Sail with T60s, T2B and T59 around D'Arcy Island and later in Spieden Channel

September 5, 2019 – What a beautiful day to be on the water. There was a playful pod of porpoise outside Friday Harbor soon after we set sail. The sounds of the ‘pphhhh’ could be heard all around as they surfaced nearby. Harbor seals were hauled out on the rocks resting as we sailed through the islands. Some of the exotic animals were out grazing on Spieden Island as we hugged the north shoreline in New Channel.

Hearing that a group of Biggs/Transient (mammal eating) orcas were in the area we crossed Haro Strait into Canada to get a look at them. The pod is known as the T60’s which includes newborn calf, T60G. This is the first orca with a “G” designation – it is the 7th known calf of T60 (born ~1980). Traveling with them was T2B (born 1979) and T59 (born ~1970) = eight orcas total.

The orcas had been circumnavigating D’Arcy Island for their second time when we arrived. It was a beautiful encounter listening to their exhales and watching their backlit blows dissipate into the air. The orcas looked to be crossing in the same direction as us towards Battleship Island, but they were traveling very slowly. It was time for us to make some tracks back towards the harbor.

Dinner was served near Sentinel Island next to the harbor seals snoozing on Sentinel Rock and the bald eagle watching from the tree above. While we were eating, the orcas had picked up the pace after we left and were actually opposite us on the other side of channel outside the entrance to Roche Harbor. We crossed Spieden Channel to travel with them. The whales looked to be in hunting mode as they were spread across the channel all the way to Green Pt. With sudden quickness the orcas changed course and grouped up rounding Spieden onto the north side.

We said good bye once again and made our way across towards Jones Island and down San Juan Channel. The sunset gave way to some spectacular skyscapes. It was stunning with the glassy waters and cloudy reflections in pastel colors. With a birthday cake and a cup of tea it doesn’t get much better than this.