Month: May 2020

May 2020 #3 – Birds & Seabird Sanctuary

The Pelagic Cormorant uses its own guano (feces) to solidify its nest materials and to cement its nest to the steep cliff face.

How delicious it is to dream away the night in a gently rocking boat. The NW breeze blew away all the mosquitos and flies so we could sit in the cockpit and enjoy the evening darken into starlit skies. Blue Parrot is moored off the southern end of Cortes Island when a morning message announces a whale closeby near the reef. Away we go, sailing on a NW breeze out into the Strait. We’ve reefed the mainsail just in case the wind strengthens and we’re moving along at 4 knots towards Mitlenach Island, the seabird santuary in the middle of Georgia Strait. No whales in sight as we pass the reef so we continue on a beam reach out past the island. But the wind is dropping and willy-wally wooing around from NW through S. So much for my cunning plan of circling the island under sail. However we do manage to sail to the SW side of Mitlenach where 3 species of cormorants have constructed nests of sticks on ledges and crevices in the steep cliffs.  The nests are large elaborate structures. They look like 40L vats. Dozens of cormorants are gurgling and grunting on the cliff while gulls wheel overhead keening and squawking. Further on 200m or so sea lions are barking and growling.

The sonorous sounds of Mitlenach’s roosting residents must be recorded without motor noise to mask them. “i’ll sail the boat so you can get sound as well as video” I say as Terry lines up the camera for a close pass by the bird rocks. A cormorant runs across the water like a “Jesus lizard” and takes flight. The light breeze swings to SE and then E as we reach the midpoint of the island. I gracelessly flap the sails through 180° as we pass sea lions in blubbery heaps piled on top of each other. “Can you manage another pass?” Terry asks. It takes 3 untidy tacks to turn around and find an approach that will take us close to the shore without landing us on it. Another round of barking and grunting and sails flapping ensues. The acrid stench of gull guano stings our nostrils.  We pass signs that warn in bright red letters “Trails closed, No Visitors”. The usual island nature guides are absent because of the corona virus. But nature is far from closed. Camas lilies are in flagrant yellow bloom. Life without human visitors is leafing out in more shades of luminous green than human eyes can perceive. Effusive purple and gold blossoms nestle against myriad mosses blanketing the rocks. No whales around today but here is so much flamboyant life.

We float offshore under a blue sky enjoying the view. All around us on Vancouver Island, the mainland and the islands to the north clouds dump showers over the land. It’s no surprise that cacti grow on Mitlenach in this rain shadow where winds cross each other. We sling our sunshade, a clear plastic tarp with a floral bedsheet velcroed to it, over Blue P’s boom and bungee it to the toe rails. Aaah, shade! relief from the intense sun. Time for a snack and an afternoon snooze. It’s a short snooze though. A sailor must always have her nose to the wind. When it shifts to NW I peek around the sun shade to watch a dark line on the water approaching from a distance. “Time to take down the sunshade. The wind’s coming” I tell Terry. We quickly dismantle it, batten the hatches and start the engine just as the wind hits.

“Turn it off! Turn it off!” yells Terry as the motor starts up ” Whhaaat? What’s Wrong” I stutter and kill the engine.

“The bubble boat rope’s around the propellor” Terry cries. “Oh No!” I groan as I spot the line pulled taut over the rudder and disappearing under Blue P’s stern. “Shit! We’re going to have to cut the line! I’ll get the sea snips”

“I’m going to try to unwrap it” Terry is reaching over the stern to grab the line. But the waves and wind are picking up. Blue P is on a beam reach under bare poles. The bubble boat line draws tighter.

“I’m going to cut the line” Terry yells “Get me the painter”

“Here’s the painter and here’s the sea snips. I’m going to swing us onto a downwind course to take the pressure off the rest of the line and the bubble boat.” I say as I grab the tiller and swing Blue P’s stern into the wind. The bubble boat eases along behind as Terry threads the painter through its bridle loop and secures it. He cuts the fouled polypro line pulling all the free line into the cockpit. “I think i can unwrap the other end” he says, reaching his long arms down into the waves. “Hold on!” I warn as the waves build and more wind rattles the halyards. “Got it!” Terry exclaims holding the problem line aloft. I cheer and start the engine listening carefully for any irregular rhythms in its familiar sewing machine patter. “Tick tick tick tick…. “Whew! sounds normal to me. We’ve got power.”

On a 335° compass heading, nose into the wind we take the meter high waves a quarter off our port bow. Amazing how quickly the waves build in the Strait. But quartering takes most of the pressure off the tiller and we make 2.94 knots in the 15 gusting 18 knots of wind. It’s enough to get us back to the sheltered waters behind Cortes Island where we fuel up to continue on towards home.

Now that the wind is blowing over the port beam it’s ripe for sailing again so Terry hoists the main and disappears below with his camera. I unfurl the jib and happily sail in a brisk breeze across Lewis Channel into the mouth of Malaspina Inlet. It’s a good day when you can hang out with critters AND sail.

May 2020 #2 – First Humpback Whale Sail

It’s finally our first cruise of the season. Our inflatable dinghy is held together mostly by glue, epoxy, 5200 and lots of repair hours. We offer prayers to the gods of small appliances “Please let him make it through another whale season.”  SV Blue Parrot is so far in pretty good shape. Unfortunately she hasn’t grown any over the Winter – still too small for Giant Terry.

We enjoy a few days at anchor in a beautiful bay to relax and get back into the rhythm of weather and tides. There is no cell or internet service in the Bay. Our VHF radio intermittently transmits weather statements from Environment Canada. Reception depends on Blue P’s position in the arc of her swing around her anchor.

We weigh anchor in light rain showers. An occasional breakthrough of sunrays through rainclouds plays rainbow prisms over dark mountains with snowy peaks. A report of a humpback whale near Cortes Reef comes in. “Let’s Go!” We’re on our way through Baker Passage when Terry shouts “Orca! They’re coming this way. 3, no 4 of them. I’ll get my camera.” He hands off the tiller to me after I’ve quickly grabbed my hydrophone gear. ”

They’re traveling really fast.” Terry announces. “They’re through the passage. Maybe they’re going to the rubbing beach – no they’re headed across to the mainland” I drop the hydrophone anyway in case the orca are vocalizing or communicating with others we can’t see.  I listen. “Nada. Maybe they’re hunting and they’re in stealth mode. They’re obviously mammal eaters” (Transient Biggs orca). I reel in the hydrophone.

Nearby, gulls are crying and swooping down in a frenzy! Guillemots and loons are also diving underwater at the same place. As we approach, bald eagles start flying in and grabbing fish from the surface. A Bait Ball is happening!! Herring or anchovy are being forced to the surface by salmon below them, making them available to aerial predators. S-c-r-e-e-e-e-e-ching eagle cries join with the gulls’ screaming in a cacophony of sound matching their chaotic flying and swooping. Soon there are a couple dozen eagles vying for fish and more keep coming! Where do they come from? Are there that many within sight of the bait ball? Or do they hear the sounds of birds or do they call each other, or . . .? Mysteries abound and every day in the natural world brings more questions we want to answer! Questions, questions, questions . . . always more and more!

There is a light SW breeze and the tide is with us so we float off Marina Island for a while and duck into the cabin to get out of the now intense midday sun. Terry sticks his head out  for a quick check just as 2 humpback whales breach off Francisco Pt. We fire up Lazarus (our WWII engine) and beetle over as fast as we can (4.85 knots/hr) while the whales breach and fin slap. 20 minutes later we arrive on the scene and carefully line up with the 2 recreational boats who have been enjoying the show. But the whales are finished being active. They proceed with their usual mode of activity when they are close to us – they go to sleep!

“OOOO Whale Breath” Terry groans as a piquant perfume of rotting fish with sulphurous accents wafts over us. But I am in whale heaven. I just love to BE around them even when they’re sleeping. Terry starts to talk about the challenges of shooting good video of whales from a sailboat. One of the whales gives a single gentle tail slap and both whales swim away.

Did we disturb them by talking? it’s so hard to know what that tail slap meant. [see Humpback Body Language Blog April 2020] We don’t follow them since they obviously left us.

The light SW daytime breeze is a harbinger of summer winds. We hoist the sails and sail to Drew Harbour on a broad reach. Sutil Channel is covid 19 quiet. There aren’t the usual fishing and tourist boats around. Our ears perk up – a breath. It’s another humpback whale – a smaller juvenile – and s/he is snoozing mid-channel. We sail serenely on.

Drew Harbour is a shocker. We round the end of the spit to find flotillas of flotsam and floating logs filling the anchorage. “It looks like a boom broke up in here” i say. We weave our way to our favourite anchorage and set the anchor  just as the tide starts to ebb and the wind switches to NW 10 – 20 knots.  Just in time! Sure cools off a hot day though.

 

May 2020 #1 – Lockdowns!

There are many kinds of lockdowns. Some are physical. Others are emotional, psychological, spiritual. Covid 19 started as a physical lockdown. But the lockdown itself is affecting the mental, emotional and even spiritual health of the human global population. Prisons of any kind, even the kindest kind will do that.

The economic restrictions have killed the usual May tourist rush here on the Salish Sea. With the Canada/US border closed to non-essential traffic yachts from Seattle are barred. Vancouver area boaters are mostly staying away although a few have been sneaking into anchorages in Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands. Fuel and pump outs can be accessed from some marinas but most limit traffic “from away” to the dock area – no mixing with the locals.

With tourists banned whale watching companies are advertising a shut down until Summer. However, some of the captains are still out on the water doing water taxi or other work. So they are sending reports to the network of any orcas, dolphins and whales that they come across. And some intrepid nature-loving souls are just hanging out with any cetaceans they find.

I’ve been anxious to get back on the water with the whales since April. The long winter and extended virus season have been opportunities for more research about other species of whales. All live intriguing and mysterious lives that we humans know so little about. I’ve also been corresponding with Jim Darling, co-founder of Whale Trust in Hawaii and an expert bioacoustician. I sent Jim the whalesong files that I recorded in November of 2019. Jim has done some fascinating research into the meaning of humpback whalesong, its function in humpback culture and its relationship to regional populations and migrations. The revelations of Jim’s research will help us to understand the role of whalesong in humpback relationships amongst males (who are the singers) and between males and females (who are choosing mates).

Jude and Terry find that the old law within the science hierarchy about not attributing emotional, problem solving and aesthetic capacity to any animal except homo sapiens still seems to be operating. Research projects which are granted funding follow the strict rules and metrics of stated factors and vectors with observations fitted into those boxes. This approach has proven very useful for specific information like population numbers, genetic tracing, food sources etc. But it is only one approach and has limitations. Other ways of gathering information ie: traditional indigenous knowledge and stories are barely acknowledged and not credited. Even in private conversation many scientists rarely let on that they might wander and ponder outside of their proposed Science-dictated hypotheses. We find this sad – mostly sad for the researchers who can’t explore their emotional and even spiritual connection to the beings they spend so much time studying.

Anyway, people have been observing the returning humpback whales mostly in Discovery Passage and venturing around Cape Mudge into Sutil Channel. It’s time to venture out for our first whale cruise of the season!