What a gorgeous Pacific Northwest morning we had! With the sun shining and the water calm, the Marauder IV set out in search of some magnificent marine mammals. A dense fog bank to the West and South led to our beautiful motor yacht to head East. Just over the fog bank, passengers were able to see the snow capped mountains of Washington State’s Olympic National Peninsula.
There had been sightings of a few Harbour Seals in the area and the passengers were lucky to catch a glimpse of this small marine mammal just East of Discovery Island. The Harbour Seal is one of the smallest marine mammals in the world. Coming in at a length of only one and a half meters, these mammals are a tasty snack for some of the Transient Killer Whales.
Making it’s way past the San Juan Island, the Marauder IV arrived near Lopez Island just off Whale Rocks where some disturbance in the water caught the eye of Captain Ian. We were on scene with a colony of Steller Sea Lions! Not related to land lions, however, these mammals roar very loud and certainly got the attention of the passengers on board. On the same rocks as the Steller Sea Lions was a pair of Bald Eagles. With a wing span of approximately two meters, these huge birds are hard to miss!
The Marauder IV then made her way back into the beautiful Victoria Harbour where the Swiftsure Yacht Race contestants are beginning to gather for the race this weekend. Check out our blog post for more info on the event!