September 16th

What began as a wet misty still morning ended in a windy clear sunny afternoon! Off we headed into the north-westerly wind with our stay sail up. Crossing Weynton Passage we encountered both Dall's and Harbour porpoises and also a few harbour seals were observed, lying upon some rocky beaches of the Pearse islands. Steller Sea Lions were hauled out on an island and we were soon past them,  moving with the momentum of a fast flowing ebb current. The sight of a blow of a lone humpback whale caught everyone's attention, and then two more blows further over were seen. Our attention was even more heightened by the breaching activity of the  pair of Humpback Whales, a mother and calf. Pectoral fin waving was also seen and as we drew nearer we could also see that some Steller Sea Lions were also with them swimming along, rolling over and to seemingly play with the Humpbacks. It was an exhilarating experience, the seas were swirling, such was the effect of the wind and current, creating waves in which Humpback Whales seem to reveal in and celebrate exuberantly. And so with these vivid images of full breaches by both mother and calf, firmly imprinted in all our minds (passengers and crew) we headed for home via the Sea Lions, enjoying them all the more while relaxing in the sun, partaking in our traditional Devonshire Tea.