Minke whale in Cattle Pass

August 10, 2021 – After passing a family of raccoons on Turn Island and a bunch of sleepy harbor seals on the rocks nearby we had a great sail down San Juan Channel to Cattle Pass. Bald eagles were disturbing the gulls and cormorants on Goose Island while more harbor seals snoozed on the beach. A minke whale had been traveling north from Iceberg Pt and we spotted him as he/she was headed for Cattle Pass. The minke whale swam very close to shore at Goose Island as it made its way into the pass against the current. We had many great looks at the minke but eventually lost sight of him. Later on a minke was seen outside Friday Harbor so we believe the minke continued north up the channel. The Steller sea lions were hauled out on Whale Rocks zonked out getting some rest. As we were searching for more minke whales on Salmon Bank, a report of a humpback whale named BCY0409 “Yogi” was spotted on Hein Bank. We headed that direction with an attempt to see it. Unfortunately, the whale was traveling southwest away from us and we were having a difficult time catching up as it continued getting further out of range. So, we spun around at the bottom of Hein Bank to head back. We did spot a minke whale in the distance, but it too was heading away from us in the wrong direction. Crossed back over Salmon Bank and had a fast run back in the flood current.