A Whale-tastic Adventure

Our last charter in the Sea of Cortez this spring was not a charter in the usual sense. The M/V Ursa Major was used as the mothership for a documentary film crew for two weeks in April.


The subjects of interest were sperm whales and Humboldt squids. During the day, we followed and tagged sperm whales utilizing suction cup tags. At night, we chummed the waters for the elusive Humboldt squid with both bait and large sodium lights.

We spent the majority of the trip near Isla San Pedro Marttir, (above), which is located in the north-central Sea of Cortez. This unique island is home to many bird species and California sea lions.

The following photos are a small sample of the species we saw on our trip. Enjoy!

SPERM WHALES

FIN WHALES

PILOT WHALES

BLUE WHALES










COMMON BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

S/V Estrella Goes For A Ride

Before we left for our last charter in the Sea of Cortez, Josh and I had our beloved S/V Estrella hauled out of the water in La Paz. We will be leaving her out of the water on the hard until we return to La Paz in the fall.


The approach to the travel lift for the haulout. We only had a short drive between the dock and the travel lift but the haulout took longer then expected because we had to locate and/or wake up all the yard workers.


The yard workers are here visible preparing the straps for the travel lift. The straps were lowered into the water and we drove S/V Estrella into the cradle created by the lowered straps.


Once the straps were properly positioned as to not catch on the rudder or damage the propeller, S/V Estrella was lifted straight out of the water until the keel cleared. Then the entire travel lift moved down to the haulout yard.


The four wheels of the travel lift moved independently, which allowed for sharp turns around sometimes awkward corners. Here the travel lift is seen making a wide right turn into the haulout yard.


Upon being lifted out of the water, it was great to see our bottom paint had prevented all but the most tenacious bottom growth from sticking. A ten minute pressure wash took care of any residual bottom growth.


The yard workers brought out their brand new tractor to move any objects in the way of the travel lift. Mostly though, I think they enjoyed riding around in the tractor.


Nothing like taking your boat for a walk.

Whale Shark Fun

The whales sharks returned to the Bay of La Paz in March. Josh and I wasted no time in going out to visit them.



The largest whale shark we found was approximately thirty feet in length. We both jumped in for a snorkel and found that this gentle giant was followed by his own school of fish. Part of the school is visible in the above photo as the light area below the tail of the whale shark.