September 2nd

This morning we had some of the best sailing yet this summer. A strong breeze caught the sail as we headed down Johnstone Strait into Blackfish Sound, the children on board squealing with delight as light spray splashed over the bow heightening the scenes as we searched for whales. The Dall's porpoises were in high spirits as they chased after the SV Tuan, darting and diving in front of the bow their white underbellies glowing under the water. No sooner had the porpoises moved on then we saw our first humpback blow just a few hundred meters in front of us, it could not have been timed better! We watched in awe as the young humpback whale cartwheeled and splashed, making the most of the fun weather. As if all this was not exciting enough we then encountered the A30's, a family group of 9 resident orcas, as they clustered together to rest, diving and surfacing together as they slowly traveled through the islands. The homeward journey was just as exciting as we encountered a second humpback whale and then a large group of Steller sea lions hauled out on a near by island.