Eagles, Sea Lions and a Minke Whale

November 13, 2022 – After casting off we saw a harbor seal in the harbor, a Steller sea lion following us in our wake, and a pair of bald eagles perched together at the harbor entrance. We were off to a great start! We had plans to go north, but chilly winds looked stronger coming from the north so we changed course to go south instead with the wind behind us. It was a pleasant sail down the channel looking for diving birds along the way. We cut across to see what we could find along the Lopez coastline. There was a pair of bald eagles sharing a meal. Drift sailed through Deadman Island and over to see the Steller sea lions on Whale Rocks. A juvenile bald eagle was perched on the northern rock. There were several large bait balls busy with hundreds of birds feeding on bait fish south of Cattle Pass towards Salmon Bank. In the distance we spotted a minke whale surface near the birds. We held our position sailing into the strong ebb tide and watched as the minke surfaced all around us going from bait ball to bait ball. After some fantastic views it was time to start heading back. We headed back towards the Stellers to get another look and back inside Deadman Island again. As we went up the Lopez coastline we saw a group of buffleheads close to shore and a Peregrine falcon flying south. Cutting inside Turn Island we saw lots of harbor seals hauled out warming up in the sun.