Crisp and clear autumn sailing

October 22, 2020 – Sunshine and light to no window made our way North following the coastline to Point Caution and then cutting inside Nob Island to the inside of the Wasp Island up to Spring Pass. The islands are reflected in the calm waters and we saw black tailed deer and great blue herons. We were moving quickly with a report of minke whale near Sandy Point. There was also a report of Dalls Porpoise NE from Turn Point and a humpback south west from Turn Point, Stuart Island. We passed White Rock where a bald eagle watched from the top and caught the ebb tide at good speed to meet the minke whale. We had a couple of good views but direction of travel was unclear and we lost him and continued to loop around to Ripple Island.

There were more harbor seals on the beach of Ripple Island than I’ve ever seen, perhaps because of a commercial dive boat at the Cactus Islands. Ebb tide continued and we used it to drift silently into New Channel where the calm waters mirrored the forested coastline. Bald eagles were roosted along the way, Mouflon sheep grazed at the forests edge and five Steller sea lions sat on Green Point with their heads above the water waiting for the tide to lower. Sunset light came over the island as we came South in San Juan Channel on our return. A very peaceful October day on the waters of the Salish Sea.