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.

Yellowtail Tuna and Blue Whales

The three charters we embarked upon over the past month took us on exciting adventures to new places. Same as it ever was one might say, but it's not every day one gets to see Bahia Conception for the first time by boat, or trade 2.5 gallons of gasoline for a fresh yellowtail tuna, or view an 85 foot blue whale feeding on a large school of fish.


The above-mentioned yellowtail tuna. This was given to us on our first charter by some local Loreto fisherman in exchange for much needed gasoline for their return trip home (with a boat full of tasty fish). We extracted four very large fillets for fish tacos and ceviche.



Just outside the entrance to Bahia Conception, this blue whale surfaced in pursuit of a large school of bait fish. There were also approximately 100 dolphins chasing the same school of fish. The blue whale's blowhole is visible on the forward part of the whale by the head.


The tiny dorsal fin of the blue whale is becoming visible toward the tail of the whale. This blue whale was estimated to be 85 feet in length based upon the M/V Ursa Major's length of 65 feet.


Blue whales typically do not show their tail flukes when they dive and true to form, this one did not either. The wake from the upcoming dive is visible behind the whale where the tail is submerged beneath the surface.



We also visited Punta Pulpito, (north of Loreto and San Juanico Bay), for the first time. The snorkeling here was amazing with sea caves to swim through and new fish to discover.



While I snorkeled, Josh explored the sea caves in the skiff. An obsidian vein ran through the land above and around the sea caves and Josh was able to collect some beautiful pieces of obsidian.


Bahia Conception is full of tiny rock islands that made for excellent snorkeling and kayaking adventures. The island to the left of Josh was home to an excitable collection of brown pelicans, pelagic cormorants, magnificent frigatebirds, caspian terns, and black oystercatchers.



We spent two days at Bahia Aqua Verde awaiting a northerly blowing 30-35 knot winds down the Sea of Cortez. The M/V Ursa Major is visible in the foreground and rolling white caps are seen outside the bay.



To the far right of the M/V Ursa Major, a Mexican navy boat also took refuge in Bahia Aqua Verde.



Luckily, the anchorage offers spectacular hiking and scenery, not to mention a wonderful village to stroll through.



The local goat herd was also out for a stroll in the mountains surrounding Bahia Aqua Verde. The farmer who owns this herd produces fresh goat cheese for sale in the village's tienda.



The cemetary in Bahia Aqua Verde. This peaceful spot was located a mile back from the water's edge and is carefully maintained by local families.


While hiking between Bahia San Gabriel and Playa Bonanza on Isla Espiritu Santo, we found many agave plants with their greenish-yellow flowers in bloom. The flowering stalk was approximately 15 feet high. The recent rains have allowed the desert flora to flower early in the normally dry spring.

Seattle to Connecticut (and back) Holiday Road Trip

Ironically, we did not take many photos during our road trip. There always seemed to be something exciting going on that photos couldn't possibly do justice to, or people took photos for us. Here is a somewhat random assortment of the ones that survived the trip:


Josh and his father Jim worked hard over the holidays in Connecticut to restore a vintage Red Wing boat engine, (which was estimated to be over one hundred years old). The engine was found by Josh in a Seattle machine shop and transported to Connecticut in our Ford Focus.


Josh fabricated new pieces for the engine in his father's basement machine shop, including check valves and a fuel can.


The newly restored engine, complete with new/old ignition coil (Model T), new battery, and new paint job. With the assistance of Josh's brother Mike, the Haury men were able to get the engine to turn over and fire on our last day in Connecticut.


Christmas in Connecticut: Emily, Josh, Jim, Kathy, Megan, Ellison, and Mike


Emily learning to fire the new family Nerf automatic machine gun. Note the fired casings on the floor adjacent to the gun tripod.


Josh, already a master of the Nerf automatic machine gun, pondering his next move against Scooter the family dog.