Lopez shore excursion, Minke Whale, & Humpback BCZ180 "Monarch" outside Friday Harbor

July 7, 2024 – After casting off we sailed south taking the narrow pass behind Turn Island. There were raccoons busy foraging for a bite to eat, a bald eagle perched in the trees, and many harbor seals hauled out including a mother with newborn pup. After passing the Steller sea lions at Whale Rocks we hopped over to drop anchor by Iceberg Pt and used our Bullfrog tender to visit the nearby beach on Lopez Island. We continued our sail around the south coast to Castle Island admiring the scenery as went. On our return we went to Salmon Bank and found a familiar minke whale. It looked like it could be a minke we lovingly called “Minke Mouse” over the years, but she is also known as “Dent” with a notch on the leading edge of the dorsal fin. We came back through Cattle Pass near the end of the flood tide and moved quickly north. As we rounded Turn Island our passenger spotted the blow of a humpback whale just outside Friday Harbor. We had some awesome views and identified the humpback whale as BCZ0180 aka “Monarch”. What a way to finish off our great day sailing.