October 28, 2022 – There was an early morning report of a pod of orcas on the NW side of San Juan Island at 8:30am. The next sighting they were eastbound in Spieden Channel wrapping around the top of the island. When we left the dock they were near Neck Point on Shaw Island slowly eastbound. We decided to take Upright Channel to be ahead of them rather than trying to catch up from behind. It was a family of Biggs/Transient orcas known as the T36’s (T36 with daughter T36B and T36B’s three offspring). We hugged the beautiful Shaw coast and came inside of Canoe Island. We met the orcas as they exited Harney Channel. They seemed undecided on which direction to go at first but eventually chose to head southeast. They made a really fast kill presumably of a harbor seal and kept on going while gulls swooped in for scraps. The orcas continued south into Lopez Sound and we turned back around at Trump Island. On our return we drifted through the gap between Frost Island and Spencer Spit State Park and hugged the coast down from Upright Head. Winds picked up again giving us a peaceful sail back to Friday Harbor.
Bald eagle
Picnic Pt, Shaw Island
Mt Baker behind the clouds through Obstruction Pass
Captain Skye
Sailing along Shaw Island
Funky juniper tree on Shaw Island
Beautiful Shaw Island coastline
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s picking a direction in Upright Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s picking a direction in Upright Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Sailing with orcas
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s near Humphrey Head
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s swimming along Frost Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s swimming along Frost Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s swimming along Frost Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s swimming along Frost Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s swimming along Frost Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T36’s swimming along Frost Island
Sailing whale watching
Spencer Spit State Park, Lopez Island
Spencer Spit State Park, Lopez Island
Harbor seals on Flower Island
Black tailed buck
Bald eagle nest on Lopez Island
Sailing down from Upright Head, Lopez Island
Cormorants on the cliff
WA State Ferry
Route map 10-28-22