Sailing with T77's, T30B's and a couple orcas we've never seen before, T117B and T172

July 11, 2019 – North on the flood current with news of the T77s (minus T77A) Biggs/Transient Orcas who were Northbound from Kelp Reef. We tacked around Low Island where we saw a bald eagle and harbor seals with pups.

We made haste crossing to Sentinel Island following the Stuart Island shoreline meeting the T77s at Turn Point Lighthouse. We then sailed parallel as they crossed into Canada towards Moresby Island as a tight group. We left them to sail South a couple of miles and meet the T30Bs with T117B (14 year old probable female) and T172 (~30 year old female). We have not seen T117B or T172 before and believe them to be infrequent visitors to San Juan Island.

After they cleared to the North we resumed a course into New Channel. The North side of Spieden Island gave a distant glimpse of a Peregrine Falcon, nice views of roosting bald eagles and several harbor seals with pups. We passed between the Cactus Islands sailing the edge of the kelp forest and crossed to Flattop Island. With the ebb down San Juan Channel passing a bald eagle with an immature eagle eating at Low Island.