Whale watching in New England
 

I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out to
Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests a
taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.

--
Roger Long

Whale watching in New England
 

With the cans floating in the water and the Just Married sign on the transom
?? Might be against the mammal act.

================================================== ===============
"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests
a taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything,
etc.

--
Roger Long

Whale watching in New England
 

* Roger Long wrote, On 3/7/2007 7:02 PM:
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and
guests a taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.


Watching whales up close from a small boat is rather stressful. I've
done it a few time, but if you want a really good view, get a mooring
at P-town, and pay the pros.

However, with a bit a luck and nerve, and a telephoto lens, you can
get shots like these, three years ago:
http://www.sv-loki.com/Whales/whales.html

Last year (forth and fifth pics) we went through several small groups.
Unfortunately I only had a small pocket camera with me:
http://www.sv-loki.com/Summer_06/summer_06.html

Perhaps you could make the trip down to P-town. You'll pass through
several prime whale spots, and if you don't find any you can take the
tour. Cape E is a long day from Cape Ann, and then its another day
over to P-town.

Whale watching in New England
 

"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:02:11 -0500, "Roger Long"

said:

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like
whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything,
etc.

Haven't done it by sailboat, but a few years ago took one of the whale
watching cruises out of Provincetown, and noted that the boats run by
that
company communicate by VHG to tell one another of the locations of
sightings.

VHG? Some kind of new radio frequency?

Wilbur Hubbard

Whale watching in New England
 

Hey Jeff ,, he can go on down to Walmart and see a whole pod of em. I'd
start with the beauty aids department. Usually a couple of Sperm whales
swimming about in that department.

Then, move to toys. The young whales like to gather over there.

For a real treat, head to the gun rack. You are garanteed to see a few big
males thrashing about.

As Roger heads out, he must stop at cd's, movies, and electronics.

Roger will see whales of every ethnic group in cd's.

Now is the time to check out sewing material. The whales here are very
docile, you can pet them.

Ok ... time to head past photo, toward the check out line.

Wow... look at those whales. And they are carrying large amounts of
plastic!

On the way to the car, keep a sharp eye for the elusive lazy blue eyed
mosters. They can be spotted smoking in very old
cars with the engine on.


There ya go. Anytime of year is a good time for whale watching at the
Walmart.

================================================== ========
"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
* Roger Long wrote, On 3/7/2007 7:02 PM:
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and
guests a taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything,
etc.


Watching whales up close from a small boat is rather stressful. I've done
it a few time, but if you want a really good view, get a mooring at
P-town, and pay the pros.

However, with a bit a luck and nerve, and a telephoto lens, you can get
shots like these, three years ago:
http://www.sv-loki.com/Whales/whales.html

Last year (forth and fifth pics) we went through several small groups.
Unfortunately I only had a small pocket camera with me:
http://www.sv-loki.com/Summer_06/summer_06.html

Perhaps you could make the trip down to P-town. You'll pass through
several prime whale spots, and if you don't find any you can take the
tour. Cape E is a long day from Cape Ann, and then its another day over
to P-town.

Whale watching in New England
 

"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:53:55 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
said:

company communicate by VHG to tell one another of the locations of
sightings.

VHG? Some kind of new radio frequency?

Take a look down at your keyboard and see what letter is right next to
the
G. Then see if your small brain can add 2 and 2.

I looked and I saw an "H" right next to the "G". So you're saying they
kept in touch by VHH? My question remains, is that some new radio
frequency?

Wilbur Hubbard

Whale watching in New England
 

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:02:11 -0500, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out to
Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests a
taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.

We cruised the rhumb line from Portsmouth, NH to Provincetown two
years ago in our trawler, and saw so many whales in one day that we
lost count. Scan the horizon with good binocs and look for spouting
and sounding. Both are visible from several miles away. Also, as
you get closer to PT watch to see where the professional whale
watching boats are congregated. Other clues are clusters of birds and
signs of deep water upwelling.

For a sure thing take one of the big whale watching boats from Bar
Harbor. They know exactly where to go, and have very knowledgable and
informative guides.

Whale watching in New England
 

Roger Long wrote:
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and
guests a taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.


I haven't done it myself, but the Boston Sailing Center has a "Whale Watch"
itinerary on their website, so presumably other sailboats have. The whale
watching leg traverses Stellwagen Bank between P-Town to Gloucester. Looks
like a long day of sailing. I don't know if it is publicly accessible, but the
itinerary is he
http://bostonsailingcenter.com/cruis...itinwhale.html

--
Chuck Cox
SynchroSystems - embedded computer design - http://synchro.com

my email is politician-proof, just remove the PORK

Whale watching in New England
 

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:02:11 -0500, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out to
Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests a
taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.

Being a left coast sailor, I know nothing of the New England whales,
but the ones that frolic in Monterey Bay are quite approachable in a
sailboat. Although your boat might lack the speed to keep up with
them, it is more than offset by the ability to actually hear them when
they blow - an awesome experience! Of course, I'd also like to
believe that the whales prefer nice quiet sailboats rather than noisy
throbbing diesels...

Finding them to begin with can be the hardest part. Their spouts are
easy to spot at a distance when the sea is flat, but then there's no
wind to sail up to them. It's more difficult from the deck of a small
boat in a swell. Sending someone up the mast would probably work, but
who would want to risk it while offshore? The best plan might be to
follow the whale-watching boats, as they are far easier to spot on the
horizon. Once they stop flying along and just seem to be sitting
there, you can be pretty sure they've spotted something.

If you devote a day to this adventure, your guests would certainly get
a taste of offshore life, but you should realize that your quest for
whales might well proof fruitless. Indeed, our closest encounter with
a pair of blue whales was wholly unexpected: Enoying a long upwind
tack, looking aft, I saw them surface less than a quarter mile away.
Then, after 40 seconds or so, they surfaced again, but closer this
time. They were following us! As the minutes went by they got
progressively closer, until one of them surfaced about 50 feet
astearn. It was as big as the boat! It took a breath and dove, and
then, for the next minute everyone was looking everywhere at once.
Where'd it go? Would it hit the boat? Without a noisy motor, did it
even know we were there? And what about the other whale; where was
that one? The frantic searching gradually subsided as the eventless
minutes ticked by. Our two friendly whales had sounded and were gone.

-- John

Whale watching in New England
 

In article ,
Dave wrote:
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:53:55 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
said:

company communicate by VHG to tell one another of the locations of
sightings.

VHG? Some kind of new radio frequency?

Take a look down at your keyboard and see what letter is right next to the
G. Then see if your small brain can add 2 and 2.

H, T, Y, B, V, and that's just on a QWERTY keyboard!


--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

Whale watching in New England
 

"Roger Long" wrote in
:

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like
whether public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing
anything, etc.


It was 3AM. I'm alone on the midwatch about 90 miles off the Georgia
coast headed North to Charleston in an Endeavour 35 behind the helm about
half asleep on a nice broad reach with a steady breeze and 4'
seas.....staring at the blank Raymarine display.

The usual slapping of the waves against the hull and wind in the rigging
is suddenly, unexpectedly, broached by this huge air venting out in the
pitch black, inky darkness straight out to starboard. This is followed
by a HUGE splash in the dark that sounds like a fast attack submarine
doing an emergency blow and jumping out of the water at full ahead.....at
least it did sitting there alone just off the waves lapping at the stern
right behind me.

Larry had NO trouble staying awake until past dawn, his watch long over
as he let Lloyd, the only other sailor aboard, sleep in the v-
berth....his system supercharged with pure adrenalyn surging through his
arteries. Even my toes tingled.

It must have been one of your buddies headed for the P-town
tourboats....far away.

Larry
--
Too many Mexicans ahead of you in line? Sneak around behind a rack and
yell, "ICE Immigration! Everyone stand where you are!"

Just drive your cart past the unattended carts to the checkout belt....
(c;

Whale watching in New England
 

On Mar 8, 1:24 am, jfr wrote:
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:02:11 -0500, "Roger Long"

wrote:
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out to
Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests a
taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.

Being a left coast sailor, I know nothing of the New England whales,
but the ones that frolic in Monterey Bay are quite approachable in a
sailboat. Although your boat might lack the speed to keep up with
them, it is more than offset by the ability to actually hear them when
they blow - an awesome experience! Of course, I'd also like to
believe that the whales prefer nice quiet sailboats rather than noisy
throbbing diesels...

Finding them to begin with can be the hardest part. Their spouts are
easy to spot at a distance when the sea is flat, but then there's no
wind to sail up to them. It's more difficult from the deck of a small
boat in a swell. Sending someone up the mast would probably work, but
who would want to risk it while offshore? The best plan might be to
follow the whale-watching boats, as they are far easier to spot on the
horizon. Once they stop flying along and just seem to be sitting
there, you can be pretty sure they've spotted something.

If you devote a day to this adventure, your guests would certainly get
a taste of offshore life, but you should realize that your quest for
whales might well proof fruitless. Indeed, our closest encounter with
a pair of blue whales was wholly unexpected: Enoying a long upwind
tack, looking aft, I saw them surface less than a quarter mile away.
Then, after 40 seconds or so, they surfaced again, but closer this
time. They were following us! As the minutes went by they got
progressively closer, until one of them surfaced about 50 feet
astearn. It was as big as the boat! It took a breath and dove, and
then, for the next minute everyone was looking everywhere at once.
Where'd it go? Would it hit the boat? Without a noisy motor, did it
even know we were there? And what about the other whale; where was
that one? The frantic searching gradually subsided as the eventless
minutes ticked by. Our two friendly whales had sounded and were gone.

-- John

John,

My west coast whale watching experiences have been off Vancouver and
Ft. Bragg, CA and in those cases, the whales were migrating. The
animals were not stopping to feed (at least I didnt see them stop). I
have also gone several times out of Cape Anne to Stellwagen Bank and
seen dozens of whales just having a great time munching down on the
sand lances. In those cases, it was easy to see the whales once you
were in right place. The commericial outfits offer free trips if you
get skunked when you are out with them, and based on my experience, I
seriously doubt they pay off very often.

To the original poster, I agree with what others have said, find out
what channel the commericial outfits are on, watch for their boats and
watch for large gathering of birds. The birds congregate a lot around
the bubble nets that the whales make to hold the fish in one spot.
Everytime I have been out there, the water surface was like glass, so
seasickness should not be an issue (standard cautions about weather
reaching up and biting us anytime anywhere) I am sure your guests will
have a great time. I have seen teenagers too cool to hang with adults
and completely repulsed at the idea of being on the water for hours
with adults just go completely nuts and totally enjoy the
experience.

John

Whale watching in New England
 

I have encountered whales many times from my sail boat in the Bay of fundy.
Most times I am looking for them but sometimes they just show up. We have
sailed beside a mother Right Whale and calf and witnessed (from a distance)
a male Right whale going through his mating ritual. We have had a Humpback
come up under our boat and give us a shower when he blew. That was nerve
wracking. I have seen many Fin Backs and most recently had a pair of Hump
Backs surface right beside our boat in an anchorage near the island of
Esprito Santo in the Sea of Cortez. When watching whales the main purpose
is to not get too close to interfere with them. I find a lot of whale
watching boats crowd the whales too much in an attempt to give their guests
the altimate experince but with the number of boats competing for
passenegrs, they seem to forget the ultimate purpose of the trip. Most
boats will stay back and wit their turn but I have seen as many as ten boats
trying to get close to one whale. Yes they do have their own VHF channel and
give locations by minutes of a degree.


"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Roger Long" wrote in
:

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like
whether public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing
anything, etc.


It was 3AM. I'm alone on the midwatch about 90 miles off the Georgia
coast headed North to Charleston in an Endeavour 35 behind the helm about
half asleep on a nice broad reach with a steady breeze and 4'
seas.....staring at the blank Raymarine display.

The usual slapping of the waves against the hull and wind in the rigging
is suddenly, unexpectedly, broached by this huge air venting out in the
pitch black, inky darkness straight out to starboard. This is followed
by a HUGE splash in the dark that sounds like a fast attack submarine
doing an emergency blow and jumping out of the water at full ahead.....at
least it did sitting there alone just off the waves lapping at the stern
right behind me.

Larry had NO trouble staying awake until past dawn, his watch long over
as he let Lloyd, the only other sailor aboard, sleep in the v-
berth....his system supercharged with pure adrenalyn surging through his
arteries. Even my toes tingled.

It must have been one of your buddies headed for the P-town
tourboats....far away.

Larry
--
Too many Mexicans ahead of you in line? Sneak around behind a rack and
yell, "ICE Immigration! Everyone stand where you are!"

Just drive your cart past the unattended carts to the checkout belt....
(c;

Whale watching in New England
 

"...(from a distance) a male Right whale going through his mating ritual. "

Did the whale have a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and a gold
chain around its neck?
What did Mr Stud Whale say? "Yo,, baby fish breath.. what is your sign?

================================================== ======



"Silver K" wrote in message
...
I have encountered whales many times from my sail boat in the Bay of fundy.
Most times I am looking for them but sometimes they just show up. We have
sailed beside a mother Right Whale and calf and witnessed (from a distance)
a male Right whale going through his mating ritual. We have had a Humpback
come up under our boat and give us a shower when he blew. That was nerve
wracking. I have seen many Fin Backs and most recently had a pair of Hump
Backs surface right beside our boat in an anchorage near the island of
Esprito Santo in the Sea of Cortez. When watching whales the main purpose
is to not get too close to interfere with them. I find a lot of whale
watching boats crowd the whales too much in an attempt to give their guests
the altimate experince but with the number of boats competing for
passenegrs, they seem to forget the ultimate purpose of the trip. Most
boats will stay back and wit their turn but I have seen as many as ten
boats trying to get close to one whale. Yes they do have their own VHF
channel and give locations by minutes of a degree.


"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Roger Long" wrote in
:

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like
whether public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing
anything, etc.


It was 3AM. I'm alone on the midwatch about 90 miles off the Georgia
coast headed North to Charleston in an Endeavour 35 behind the helm about
half asleep on a nice broad reach with a steady breeze and 4'
seas.....staring at the blank Raymarine display.

The usual slapping of the waves against the hull and wind in the rigging
is suddenly, unexpectedly, broached by this huge air venting out in the
pitch black, inky darkness straight out to starboard. This is followed
by a HUGE splash in the dark that sounds like a fast attack submarine
doing an emergency blow and jumping out of the water at full ahead.....at
least it did sitting there alone just off the waves lapping at the stern
right behind me.

Larry had NO trouble staying awake until past dawn, his watch long over
as he let Lloyd, the only other sailor aboard, sleep in the v-
berth....his system supercharged with pure adrenalyn surging through his
arteries. Even my toes tingled.

It must have been one of your buddies headed for the P-town
tourboats....far away.

Larry
--
Too many Mexicans ahead of you in line? Sneak around behind a rack and
yell, "ICE Immigration! Everyone stand where you are!"

Just drive your cart past the unattended carts to the checkout belt....
(c;

Whale watching in New England
 

"Silver K" wrote in news:UHTHh.7893
:

We have had a Humpback
come up under our boat and give us a shower when he blew.

In SC waters, though less spectacular, the Bottlenosed Dolphin is the big
clown around the boat. One little guy did 5 perfect barrel rolls, out of
the water, 8' from the starboard beam. Everyone aboard was most
impressed. They just love to play with sailboats. One of the guys tied
his harness to the bow spirit and they loved it. They were jumping out
of the water as he threw out some old cookies that had lived past their
prime. Don't tell me they don't communicate. The whole pod was
determined to get a cookie for everyone. Their timing was fantastic.
They'd come at the bow from 90 degrees out and jump over my friend at
just the right time to snatch the cookie. It went on until we ran out of
cookies.

It's almost as if they're bored to death swimming around out there and a
sailboat provides great entertainment. Bottlenoses aren't interested in
providing "natural experience", they want you to entertain them. When I
owned the Sea Rayder jetboat and fooled with it in the harbor the lack of
a spinning, threatening prop seemed, also, to provoke them into staying
around the jetboat....every time you were at hull speed.

Larry
--
How much price inflation is caused by illegal
aliens gobbling up goods and services, creating
shortages for the natives? I heard 40%!

Whale watching in New England
 

On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:16:39 -0500, Larry wrote:

In SC waters, though less spectacular, the Bottlenosed Dolphin is the big
clown around the boat. One little guy did 5 perfect barrel rolls, out of
the water, 8' from the starboard beam. Everyone aboard was most
impressed. They just love to play with sailboats.

And trawlers:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OgD0t1NidF4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TxHhfr3buOw

We sometimes get 5 or 6 at a time playing in the wake.

Whale watching in New England
 

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.

It's not only doable, but it's easier to approach a pod under sail
without an engine. Went out on Stellwagen in late spring, dropped the
jib and had a great hour tacking among breaching whales. There were a
handful of tour boats in the area that kept a quarter mile off or
maybe the whales kept away from the stinkpots.

Whale watching in New England
 

"NE Sailboat" wrote:

With the cans floating in the water and the Just Married sign on the transom
?? Might be against the mammal act.

================================================= ================
"Roger Long" wrote in message
.. .
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests
a taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything,
etc.

Of course if you are in company, it might not be a problem, but whales
can and do sink sailboats (or other boats), and there are rules about
interfering with them. At least I see such things marked on the
charts.

Whale watching in New England
 

VFD?

"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:53:55 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
said:

company communicate by VHG to tell one another of the locations of
sightings.

VHG? Some kind of new radio frequency?

Take a look down at your keyboard and see what letter is right next to the
G. Then see if your small brain can add 2 and 2.

Whale watching in New England
 

On 7 Mar 2007 20:52:02 -0600, Dave wrote:

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 21:38:06 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
said:

Take a look down at your keyboard and see what letter is right next to
the
G. Then see if your small brain can add 2 and 2.

I looked and I saw an "H" right next to the "G". So you're saying they
kept in touch by VHH?

OK, so your small brain can't add 2 and 2.

BTW, I'm still waiting for you to explain over in .asa what "hearsay" means.

Now, now. Let's keep things in the groups they belong in. Thank You.
Mark E. Williams

Whale watching in New England
 

Wayne.B wrote in
:

We sometimes get 5 or 6 at a time playing in the wake.


I can tell the wildlife is just terrified of your presence...(c;

We don't make much of a wake with Lionheart....more like a little ripple
with us sitting in the trough of it...(c;


Larry
--
How much price inflation is caused by illegal
aliens gobbling up goods and services, creating
shortages for the natives? I heard 40%!

Whale watching in New England
 

On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:03:45 -0500, Larry wrote:

We sometimes get 5 or 6 at a time playing in the wake.


I can tell the wildlife is just terrified of your presence...(c;

There is something about the GB49 that is a bit of a dolphin magnet.
Since there are lots of boats around here that leave big wakes, it
must be the roar of the 671s or those big 30 inch props churning up
the water.

Whale watching in New England
 

"NE Sailboat" wrote in message
news:9wIHh.20969$tf.4799@trndny06...
With the cans floating in the water and the Just Married sign on the
transom ?? Might be against the mammal act.

================================================== ===============
"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and
guests a taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything,
etc.

--
Roger Long


Was up there last summer, Stellwegen is a giant buffet for whales. The
humpbacks were working as teams to concentrate the fish. Saw at least 50
Humpbacks in 30 minutes, also saw some Fin Whales. Re the type of boat we
were in a 36" Silverton but it doesn't really make any difference (power or
sail) they will come right up to you and sometimes even go under your boat
(a little daunting). Bring your camera, you won't need a long lens. While we
were there a Woods Hole OI boat was going up to them and attaching radio
transponders, they didn't seem to be much bothered.

Whale watching in New England
 

Larry wrote:

"Roger Long" wrote in
:


Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like
whether public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing
anything, etc.



It was 3AM. I'm alone on the midwatch about 90 miles off the Georgia
coast headed North to Charleston in an Endeavour 35 behind the helm about
half asleep on a nice broad reach with a steady breeze and 4'
seas.....staring at the blank Raymarine display.

The usual slapping of the waves against the hull and wind in the rigging
is suddenly, unexpectedly, broached by this huge air venting out in the
pitch black, inky darkness straight out to starboard. This is followed
by a HUGE splash in the dark that sounds like a fast attack submarine
doing an emergency blow and jumping out of the water at full ahead.....at
least it did sitting there alone just off the waves lapping at the stern
right behind me.

Larry had NO trouble staying awake until past dawn, his watch long over
as he let Lloyd, the only other sailor aboard, sleep in the v-
berth....his system supercharged with pure adrenalyn surging through his
arteries. Even my toes tingled.

It must have been one of your buddies headed for the P-town
tourboats....far away.

Larry
Many years ago when i was into windrush 14 cat's
i was doing a solo run to rottenest on a gloriest
day you could want for sailing about 14knt sw which had me on a near
perfect beam reach belting along with one hull just tipping the waves
when this great black lump rose in front of me my first thought was heck
its a sub. (navy base near by)

I let the sheets go and luffed up to avoid smashing into it then it
rolled onto its side lifted its eye out of the water looked directly at
me seemed to wink then rolled back all without the slightest thought of
hurting me as it seemed more interested in me than i was of it. (by the
way they have the most beautiful brown eyes)

Then ever so gently it slid back under me and down and turned south.
After my quaking subsided i thought it was safe to continue
when once more i was belting along as only a cat can do with spray
flying all about when i heard the sound of rushing air behind and to the
south and there was this whale again this time with his/her mate coming
up behind me and the pair of them paced me no more than 6 feet off my
port hull for a few minutes (felt like a life time)then slowly drew
ahead and curved of to the west towards the deep water channel.

and all i can think of was the whale saying to his/her mate see i told
you there was daft bugger on a cat out here.
Shaun

Whale watching in New England
 

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:51:00 -0400, Rick B. wrote:

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:02:11 -0500, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out to
Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests a
taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything, etc.

We listen to the commercial whale watch boats on the VHF as the
spotters call to each other and then head in that general direction if
it's within reach. Had great luck last year out of Casco Bay. We'd
spent the night anchored off Richardson Island and then went out about
6 miles, not only whales but dolphins as well. It was one of the
better days.

Set a course out of a harbour on Ende Island, Indonesia that was clear
of all land, racks etc. Wife on watch yells out to check navigation as
there is a large black rock dead ahead. No, no such rock on the chart.
Checked everything again including GPS, bearings to land etc. On
getting closer the mass of seabirds perched on top and a hoard of
buzzing flies flew up. It was a dead Minke whale floating belly up.

It obviously had been dead for sometime if the stench was any
indication. I'd hate to have hit it at even just 5 knots. I reckon
you'd have to burn the yacht to get rid of the smell.

Peter

Whale watching in New England
 

"Peter Hendra" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:51:00 -0400, Rick B. wrote:

On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 19:02:11 -0500, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I'm thinking a fun thing to do this summer might be to take the boat out
to
Stellwagen Bank or other whale spots. It would give my crew and guests a
taste of offshore life and be an interesting quest.

Has anybody done this in a sailboat? I'm wondering things like whether
public sighting reports are available, probability of seeing anything,
etc.

We have sailed out to Stellwagen a number of times. Sailing makes it an all
day trip, usually arriving in time for lunch. We look for the commercial
whale watchers. We have not found much on the radio. Some watchers come
into view on the way out and we follow their lead. We have never been
disappointed. My best story is the time I was photographing my wife and
niece and they were watching a humpback broach less than a boat length
behind me. They didn't tell me about it until after I snapped their picture,
by then I heard the splash, but it was too late.