[CINC] CX, Sun. 4/26/09, 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. trips

[Mary Bucholtz]

With apologies for the delay, here's a quick report of the Sunday  
trips on the Condor, starring Cap'n Dave and Barbara LaCorte and Cal  
Meuser on photo ID.

9 a.m. trip

3 humpbacks
sea lions
no dolphins

12 p.m. trip

7+ humpbacks (with many more blows in the distance)
sea lions
lots of pelicans swooping around the boat
no dolphins

3 p.m trip cancelled

On the 9 a.m. trip, the captain got word of humpbacks mid-channel, so  
we skipped the coast and headed straight out. We stayed with the same  
3 whales the entire time. For the noon trip, we headed right back out  
and ended up surrounded by several groups of whales on all sides as  
they fed on the abundant krill (thanks to Saturday's wind and  
upwelling). We got a full sensory experience--we got good close looks  
at flukes, fins, and heads as the whales often came near the boat, we  
could hear them trumpeting when they came up for air, and they favored  
us with repeated blasts of their unforgettable whale breath.  
Enthusiastic passengers from England, Switzerland, Hungary, France,  
Denmark, Ohio, Boston, Dallas, and Santa Barbara kept us busy with  
LOTS of questions, and some blissed-out six-year-olds with handmade  
cetacean field guides shrieked "Awesome" every time a whale popped up  
(i.e., every couple of minutes). A great day!

Mary Bucholtz