Southern Resident Orcas with Mt Rainier backdrop

October 18, 2023 – Beam reach sail as we left Friday Harbor with an ebb current running and a light northerly wind. Jibing to run downwind wing on wing we cut inside Turn Island State Park. Two bald eagles overlooking quite a few harbor seals but interestingly three of their usual rocks had been taken over by a great many cormorants, mostly Bradts with a few double-crested. We continued sailing beam reach and wing on wing before adding power to keep moving South. We sailed again through Cattle Pass enjoying a fun pass of Whale Rocks were the Steller sea lions haul out. We came further South with a report of a minke whale, but didn’t find it. What we did spot through binoculars were the distant fins of Southern Resident Killer Whales with Mount Rainier as a backdrop. The Southern Residents were in Campbell River, North Georgia Strait, just a couple of days ago. Today they had come down Rosario Strait passing Lawrence Point at 10:30am. The whales were pointed Southwest but as I turned to head home I noticed more Northwest in their course. So we turned South for a while and stopped again to watch as they passed to the West. We could hear their blows clearly across the calm waters and many calls on the hydrophone although somewhat obscured by shipping traffic. It was lovely to watch and listen in the mirror calm conditions. Returning North sunshine met dark clouds and stronger Northerlies for a dramatic scene. We returned quickly to meet the last ferry to Orcas Island.