August 3, 2024 – With early morning reports of orcas inter-island we planned a course to help in the search to find them. A boat near Thatcher Pass said they could smell a predation so we figured the orcas were still in the area. As we exited Peavine Pass we hugged the Blakely shoreline admiring the scenery when suddenly off in the distance we spotted the orcas. They were in a large, tight group traveling north. Upon first glance we spotted T36A2 with the notch at the tip of the fin and knew the large male fin was not one we recognized. It turned out to be T117A with T117B’s and T172 – a foursome whom we haven’t “met” yet, and they were with the T36A’s (minus T36A1’s). What an exciting day! We paralleled the orcas as they traveled north passing a pair of nervous Steller sea lions at Lawrence Pt. The orcas made a sharp turn and headed quickly towards south of Matia Island and began to hunt a Steller sea lion. We continued our route around Orcas Island. At Pt Doughty a mink was running along the rocks and bald eagles dotted the coastline. We had a nice sail across the channel from the Wasp Islands.
