July 23, 2025 – With fog to the south we headed north. There was a report of 2-3 humpbacks moving east in Boundary Pass so kept with the strongest part of the flood current and met two of them west of Sandy Pt. While we were watching the humpback whales a family of Biggs/Transient orcas known as the T65B’s were seen south of Blunden Island heading our direction. We met the orcas and sailed alongside listening to their exhales. After breaking away we motor sailed south to Ripple Island and drifted through the Cactus Islands in the strong current checking out harbor seals, many with pups, and bald eagles. Sailed across to Flattop Island where we found many pigeon guillemots on the north side and one of the eaglets now out of the nest on the south side. Returned through Spring Pass and the Wasp Islands.
Note; Our Humpback photos were uploaded to HappyWhale.com and will update if ID’s are determined
Bigg’s/Transient orcas T65B with son T65B1 in Boundary Pass
Fog with Turn Island near Friday Harbor
Bald eagle, San Juan Island
Ferry with fog outside Friday Harbor
Sailing in Boundary Pass
Humpback whale #1 eastbound Boundary Pass
Humpback whale #2 eastbound Boundary Pass
Humpback whale #2 eastbound Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orcas T65B’s in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orca T65B1 in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orcas T65B with son T65B2 in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orca T65B3 in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orcas T65B with son T65B1 in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orcas T65B2 and T65B3 (brothers) in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orca T65B2 in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orcas T65B2 with T65B1 surfacing in Boundary Pass
Bigg’s/Transient orca T65B1 in Boundary Pass
Harbor seals by Ripple Island in New Channel
Harbor seals by Ripple Island in New Channel
Harbor seal fanning out flippers
Harbor seals with glacial erratic, Ripple Island
Drifting through New Channel in strong currents
Harbor seal resting by the Cactus Islands
Harbor seals and pups resting by the Cactus Islands
Bald eagle below nest, Little Cactus Island
Bald eagle flyover Spieden Island
Bald eagle, Cactus Island
Harbor seal with tiny pup way up high on the rock
Flattop Island
Pigeon guillemots, Flattop Island
Bald eagle, Flattop Island
Harbor seal mom and pup, Flattop Island
Speckled brown harbor seal, Flattop Island
Bald eagle chick fledged the nest! Flattop Island
One bald eagle chick still in nest, Flattop Island (but not visible in photo)
Route map 7/23/25