Sailing south with seals, sea lions and a minke whale

June 15, 2021 – When we left Friday Harbor we sailed south taking the outside of Turn Island and riding the ebb current down to Big Rock. A couple tacks brought us to Deadman Island and then out to Whale Rocks to see the Steller sea lions. The number of harbor seals far outweighed the number of sea lions since majority of them left to go to the rookery for breeding season. There was a mix of juvenile sea lions and a couple big males hanging around. One sea lion was engaged in thrashing a fish around who was surrounded by gulls looking for scraps. We headed out to Salmon Bank and got a few quick looks at one minke whale – a familiar one we’ve seen over the years who has a nick on the leading edge of the dorsal fin. One whom our passengers nicknamed “Minke Mouse” about four years ago. There was another minke whale on the bank actively feeding. We got some really great looks at the whale as s/he surfaced repeatedly in bait balls. After looking at the photos we noticed it has a small chunk taken out of its back behind the dorsal fin as well as lots of white spots on both sides of the body. We’ll be keeping an eye out for him or her during future minke encounters. On our way back we passed by Goose Island to see the nesting cormorants and returned via the inside of Turn Island. Harbor seals were hauled out catching some Z’s and a family of raccoons were busy foraging along the beach.