A Memorial sail with Biggs/Transient Orcas T49A's

August 21, 2025 – Today we had a special memorial sail with three lovely ladies who grew up sailing in these waters with their father. In all those years they don’t recall ever seeing a whale. Well, today that changed. Our sail was just magical. Biggs/Transient orcas from the T49A family (minus T49A1 and T49A2) happened to be northbound in San Juan Channel and were approaching Pear Pt. We came through the narrow pass around Turn Island and saw the orcas offshore circling the rocks. To our surprise they came inshore of us and circled the rocks in some very shallow water. They gave us an incredible pass as they chose to continue through the narrow pass like we had just done. It isn’t often that orcas take this narrow channel so it was very exciting seeing them do so. We sailed across to Turn Rock to see the sea otter who has been hanging out there for the last three days or so. He/she was busy eating urchins. Sailed across to Shaw Island and back towards Friday Harbor. We heard the orcas had gone in through the south entrance to Friday Harbor and came out the north entrance. We spotted the blows up ahead as they cruised up the San Juan Island coastline. We got one scene once again and paralleled the orcas northbound. After Pt Caution they moved into the middle of the channel and seemed to be socializing near a bunch of kelp and driftwood floating in the channel. They continued through the Wasp Islands, came around Yellow Island, over the top of McConnell Island, headed eastbound in Wasp Passage and eventually took the narrow Pole Pass. A stunning encounter with a beautiful sunset. A very special sail.