Tufted puffins and a minke whale at Smith Island

August 9, 2020 – Light winds as we left Friday Harbor and were able to sail wing on wing through Turn Island Pass. Travelled quickly down to Cattle Pass where we drifted passed Deadman Island with spectacular views of resting harbor seals, bald eagles and a family of river otters playing in the kelp and on the rocks. On to Whale Rocks where Steller sea lions were in boisterous play and gull chicks are exploring their new world. The brown pelican is still hanging out on Whale Rocks. Drifting through the kelp forests we made our way passed Long Island seeing an eagles nest above the glass emerald waters.

We made our way to Iceberg point and on seeing a distant Minke whale through binoculars headed out to McArthur Bank. After scanning our way across McArthur bank with no further sightings we decided to head out to Smith Island. The kelp forests here are in their prime and we found over a dozen tufted puffins some with beaks full of fish. After watching the puffins and cruising looking for the one and only horned puffin we came across a Minke whale. The minke was really fun to watch as she travelled and surfaced lunge feeding amongst groups of birds.

We headed homeward over McArthur and Salmon Banks to Cattle Point Lighthouse. Gulls were in a frenzy with an eagle flying over Goose Island. We saw bald eagles roosting on rocks both at Sharks Reef and Danger Rock as we sailed home in sunset light.