Closer to The Boat, Part 2

Friday morning, August 23rd, 2019. We're heading out in a bit on this cloudy and rainy day. A boat full of 49 people leaving out of Anacortes with Blackfish Tours. One thing I have realized on this trip to Seattle, is that even the most dismal of cloudy days - and at least half of the days started out dismal looking & cloudy/rainy, only to turn into these gorgeous sunny days with perfect temperatues, even the rainy & clouds couldn't lessen the sheer beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It just isn't possible - that beauty is too strong.

I stood on the balcony just outside the tour office after signing a waver that said Blackfish tours could not be held liable or accountable in the unfortunate event that anyone got injured or worse. I knew we'd all return safely, but I also knew that there are much worse ways to perish than out on the waters of the incredibly beautiful Salish Sea. I'm no stranger to being around the Ocean, having grown up half of my childhood in Southern California living close to the beach, and sometime right on the strand. The Salish Sea and the shorelines that surround it are the most beautiful places I have ever seen and I've known this for many years just seeing pictures, now I know it standing here looking out:

The photo here, is from the day before we headed out onto this water. It was sunny that day - but I assure you that this is a beautiful sight even on a colder rainy day. I couldn't escape the thought of what is out in those waters, no matter how many times I looked at shorelines like this one.

It seemed like it took forever for all of the people who were going out on this tour to assemble so that we could leave. I'm a grown man and my anticipation for getting out there goes far beyond what I can describe. What if we didn't see any whales? The guy who captained the 45 foot boat we were going out on, seemed confident at first:

"Well, we haven't been skunked yet - not this year"..."I don't know about the black & whites - but I know we'll see something...a gray whale, Stellar Sea Lions, maybe a Bald Eagle or two..."

As I took in what this guy was saying, I tried to prepare myself for the possiblity of not seeing any of the animals that I hoped to see. No black & whites? Oh man, that would be disappointing. I keep telling myself how amazing it feels to be on this Salish Sea, looking around and knowing what things live out here in these waters - and how beautiful it is looking at the shorelines and out into the great expanse of these waters. Ok, this may just have to do. Just look around you. They're out there, somewhere, and whether or not I get to see them, seeing this is still amazing.

The boat slows down, our Captain tells us that around 11 o'clock off our bow, there's a Gray Whale spouting. Some of us look out and instantly see part of the whale's head, along with the vertical tower of mist of warm air from the whale's lungs forming a tall misty cloud in the air. Then the whale disappears, down into the shallow water to scoop up vast amounts of mud from the bottom of the bay. The mud, we're told by our naturalists on board today, has loads of tiny ghost shrimp. The whale scoops up the mud, filters out the shrimp and gulps 'em down.

Another spout, way off our bow. Some of the people on the boat yell out - much like they would do if they were sitting in an arena at Sea World. Me? I stand there in silence and complete awe - my heart is racing, this is incredible - yet all I'm seeing are little parts, glimpses of an animal that can weigh 30-40 tons and be nearly 50 feet long. Tiny glimpses of this beast's head, back and tail - and then nothing, I wait.

Every second of waiting in anticipation thrills me. This isn't my favorite whale, but it is no less amazing to see out here in these waters, and I want more - like everyone else on this boat. While I can relate to how thrilled the others on board are, I wish for silence - because hearing the quiet of these waters break with the sound of this huge, beautiful creature surfacing to breathe is as much of a treat for the ears, indeed to soul, as seeing what you see in front of you in the picture above. I know, it's not a great photograph - and yet it is. It is because it is a visual record of what I saw yards in front of me on that day. Some more glimpses - see for yourself, and try to imagine the sense of wonder you'd get if you're standing on that boat seeing and hearing this.

I've tried to leave as much of the original photo in here, so that one can get a sense of the expanse of this bay, contained as it was. It still allowed this huge animal to roam about. You see something like this, then you look around in wonder - and you hope you see more.

"Okay, whale sighted, goal reached - that's it folks, we're going home now.", says our captain from up on top. A few people laugh - the guy was personable and likeable. I suppose I cracked a smile, but all I can think of is how much more I want, how grateful I am for what I've just seen - even if this is the end of it. Because I am. 

Not sure if you can see in these photos, but there was a light rain falling here. I don't think it ever stopped while we sat there watching and waiting - and I'm sure it didn't matter to any of us. One more of a quick glimpse of the whale's tail - but believe me, I snapped quite a few shots here with various sizes of what this whale put above the surface.

There are more from this part, but you get a sense of what we were seeing that day. It could have ended here, and if it had, there would still be a boat ride back to the harbor with all the breathtaking scenery and the knowing that they're out there - living in these waters. There is enough vast expanse of ocean here that I could have easily not seen even this. But I did, we all did that day - and I feel better for having seen it - and I'm not going to lie about it, I want more - much more.

I'll post the third, and for now, final installment from that day after I get a few things done around here that I need to address on my return home. If any of this has moved any of you thus far, I assure you that the final installment will do much more.  Peace, good people.

CRO