Meeting the T65A Biggs Orca Family at Presidents Channel

August 23, 2018 – We sailed north today across San Juan Channel to Yellow Island where we found bald eagles on the east spit foraging on a dead harbor seal pup. Moving onto the west side spit there were many harbor seals warming on the beach. Continuing up the channel we headed west in New Channel along the north shore of Spieden Island. We found Mouflon sheep grazing at the foot of the cliffs. Black oyster catchers were resting on the rocks near the Cactus Islands and harbor seals played peek-a-boo in the kelp forest between the islands. A bald eagle watched us drift by from the ancient aspen grove on Ripple Island. We then heard news of transient orcas at Pt Doughty. We sailed to Gull Rock, Flattop Island, White Rock and Pt Disney. We then crossed Presidents Channel to meet the T65A’s minus T65A3 and T65A4. We travelled alongside down the channel and stopped to watch as they hunted in Spring Pass. It was a dramatic hunt with many tail slaps, breaches, and spy hops with involvement of the young approx 5 month old calf, T65A6. They continued circling Jones Island and moving on to Yellow Island where they hunted again at the west spit. With the high tide many of the seals were in the water. We had a good close hauled sail down the channel passing Friday Harbor and briefly rejoining T65A2 as he batted a harbor porpoise in the air. We left to return via Turn Island passage as the sun turned to deep pink and the landscape layered in shades of the smokey haze from the countries forest fires.