headed North, passing close to the T49As as they turned from Lime Kiln West and he was last seen Sidney Channel Northbound

It was our first time sailing this area so we explored a route North through the Chain Islands before crossing to Lime Kiln Point and heading North through Mosquito Pass. The sun set as we approached Yellow Island and we arrived back in Friday Harbor at dusk.