Sail around Lopez, a rare sea otter, and a Minke near Turn Rock

September 24, 2022 – Starting with a sail across San Juan channel into Hicks Bay where harbor seals slept in late then a tack to take us back and sail through Turn Island Pass and again we sailed quietly wing on wing to rousing the resting seals. We followed the Lopez coastline to the narrow pass of Deadman Island and out to Whale Rocks with the Steller sea lions and Pelagic and Brandts cormorants where the current really ripped. No minke whales were found on Salmon Bank so we continued today to follow the Lopez shoreline around the dramatic Southern coast inside Blind Island and Castle Rock. The current took us quickly up to Bird Rocks where we were excited to find a solitary sea otter in the kelp. Harbor porpoise surfaced in the current near James Island. Sun dogs were plentiful today where light split into rainbows in the ice crystals of the high altitude mares-tail clouds. Late afternoon light on the forested coastline of Upright Head and we sailed towards the setting sun finding a minke whale foraging amongst groups of diving birds and gulls off Turn Island.