Sail to celebrate a 25th Anniversary. Downwind against the flood through Cattle Pass to meet incoming transient orcas, T46’s and T73A’s. We all ran the flood up the west side. We observed the kids playing with their food, a harbor seal lifted into the air. A great kerfuffle of bait fish, gulls, and rhinoceros auklets as the orcas surprised everyone surfacing from below the bait ball. Male orcas T46E was close alongside of T73A1 all day, with frisky playful contact. T46 born estimated 1964 was in the last live capture in Puget Sound’s Budd Inlet, Olympia, but was released. Thankfully instead of a life in captivity, she went on to have at least 6 offspring and is also a great-grandmother. We left the orcas north of Battleship, were watched by a Peregrine Falcon, and a fiery sunset through San Juan Channel. A great way to celebrate 25 years.
Wing on Wing sail to Cattle Pass San Juan Island
Black Oyster Catcher and Cattle Point Lighthouse
Harbor Seal
Transient, Biggs, Orcas T73A1 with T46E
One of the juvenile orcas playing with a harbor seal
Kids goofing around
Cormorant colony of Kellet Bluff
Transient, Biggs, Orca T73A1
Transient Killer whales T73A2, T73A3, and T46F goofing around
transients approaching Battleship Island
Close to shore at Battleship Island aiming for Spieden Island
Gulls and rhinoceros auklets feeding on a bait ball – but were interrupted by the transient orcas zooming underneath them
close up of the bait fish leaping away from the orcas
Transient killer whales T73A and T73A2
Orca headstand
Heading up Haro Strait
T73A1, T73A3, and T73A
T46 and T73A
Juvenile breach – I think this was T73A3 revealing he is a boy
T46E
Two males, T46E and T73A1 with frisky playful contact throughout the day (sea snake captured here from the male below the surface)
Peregrine Falcon
Bald Eagle
Flattop Island
Sunset over San Juan Islands from Wasp Pass
Sunset San Juan Islands – Yellow Island
tip of Mt Baker
Yellow Island sunset
Sunset skies over Yellow island – this is not photoshopped
Evening light sailing in San Juan Channel
Rain at Sunset in San Juan Channel
Rain on the horizon above the sunset
Sun shines below cloud layer
Rain at Sunset
Sunset Rain San Juan Island
Captain Barbara Bender
Sailing celebration for 25th year Anniversary
Sunsets beneath the rain
Turtleback Mountain, Orcas Island
ail to celebrate a 25th Anniversary. Downwind against the flood through Cattle Pass to meet incoming transient orcas, T46’s and T73A’s. We all ran the flood up the west side. We observed the kids playing with their food, a harbor seal lifted into the air. A great kerfuffle of bait fish, gulls, and rhinoceros auklets as the orcas surprised everyone surfacing from below the bait ball. Male orcas T46E was close alongside of T73A1 all day, with frisky playful contact. T46 born estimated 1964 was in the last live capture in Puget Sound’s Budd Inlet, Olympia, but was released. Thankfully instead of a life in captivity, she went on to have at least 6 offspring and is also a great-grandmother. We left the orcas north of Battleship, were watched by a Peregrine Falcon, and a fiery sunset through San Juan Channel. A great way to celebrate 25 years.