A minke on Salmon Bank and a humpback headed for Hein Bank

July 13, 2020 – Today we had a Lopez pick up and another fun sailing adventure. Earlier in the morning a humpback whale had gone south passing Friday Harbor and had just exited Cattle Pass. We decided to go south as well hugging the Lopez shoreline on our way to Cattle Pass. Harbor seals were resting with their pups on Deadman Island and a bald eagle stood atop the island. When we passed by Whale Rocks we were surprised to see two male steller sea lions since many had departed the area about a month or so ago to head to breeding grounds. They typically return around September.

Conditions were nice with a light breeze so we headed over to Salmon Bank to scan for minke whales. Birds were grouped up in many locations actively feeding, but no minke whales were amongst them. Instead we spotted one individual milling back and forth but he wasn’t engaged in any feeding. With news that another humpback whale was spotted by the RA buoy we set a course to the south. We had a lovely sail with the humpback as he/she trended up towards Hein Bank. This whale didn’t appear to be in our catalogue so the ID is unknown. As we sailed over the top of Hein Bank we spotted a minke whale to the west, but it was time for us to head back east.

As we crossed back over Salmon Bank a minke popped up abeam of us but never reappeared nearby. Birds were still actively feeding in large groups and we scanned for minkes again, but no luck. A bald eagle was perched on top of Cattle Point Lighthouse as we sailed by, and cormorants, gulls, and black oystercatchers were busy doing their thing on Goose Island. Back to the beach north of Fisherman’s harbor to drop off our passengers before crossing the channel back to Friday Harbor.