Sailing with T63 "Chainsaw" and the gang

May 16, 2020 – After hearing about an exciting orca sighting including one of our favorites, T63 aka “Chainsaw”, David and I decided to set sail. Its been about 2 years since we’ve seen him and his awesome jagged fin. The orcas were coming down Rosario Strait towards the bottom of Lopez Island. Weather forecast called for rain and winds were increasing through the day gusting up to 18 knots.

We left the dock in the rain bundled up in our rain gear with a reefed main sail, but boy we were excited for the adventure ahead. As we exited Cattle Pass the rain eased off and the Olympic Mountains stood tall in layers of blue. There weren’t any boats with the orcas and it was up to us to find them. Capt David used his dead reckoning skills and plotted a course guessing where he thought they’d be – water conditions were building with increasing white caps and were we were heeling and sailing fast at about 7 knots. I made my way up to the bow and scanned as hard as I could for fins while holding on the to shrouds as the boat bounced in the 2-3 footers.

Suddenly, there way in the distance, I spotted a dorsal fin. Yes! We found them! They were spread out in loose groups. I was able to identify T63 traveling with T36 and T36A1. Trailing them were the T36B’s and off on her own was T65. The whales were moving quickly in a line towards Hein Bank. We sailed parallel to the orcas until they neared the Canadian border (which we’re not allowed to cross during this Covid-19 pandemic). Just as we were about to turn around we saw the orcas changing directions and milling in a larger group. After close inspection of the photos the T99’s joined up with them and they continued west together in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

With big smiles after our exciting day we made our way back to Friday Harbor. The sun began to break through the clouds and we broke out the snacks enjoying our sail home. We’re looking forward to sharing these magical, unforgettable experiences with our passengers again soon.