My first encounter with a whale!

[Antioch]

This is from an old e-mail I sent in 2001 when I lived in Honolulu aboard Luana, my 1969 Cal 2-24 sloop.  Enjoy.  I apologize for not editing it.  I remember retyping this at an internet cafe in Waikiki at 2am after losing it all after a brown out.. but here it is, as it was.


To-day it was a very rainy day in Honolulu.  I spent
the morning at the Zoo, looking at some of the native
Hawaiian animals on display there. 

However, at 1400, I was casting off Luana from her
slip. I've sailed every day this week, and only a couple of
eventful things have happened, but nothing has
compared quite to what happened to-day, the 8th of February.

I'd decided earlier that if anything was going to
happen to Luana: her keel falling off, her mast
snapping, or any of her rigging were to break, it had better happen in Hawaii where I could get repairs done quickly, and be able to be quickly rescued. So to-day, it was raining. I needed to test Luana out in these conditions. The NOAA forecast was for variable winds 5-15 from the north, much the same as the past few days, but there were numerous squalls about and I could see them.
I motor-sailed out of the channel with only Luana's main up and her engine revving just above idle. Half way down the channel I saw a big sea turtle swimming nearby. It went under and I didn't sea it again. I didn't know they were so large, but anyway, this was just a pre-curser or things to come. The wind was still very, very light, so I sailed close hauled to an anchorage in front of a very distinctive Catholic church in Waikiki. It has a 90 degree roof that shoots straight up into a point. I put the anchor into the water when I got to about 35 feet of depth. I could see the bottom clearly; mostly sandy, with reefs spread out all over. I sat up on the bow on top of the jib, and looked down at the anchor dragging. It just wouldn't catch on the sand, I don't know what I was doing wrong. Luana was pointed into the very light wind, but the anchor just slid harmlessly over the sea-floor. I got up when the anchor drag alarm sounded, and pulled up the anchor, hoisted the sails, turned about, and made a course for Diamondhead Buoy. The wind immediately picked up upon hearing the thunder, as if it was woken up. All of a sudden, the sea was foaming, and the waves got high. Luana healed over only slightly as I wasn't pushing her yet. She plowed through the waves with honour in an almost warlike determination to beat the sea! It began to rain steadily as I donned my foul-weather gear, and then, as I approached the buoy, I saw my first whale! I let out some sort of exclamation of glee and excitement, I must tell you! It was gone, however, before I grabbed my camera, naturally. It also didn't surface again, but never mind this. I had to cope with the storm that was causing Luana to heal over hard. I then broke my previous speed record of 5.0 knots and hollered out a, "hoorah!" This was only the beginning. I then pushed Luana to what I thought might be her limit, (not worrying that she might capsize, as she's sustained harder heals), I took her off the wind a big and let it push Luana to a speed of 6.3 knots! 7.0 MPH!!! A NEW record!!!!! The waves were pounding now, and Luana was flying over and through waves, many of them, coming right over the bow and adding to the rain's assault on keeping me dry! I decided I'd had enough as I was exhausted, and so put her closer to the wind, and Luana slowed down. Next, I noticed a large passenger ship, the Independence.. I tacked over and headed out to meet it, but only ended up trailing behind her. The great number of flash bulbs popping off let me know that I had been noticed by the people on board.[It gets better] I turned around and headed for home. It was 1800, and getting dark, I switched on my masthead and running lights to be seen. About 10 minutes later I noticed a sailboat coming from the opposite direction. I was feeling just great, and the rain had stopped, so I turned about and tried to race this other vessel, which unfortunately, had deployed a large genoa. Luana was no match with only her yankee and main out, and the other ship had about a +1.5 knot gain on me. So I swung round to go home. An hour later it was pitch black, although Honolulu was very bright to starboard. There was a thick layer of clouds, so it was almost as if I was sailing in a soot storm. The wind eventually did pick up, however, and for some reason, I was actually able to make an exact course for the harbour channel, when something extraordinary happened. I was sitting in the cockpit, with my foot on the tiller making small corrections, when I heard a sound like a steam boiler exploding! I actually felt it! IT WAS CLOSE! I bolted upright and looked in the direction I'd heard the noise and not 20 feet off to port of my bow was a huge whale surfacing yet again! This one was twice as long as Luana, probably fifty feet, and so wide, she looked like an elongated hippopotamus! The beast surfaced again so close I could see markings along the huge dorsal area and noticed with amazement the colossal tail and it went under, this time more stealthily. I prayed, very hard to god that I was not about to be destroyed by this magnificent creature who appeared to be in a unique position to demolish Luana and take me too! I didn't see it again, and the next few minutes I banged off a couple of phone calls on my mobile to tell some people..

Tomorrow, I've been challenged to race...

[Manannan]

An encounter with a whale has something magical. Looking in the eye of this magnificent animal is something that cannot be forgotten ever. I have seen quite a few in the Carribbean, but the most incredible encounters happened going down from SF to Mexico in November, sailing during the annual migration of the Grey Whales. They come down from Alaska every year to mate for some and to give birth for others. There is hundreds of them, up to 40 feet long, may be more. As they get closer to their ''winter resort'', they seem to gather and slow down. Then, you literally sail among them, sometimes have to change course, though they feel you, and will avoid you.  But it is always recommended to turn on the engine if one get too close, so they can move away or avoid to come up right under you !! I have seen them as close as 10 feet from the boat, looking at us, then diving down right under us.... That is very very frightful, you always wonder if they could misjudge their dive, and then  scratch you a bit. A little scratch for them will be a disaster for us... It is especially scary at dark, when sometimes you hear them blow, but cannot see them, or just can guess a very dark shape with phosphorescent shadow around it. Entering Magdalena Bay with 25 knots of head wind was something unforgettable. That is one of their gathering spot on the West side of Baja California. Males are known to jump up, vertically half their body off the water when the wind and sea are stormy.  It could be a male show off act for the females around  ::) and sure enough it is a spectacle that should impress them ! Anyway it did impress me at less than 50 feet away from the boat. I did not have my camera at hand of course, the wind was blowing, and the choppy sea was creating a foaming spray all over. Because of the whales we turned on the engine, we counted more than 15 at the entrance of the Bay. Figuring with all the joy due to their arrival at least, the wind and confused sea, the mating or delivery prospect  they must be pretty excited and could completely forget about us and we would be up for a head on collision. Later in the Bay we went for dinghy rides and got even closer to them.
The only time they could be dangerous is when they go back up with their young. Usually the calf stays close to his mom, but as every kid, he may wander around and if you sail between the mother and the young, she could get at you. The Young are the prey to killer whales who await them coming back north. Though they follow the shore very closely when they go back up.
Everytime I have seen them, which was every day for one month !! I felt so privilege, thankful  that if I have to give the reasons why I am living my wandering life upon the Oceans, that would be one of them.

[CapnK]

Just off the coast here is the Right Whale breeding/calving grounds, and every so often a pair (ma and calf) will come in pretty close to the beach. One year there was a pair who stuck around for a few days, so I sailed my Hobie 16 out there. I never tried to get closer than 1/4 mile or so, because I didn't want to be the victim of a whale attack ;D, but it was neat to watch them at even that distance, for an hour or so.

I also saw whales broaching when I lived in Hawaii - it is actually a fairly common sight out there. When something jumps out of the water a couple miles away, and you can still see both it and the splash it makes quite clearly, it makes you realize just how BIG they are...  :o

[AdriftAtSea]

The Stellwagen Marine Sanctuary is right off the coast here... and a great place to see right whales. :)