Humpback Whale BCZ0345 "Victory" bottom of Salmon Bank

September 16, 2023 – We headed south after leaving Friday Harbor with a great sail tacking down the channel. There was a thick fog bank in Upright Channel and in Rosario Strait and rather strange lighting to the south. It looked like a combination of fog and smoke. After passing Goose Island we continued out towards Salmon Bank on a mission to find a minke whale or that humpback that has been hanging around since Sept 1st. As luck would have it another boat south of us at the southern tip of Salmon Bank beat us to it and found the humpback, BCZ0345 “Victory”. Seas were building from the west and there were some incoming swells. We did our best to find a comfortable position and still get some good views of the whale. We have yet to get a photo of the tail flukes of this humpback whale as it rarely flukes upon diving, and sadly we missed capturing a photograph of the one and only cartwheel the whale did as we were adjusting sails. On our return we zoomed by Whale Rocks in the strong flood current passing the Steller sea lions and by Deadman Island where harbor seals rested. The flooding current brought us back to Friday Harbor in good time.