Yesterday's 5 hour trip included myself, a school teacher from Spokane and our dockhand Nick(a.k.a Biscuit). We left the docks at Roche and headed up Mosquito Pass, quickly earning our lunch with a flood tide and a stiff Southwesterly leaning against us..
On our approach to Kellet bluff we were passed by a handful of Northbound Orcas from the J-Pod. We were treated to a few tail slaps , a breach, and several instances where we held our breath as Orcas swam toward us, only to submerge and turn before reaching us. As the last members passed we shot through the tidal race around Kellet, emerging on the other side with 3 grins that, if placed side by side, would have nearly reached Victoria.
While riding the flood tide down the West side of Henry Island, we encountered numerous adult seals and their pups. Some pups were riding piggy back atop their mothers, a few were sunning in pairs on the rocks, and one solitary seal snoozed belly-up in the kelp bed. We lunched and skipped rocks at Half-Moon Bay, then continued down the coast, spotting a perched Bald Eagle at McCracken Point. We concluded our trip paddling through the calm waters between Posey and Pearl islands.
The trip was, in the end, just another epic day in paradise.